Luxa’s Hand does not extend infinitely. I’ve studied the maps left by the old mages. Far south, near the great ice fields, the barrier ends.”
Raul sipped his coffee, grimaced, and set it aside. “A dangerous voyage.”
“Yes,” Valara said. “But remember, a fleet of ships and their soldiers remain in Morennioù, Lord Kosenmark. I might be queen, but I am a hunted queen, far from home and with the enemy at loose in my lands. That is the reason behind my desperation. So I ask again, will you give me passage home?”
Raul said nothing for a few moments. Ilse didn’t need a magical spell to read his mind. He was casting over what Valara told him, sifting through her words and silences for the truth.
“What about us?” he said at last. “More important, what about the third jewel?”
“What about it?” Valara asked in turn.
“You have one jewel. Leos Dzavek has recovered the second. Do not bother to deny it. I have confirmation from several trusted sources. So far you are well-matched. Veraene has nothing.”
“Not exactly nothing,” Valara replied. “You have tens of thousands of soldiers more than I. You have a mage councillor of great skill—”
“Leave him aside,” Raul said. “One jewel—one creature born of Lir’s breath and love and passion—that can overturn any advantage we have. We need a better assurance.”
“What kind of assurance? Your famous peace? Your word is not enough, Lord Kosenmark. You might say I have nothing to bargain with. But I would gladly bargain my life against my kingdom’s security.”
The firelight gave the other woman’s face a ruddy cast. Her eyes were like dark strokes of ink against a sheet of parchment, aged to the color of honey, her face like the face of stone monuments from ancient times. It was in that moment that Ilse saw why Valara was the heir and now queen. She did not speak empty words.
I have met this woman before, in lives past. Which ones?
She glanced toward Raul. He gave slight nod. My turn, Ilse thought.
“Are you ready for war, then?” she asked Valara. “Are you ready for all your people to die, not just you?”
Valara blinked at the question. “Why should that matter to you?”
“Peace matters to me. Unless we agree, Veraene faces a bloody, unnecessary war. Unless we agree, you face a thousand or more soldiers and mages from Veraene or Károví.”
“More threats,” Valara said. Her voice sounded rougher than before.
“No, merely observations about the risks following your decisions. You might believe that a war between Veraene and Károví protects you. It will, for a time. We haven’t ships or soldiers or mages enough to battle two kingdoms, especially one so far away as yours. Or you might believe that Morennioù could ally itself with either of us—”
“I don’t.”
Ilse tilted her hand to one side. “Then you believe that Lir’s Veil protects you. Also wrong. Morennioù is no longer the lost kingdom. One fleet of ships found a way through the Veil. Others will follow. War here simply means a delay.”
Valara stared at Ilse a long moment. “So what do you propose?” she said at last.
“A balance between the kingdoms,” Ilse said. “You pledge to keep Morennioù neutral. Lord Kosenmark gives you passage home, and pledges to use his influence to forestall any difficulties between our kingdom and yours.”
Valara frowned. “A pledge of influence? From a man dismissed from court? I cannot—”
“And I give myself to you as a hostage,” Ilse said.
A thick silence dropped over the campsite. Ilse wasn’t certain why she had offered herself. It was impulse, and the knowledge that unless Valara gained a true advantage over Raul, she would never agree to anything he proposed.
But the sight of Raul’s masklike expression was like a knife stroke.
She drew a breath. “Let me explain.”
“Please do,” Raul whispered.
“Yes,” Valara said. “You would offer yourself as my hostage. How does that benefit me?”
“Two ways. You are assured that Lord Kosenmark will keep his promises. And you may use my presence should you need to bargain with Armand of Angersee and Lord Khandarr. King Leos remains your concern. In return, you will offer us all assistance to recover Lir’s third jewel.”
Valara stared at Ilse. Again Ilse had the impression of a hunting fox—and that impression strengthened when the other woman drew her lips drew back from her teeth. “I agree.”
A longer pause followed before Raul said, “I would like to discuss certain points with Mistress Ilse before I pledge my word. Please,” he said, cutting off Valara’s incipient protest.