The Emperor's Edge 2: Dark Currents

The Emperor's Edge 2: Ch. 13 Pt. 1

When Vonsha returned, holding a notepad, she said nothing of the marriage discussion. Indeed, she glanced around the room, as if to ensure her father was gone.

“We convinced your old man to leave,” Maldynado said.

Her eyes widened. “You’re the first then.”

She drew a chair close to Books and sat, her knee almost touching his. That faint perfume she wore teased his nostrils, a hint of honey and a bouquet of wildflowers.

An annoying smirk rode Maldynado’s lips.

“Why don’t you go explore the grounds?” Books told him. “Play with the dogs, perhaps.”

“Nah, I’m comfortable here.”

Books glared. Maldynado’s smirk broadened.

Vonsha laid the papers so they rested across her and Books’s knees. Her fingers brushed his thigh, and he gulped, unable to focus on the words on the page. He told himself he was forty-five and far too old to be nervous and flustered around a woman or to need to worry about shifting his jacket to hide—

“What’s this?” He draped his arm across his lap and pointed to the page.

Maldynado snickered under his breath.

“Some notes I took the last time I was home,” Vonsha said. “The reason I was double-checking the lot lines is that Lord Hagcrest, the neighbor across the river, has been up to something. He made an offer on my parents’ land. He lives on the parcel you were looking up.” Her eyes searched Books’s face.

She must wonder if she could trust him or if he was involved somehow.

“I heard it might be for sale,” Books said. Almost the truth.

“People have been snooping around over there, at least one fair-skinned and light-eyed. I’m concerned Hagcrest is working with foreigners, perhaps to allow a toehold into Turgonian territory. These mountains are treacherous, and the only pass for two hundred miles lies through this valley.”

Books thought of the dead woman in the aqueducts whom they believed had been an appraiser. Was it possible this neighbor had called her up to calculate the value of the land, then killed her to keep her from telling anyone? If so, where had the horribly gashed dead men come from? The bodies must have originated in roughly the same area since they had been bumping up against the same grate in the subterranean channel. But if Hagcrest had ordered an appraisal, prior to making an offer, it should have been on the Spearcrest’s land, not his own. Unless he was thinking of selling both lots to foreigners at a profit? Was that permitted? He would have to ask Amaranthe about real estate laws.

“Lord Hagcrest wouldn’t tell me anything when I went to see him,” Vonsha said. “He’s an old grump, worse than my father. I’d actually been thinking of heading east myself after I recovered from the explosion.” She touched the bandage at her neck. “To see what’s going on at the fort. I have a feeling the presence of foreigners in this valley means something vile has happened over there. Perhaps…” She leaned closer and laid a hand on Books’s arm. “If you don’t mind my asking, how are you involved in all this? I’d like to trust you, but I don’t know who you truly are. You’re...wanted by the law?”

Books licked his lips. How much should he volunteer? His reason for coming here had been to acquire information, not give it away. He looked to Maldynado for an opinion, but a house cat had strolled in, and he was busy coaxing it onto his lap.

“Our leader calls us The Emperor’s Edge....” Books spent the next few minutes explaining Amaranthe’s group and their intent to earn Sespian’s recognition, though he left out names. Sicarius, at the least, would not appreciate being mentioned.