Misha with her. If she hadn’t, maybe I would have been able to speak up to say, “We can’t do this,” but Misha could hear me, and I could see her, see the bruises on her skin and the blindfold across her eyes and the bonds on her hands, and even though I could sense the aura of madness I could not stand to step forward and say, “No, it isn’t worth it.”
So we made the deal.
I untied Misha’s hands and uncovered her eyes while Acise rode away with the unconscious hawk cradled in her arms like an ill friend she was taking care of.
We all went home. Everyone except Alasdair. It was almost easy. Certainly easier to do than to live with.
—
As spring’s chill started to give way to early summer warmth, greens began to poke up from the damp earth…and Misha became increasingly frustrated with her mate.
Watching her argue yet again with Aaron, I couldn’t help but think more about the woman we had sold in order to save her. It had seemed so easy to justify my actions then. Now I knew that I had made a devil’s deal.
I added Alasdair to the list of victims it was beyond my power to save, and turned my attention to Aaron, wondering if I could do better by him.
“You’re stalling,” Misha accused him. “I got Hara out of the way for you. It’s your turn to be bold now.”
Aaron flinched, looking cautiously around the camp as if to confirm that no one outside our guild had heard Misha’s words.
“I’m not
stalling,
” he replied, his voice calm despite his anxious expression. “Julian and our people don’t know what happened to Hara, but they aren’t idiots. If I walk in with you right now, they’ll know. I’ve had people I trust planting rumors that Hara made a deal with Midnight and it went bad somehow. It will make her less sympathetic, pave the way for our speaking out against the vampires, and keep us from being the only suspects once Julian hears where Hara is now.”
Misha pulled away from her mate and stood. She glared at me as her pacing took her past my spot by the fire, and I looked away, careful not to meet her mossy-green eyes. Like Misha, I was impatient for our plans to move forward, but I also understood Aaron’s logic.
If he hadn’t been caught in Misha’s thrall, I thought Aaron would have made a good king…as kings went, anyway. He had Farrell’s ability to step back and consider the whole situation, as well as his knack for speaking to people in a way that made them feel valued and respected. If we brought Midnight down, and then separated him from Misha, perhaps he could recover well enough to make both his fathers proud. We just needed to make sure he survived.
Misha paused in her pacing to ask, “What about the trade laws?”
Aaron’s frame relaxed, as if he believed this subject was safer than the last.
“Julian is hesitant, but I think I nearly have him convinced. He has started taking an inventory of supplies, and has given me the account books so I can use them to estimate what we will need.”
“What are you talking about? What trade laws?” I asked. I would have preferred to be a silent observer, avoiding Misha’s attention, but it didn’t seem that they were about to divulge the details of this previously unmentioned plan without prompting.
Aaron smiled, as if pleased that I was showing an interest. Misha’s eyes narrowed fractionally.
“Kadee gave us the idea, actually, when she negotiated with the Shantel,” Aaron explained. “Midnight requires that all commerce take place in public markets, and they tax all transactions that happen there. Our plan is to avoid lining their coffers by refusing to trade.”
“People can live without luxury goods,” I pointed out, “but what about things like fuel and food?”
Aaron nodded. “That’s why the royal house is going to collect all essential goods and organize their fair distribution. No coins change hands, so no taxes are owed.”
“It meets the letter of the law,” Misha said. “We all
So we made the deal.
I untied Misha’s hands and uncovered her eyes while Acise rode away with the unconscious hawk cradled in her arms like an ill friend she was taking care of.
We all went home. Everyone except Alasdair. It was almost easy. Certainly easier to do than to live with.
—
As spring’s chill started to give way to early summer warmth, greens began to poke up from the damp earth…and Misha became increasingly frustrated with her mate.
Watching her argue yet again with Aaron, I couldn’t help but think more about the woman we had sold in order to save her. It had seemed so easy to justify my actions then. Now I knew that I had made a devil’s deal.
I added Alasdair to the list of victims it was beyond my power to save, and turned my attention to Aaron, wondering if I could do better by him.
“You’re stalling,” Misha accused him. “I got Hara out of the way for you. It’s your turn to be bold now.”
Aaron flinched, looking cautiously around the camp as if to confirm that no one outside our guild had heard Misha’s words.
“I’m not
stalling,
” he replied, his voice calm despite his anxious expression. “Julian and our people don’t know what happened to Hara, but they aren’t idiots. If I walk in with you right now, they’ll know. I’ve had people I trust planting rumors that Hara made a deal with Midnight and it went bad somehow. It will make her less sympathetic, pave the way for our speaking out against the vampires, and keep us from being the only suspects once Julian hears where Hara is now.”
Misha pulled away from her mate and stood. She glared at me as her pacing took her past my spot by the fire, and I looked away, careful not to meet her mossy-green eyes. Like Misha, I was impatient for our plans to move forward, but I also understood Aaron’s logic.
If he hadn’t been caught in Misha’s thrall, I thought Aaron would have made a good king…as kings went, anyway. He had Farrell’s ability to step back and consider the whole situation, as well as his knack for speaking to people in a way that made them feel valued and respected. If we brought Midnight down, and then separated him from Misha, perhaps he could recover well enough to make both his fathers proud. We just needed to make sure he survived.
Misha paused in her pacing to ask, “What about the trade laws?”
Aaron’s frame relaxed, as if he believed this subject was safer than the last.
“Julian is hesitant, but I think I nearly have him convinced. He has started taking an inventory of supplies, and has given me the account books so I can use them to estimate what we will need.”
“What are you talking about? What trade laws?” I asked. I would have preferred to be a silent observer, avoiding Misha’s attention, but it didn’t seem that they were about to divulge the details of this previously unmentioned plan without prompting.
Aaron smiled, as if pleased that I was showing an interest. Misha’s eyes narrowed fractionally.
“Kadee gave us the idea, actually, when she negotiated with the Shantel,” Aaron explained. “Midnight requires that all commerce take place in public markets, and they tax all transactions that happen there. Our plan is to avoid lining their coffers by refusing to trade.”
“People can live without luxury goods,” I pointed out, “but what about things like fuel and food?”
Aaron nodded. “That’s why the royal house is going to collect all essential goods and organize their fair distribution. No coins change hands, so no taxes are owed.”
“It meets the letter of the law,” Misha said. “We all
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