Knight of Wands (A Steampunk Fantasy Adventure Novel) (Devices of War Book 2) by SM Blooding Page B

didn’t want it. “I am El’Asim.”
    “In order to negotiate this treaty, you will have to be both,” Nix said. “You will have to prove to your Families that you can be trusted, and you will have to make us believe that you are only looking out for our best interest.”
    “You destroyed people’s lives, Nix,” I growled in disbelief. “How am I supposed to negotiate with them on your behalf? How am I supposed to ‘keep the interests of the Hands’ uppermost when the only thing I really want is your head on a stick?”
    Her dark eyes focused on my chest. “Do you think that would solve anything?”
    Yes. “No.”
    “Then don’t allow that to go in the treaty.”
    I sucked in my cheeks and glared around the room.
    Varik handed me the leather long coat and the top hat of the knighthood.
    My arms remained at my sides.
    Carilyn took it for me.
    Nix nodded and left, taking her broken pet with her.
    Dyna’s eyebrows lodged in her hairline. “That was Nix? Does she have a twin that we weren’t aware of?”
    The expression on Carilyn’s face was much the same.
    I was completely fed up with these women. I needed to get out of there, wanted to go home. “Passage out of here. What did you have in mind?”
    Dyna sighed and gave me a frank look. Then she turned around and headed deeper in the House of Swords. “I sent a transmission to Yvette, thinking that would get you a ride home.”
    Probably not. Now that Yvette, Dyna’s trusted spy, had found her mother, the two had been inseparable. I honestly had no idea when or if Yvette was going to keep up the charade of being Dyna’s spy.
    “However, I haven’t heard from her.”
    I really didn’t need anyone to answer anyway. “I’ll need a dragonfly.”
    “Just give me the radio frequency of—”
    “No.”
    Queen Dyna stopped and turned around. “It’s safe. The Families are safe. There’s no need for fear.”
    “Why? Because of that message? Dyna.” I forced my fists to relax. “Those are words. No one is going to believe them until you prove it.”
    “I can’t do that unless we can find them, show them we are capable of being trusted.”
    I was a moron.
    She looked over my shoulder. “High Priestess Aiyanna,” the queen called. “I’m quite sure you were able to retrieve the frequencies.”
    I turned around. I hadn’t heard her approach, but the slight woman stood beside me, her hands folded under her scarves.
    Dyna smiled at Aiyanna. “I know I didn’t request the information previously, but surely you understand what Synn does not. In order to make this peace a reality, we will need those frequencies.”
    “I’m afraid,” the priestess said, her voice soft, “that I was unable to discover that information. I wasn’t looking for it, and it never came up in our work.”
    Relief permeated my entire being as I watched her with curious wariness.
    Dyna let out a frustrated sigh. “Synn, this is ridiculous. You have—”
    I let out a derisive breath and shook my head. “You know what? I’ll find my own way off this rock.”
    “Synn, wait.” Dyna commanded.
    I really didn’t need anything from here. What I needed was a change of clothes, but I knew I wasn’t going to find anything there. Dear Sky, I had to be one of the dumbest people on this planet. How many times was I going to fall for their tricks?
    I made it out the door walking so fast I was practically running when Carilyn caught up to me. She didn’t say a word, she just kept stride beside me, the long coat slung over her shoulder, the top hat in hand.
    She wasn’t coming with me, but I’d let her figure that out on her own.
    I made it to the row of hangers. Walking between two of them, I found the massive air field. There weren’t a lot of planes. I saw the dragonfly I’d destroyed in my attempt to keep Keeley safe, but there weren’t any other planes I knew how to fly on the entire field. I’d have to figure out a way to get the dragonfly to start. Somehow.
    Carilyn