The Twelve Kingdoms by Jeffe Kennedy

the recognition that he had surprised me indeed. He had to know that no one expected a man who looked like the side of a cliff to be articulate or clever.
    â€œAs you wish—either is appropriate,” I replied, deliberately casting a bored-seeming eye over the assembly as I lent half an ear to Uorsin’s conversation. Laurenne chewed on an old bone, ever unhappy with the crop tithes. Privately I didn’t blame Aerron for their concerns. The southern drought continued, expanding the desert by leagues each year, eating into the fertile farmland. They weren’t the only ones struggling to produce, however, and we needed every grain they owed and then some. From the tenor of her complaints, however, it sounded as if Uorsin had recently increased the tithe, which seemed most ill-advised.
    â€œNo dispensation for a less formal accolade in conversation, then, Your Highness? What do your men call you?”
    I turned and met his eye, allowed a slight smile. “Captain.”
    He laughed, as resonant and booming as his voice. “Touché, Captain.”
    â€œAre we fencing, then?”
    â€œI witnessed your practice today, as you know, Your Highness. It would be interesting indeed to match blades with you.”
    â€œAnd yet we are allies, it seems, so such a scenario is unlikely to occur.”
    â€œYou do not spar?”
    â€œRarely. Only to teach.” Only with my Hawks. “Are you asking for lessons, Captain Harlan of the Vervaldr?”
    He grinned, and it belatedly occurred to me that the remark, which I’d intended as mildly insulting, had possibly sounded salacious.
    â€œI enjoyed the display this afternoon and would be delighted for you to show me more.” He leaned in as he spoke, dropping his voice to a soft rumble. I refused to look away, much as I wished to. Amelia would have had a charming quip to sweetly set him back on his heels. Andi wouldn’t have gotten into the conversation in the first place. I settled for a steely glare. “Though you are equally beautiful this evening, Your Highness,” he continued when I did not answer. “The gown and jewels become you. You exceed your portrait in every way and make an impressive Heir to the High Throne.”
    â€œDrumming up business for the future?” I inquired, using the excuse of taking up my wine goblet to tear my gaze away.
    From the corner of my eye, I saw him refill his goblet and drink from it. He let the silence stretch a beat too long for courtesy. “Do you object to my profession, Your Highness?”
    â€œOn principle? Yes, I do. Loyalty should be earned, not purchased.”
    â€œPurchased loyalty is the only kind you can depend on.”
    â€œUntil a better offer comes along.”
    â€œIsn’t it the same, Your Highness, with your version of loyalty?”
    â€œMy version , Captain?”
    â€œYes. Loyalty simply means adherence to the law. In a contractual arrangement, the law is far more precise than in one governed by emotion.”
    â€œBut emotion can’t be bought.”
    â€œAha—but it can be swayed. You imagine that more money would buy my loyalty, which it would not, by the way, as that’s a serious ethical breech within my profession. With emotion, the next great orator, the more sympathetic cause, the wrenching tale of the martyr—all of these can redirect loyalty in a flash. And with no ethical prohibitions against it—after all, how can you deny a shining truth?—then the emotional contract is forfeit.”
    â€œAnd nothing trumps your contractual agreements?”
    Something flickered in his gaze. “I wouldn’t say ‘nothing.’ ”
    â€œThen what could—”
    â€œDo not let that one draw you into a debate, Daughter.” Uorsin set a heavy hand on my shoulder and Ambassador Laurenne strode away, anger in the line of her back. I’d missed the rest of their conversation, distracted by the