“Just how big can these rockets get?” asked Nikolai.
“Big enough to level an entire factory,” said David. “Or half a city block.”
The room was suddenly very quiet, the reality of what they were discussing settling around them, making the air feel thick with the consequences of what they would decide here. Give me a chance to show you what might be, Nikolai had told Zoya. He’d meant peace. He’d meant compromise. Not this.
“At what distance?” Nikolai asked.
“I don’t really know,” said David. “The issue is weight. Steel is too heavy. Aluminum may be too. They’re fine for testing, but if we’re serious about using these rockets, we need a lighter metal.”
“Like what?”
“Titanium is lighter but more durable,” said Leoni. “And it doesn’t degrade.”
“It’s also rarer,” said Nadia, tucking a loose strand of her blond hair back into a twist. “We don’t have much of a stockpile.”
“Are we seriously considering this?” Genya said softly.
“I’ll give you the rockets we’ve been working on,” said David. “But even if we can source more titanium, I won’t build them bigger.”
“May I ask why?” said Nikolai, though he thought he knew.
“I won’t make a city killer.”
“And if it’s the threat we need?”
“If we build one,” said David, “it won’t stop with us. It never does.”
David was one of the most talented Fabrikators and thinkers of his time, maybe of any time. But his gifts had always been turned to waging war. That was the nature of being Ravkan. It had been for hundreds of years.
And David was right. Only a short time ago, they’d all been fighting with sabers and muskets, then the repeating rifle had come along and made swords all but useless. What they were talking about would be a frightening escalation, and once Ravka mastered targeted rockets, Fjerda would as well.
“We have to decide what kind of war we want to wage,” David said.
“I’m not sure we get to make that choice,” Nikolai replied. “We can’t ignore what will happen if Fjerda masters this technology first. And even if they don’t, they’re going to be ready the next time we meet.”
David was silent for a long moment. “The things the Darkling asked me to do … I did them mindlessly, thoughtlessly. I helped put the collar around Alina’s neck. I created the lumiya that allowed him to enter the Fold without her power. Without my help, he never could have … I won’t be responsible for this too.”
Nikolai turned his attention to Genya. “And do you agree with this?”
“No,” said Genya, taking David’s hand. “But I was the Darkling’s weapon too. I know what that feels like, and this is David’s choice to make.”
“We don’t have enough titanium for a city killer,” said Leoni, eager to make peace. “Maybe it doesn’t matter.”
“It matters,” said Adrik. “There’s no point to fighting a war if you don’t intend to win it.”
“There’s more,” said Nikolai. “There are rumors the Fjerdan crown prince may not survive the winter.”
Genya shook her head. “I didn’t realize his condition was so severe.”
“No one did. I suspect his family has worked hard to keep it a secret, something with which I can certainly sympathize. It’s possible that our alliance with the Shu will give them pause—assuming we’re successful in forging it. But we need to accept that the prince may die and the Grimjers may have no choice but to wage war.”
Leoni rubbed her thumb over the chip in her saucer, using her power to slowly repair it. “I don’t understand. If Rasmus dies, his father will still rule. His younger brother will become heir.”
“Heir to nothing,” said Adrik. “Fjerdans don’t think of the royal family the way that the Shu do, or even the way Ravkans do. They follow the will of Djel, and strength is the way Djel shows favor. The Fjerdan dynasties that have reigned have always taken their place by force. The Grimjers will need to prove they still deserve the throne.”
“Perhaps I should try to take that crown instead,” suggested Nikolai.
Adrik sniffed. “Do you even speak Fjerdan?”
“I do. So badly a nice man named Knut once offered me a sizable ruby to stop.”
“So now the Grimjers have a young, weak, sickly prince poised to succeed an elderly king?” asked Nadia.