She could only hope he was not.
“Are you asking me to reach out to him?” Trynne asked with a wince.
Genny shook her head. “No, I wouldn’t burden you with that. He should make the next move. I just hope that you wouldn’t spurn his efforts to reconcile, even if they’re clumsily made.”
“Well said, Genny,” Trynne replied with a small laugh.
Genevieve hugged her again. “We should learn more about this zenana. Are there true Oath Maidens there, the kind Myrddin taught you about? Or does it serve another purpose? I might send you there, Trynne. My heart says there is more for us to learn. Gahalatine must have a weakness. All this power, all this force. There has to be something we can use to turn the tide in our favor. We’re running out of time.”
Trynne nodded resolutely.
One of the queen’s ladies-in-waiting pulled aside the curtains and appeared on the balcony. “I beg your pardon, my lady, but a visitor has arrived. The Grand Duke of Brugia.”
Genevieve looked surprised. “He wishes to see me?”
The girl dimpled. “No, my lady. He came to see Lady Tryneowy.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Elwis
Upon leaving the balcony, Trynne found the young grand duke of Brugia talking pleasantly with Sureya. His demeanor had transformed over the last year. Her first impressions of him had not been favorable. He had been rude and conceited, and the outfit he’d chosen for the king and queen’s marriage was distinctly—and pointedly—Brugian in style: a fancy black tunic with white ruffs at the neck and cuffs. In the past, Elwis had always sported a sour frown while in Kingfountain, and he’d never acknowledged others as his equal. But his attitude had abruptly changed after his father was slain in the Battle of Guilme. He had come close to losing his precious kingdom, and it had not failed to make an impression on him that Drew’s men had died in the effort to save his city.
He was courteous, though still a bit aloof at times. But he tried harder to be agreeable, and he’d tried exceedingly hard to be agreeable to her.
When Trynne entered the room, a small smile appeared on his mouth, one that reached his eyes. Leaning against the wall near the window seat, arms folded, he concluded his conversation.
“It was a pleasure meeting you, Rani Sureya. It has been a long while since I have seen fashions from the East. You speak our language exceedingly well. I bid you welcome to Kingfountain.” He bowed graciously, and Sureya dimpled and smiled back in return.
How he had changed.
He was tall, his hair so blond it was nearly white. His rugged face still bore the fading scars he’d earned in the battle.
“I’m grateful I caught you ere you departed for Averanche,” he said warmly, walking up and giving Trynne a formal bow. “I only just heard that you were at the palace.”
He made no attempt to hide his regard for her. She was flattered by his attentions, naturally, but uncertain about how to respond to them. Her broken heart still pined for Fallon, even though her head told her that it was not to be. She had tried to wrest details from her mother about the man she’d seen Trynne marry in her vision. But Sinia had always refused to say more. It did nothing to comfort Trynne that her mother’s look always had an edge of disappointment when they spoke about her future husband.
“I did not intend to stay for long,” Trynne said, trying to be pleasant. “It is good to see you, Elwis. What brings you here?”
They were both members of the king’s council and had seats at the Ring Table, so it was appropriate for them to discuss state secrets. Elwis glanced back at Sureya and lowered his voice.
“You brought her?” he asked. “I’m presuming you trust her.”
“I do. Her father is an honorable man.”
“Indeed, he is,” Elwis said. “King Sunilik has a strong reputation among the spice traders of the desert. He is someone we’ve heard a lot about this past year. I was just very surprised to find her here. I came because we heard from a Genevese merchant that the fleet of treasure ships was seen at harbor in Jevva. They are coming for us once again. There can be no doubt of that. The Genevese captain is a canny man. He said the winds and currents put them about a month from our shores. I’ve tripled the numbers of archers in my realm. If they start falling from the sky again, you can be sure we will make it difficult. I came to relay this information to the king, along with other news.”
“What news?”
“I learned that two years ago, when Gahalatine finished the work on his new capital, the Forbidden Court, he commemorated the celebration by inviting the rulers of the hundred kingdoms he’s purportedly conquered. They were brought by his treasure ships and feasted and celebrated along the journey as well as in the capital itself. The ships were then stuffed to the bilge with trading goods for them to return to their kingdoms. Silks, jade, beautiful vases, plants of many varieties. Listen to this. The way Gahalatine does tribute is very different. People don’t pay him for protection. He pays them. This Genevese captain I met said that there are over a hundred and twenty scholars in the Forbidden Court learning every spoken language so that they can be sent to negotiate terms of tribute. The scholars of Chandigarl have studied the stars for centuries and have maps more accurate than anything we possess. He saw the fleet at Jevva and was allowed to tour the vessels and gain this knowledge firsthand. They were boasting of their superiority.”