Page 26 of Onyx Cage: Volume II

She hadn’t told a single person in this room about my father.

Some small bit of tension unfurled within me, though there were still plenty of obstacles to navigate. I pulled out an envelope with the letter I had obtained from him for unrelated discussions within Socair, having…repurposed it for today’s meeting.

“I have a letter with his seal, granting me full authority over these discussions.”

“What changed his mind?” Korhonan demanded, eyes narrowed.

Leave it to him to show a rare bit of initiative just in time to make my life more difficult. Then again, it was just as well to get this out of the way now.

“It isn’t for me to question the duke,” I said, letting him hear the echo of his own flimsy reasoning fired back at him.

He huffed irritably but said nothing else. Which was just as well, since I was eager to clear up a few things of my own.

“I also have a question,” I announced, a blithe smile on my lips. “What possible reason could I have for consenting to the very thing I went so out of my way to stop from happening?”

Rowan’s lips parted in disbelief, a sound escaping her that was reminiscent of Boris when I stepped on his tail. “Yes, I’m sure kidnapping me was a real burden onyou.”

I shrugged, because in fact, it had been, but also because I wanted her to feel half as frustrated as I did watching Korhonan lean over her like an ill-trained guard dog.

“Funny you should ask.” A hard voice spoke up from my left. It was one of the lairds who decidedly disliked both of theSocairans in this room—the one who had introduced himself as MacBay. “It might interest you to know that our people have a great deal of love for their princess. That some ofustook it quite personally when she was held hostage for months.”

His emphasis left no doubt as to where he fell on that issue.

“There are many who believe retaliation is the only way to prevent something like that from happening again.” Again, it was clear that he was one of those people. Someone who thought the best way forward was with a conflict that would cost countless lives.

I clenched my jaw but didn’t respond, processing his words internally along with the eager nods of a few other lairds.

I had known there were tensions, but I hadn’t realized from last night quite how much support there was for an outright war.

Another voice cut in, tired but no less steely—MacKinnon, no title. “Which is why the princess graciously agreed to entertain betrothal talks, once she realized some of the lairds were ready to march on Socair if no one intervened.”

My mind spun, not sure where to land first. This was apparently news to Korhonan as well, if the way he went rigid in his seat was any indication.

I might have taken some pleasure in his surprise if I wasn’t busy reeling from my own.

“It wasn’t...only for that,” Rowan said, placing a hand on Korhonan’s and frowning at the second speaker.

Her caveated denial did not appear to comfort her almost-betrothed.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, Lord Evander,” Prince Oliver spoke up. The timbre and the feigned amicability of his voice were so like his son’s, though his drawl was slower and more pronounced. “But a march on Socair would lead directly toyourterritory, would it not?”

“It would,” I confirmed, examining Rowan’s features once more.

She lifted her chin in defiance…the way she did when she was trying to hide something.

She had done it last night, too, but I had been too angry to put it together…just before she mentioned being with Korhonan. And now this. I had speculated more than once about why there had been no army at the pass when the snow cleared away. Not for lack of the Lochlannian Council trying, as it turned out.

Korhonan had made his intentions clear, yet she had apparently waited to consider it until the only other option was war.Again.

And last night, she had come tomyroom.

“So, you can see it’s in your best interest to be obliging, then,” Queen Charlotte took over, casting a troubled glance at Rowan’s tight features.

Obliging to what, though? My pulse thrummed in my veins, similar to how it had done at the Summit, my mind jumping ahead of me to a thousand possibilities.

“I can,” I acknowledged. “As I understand it, then, the purpose of this arrangement is a peace alliance between Socair and Lochlann?”

“Exactly.” MacKinnon sounded pleased at my summation, while Rowan was decidedly less so as she spoke over him.