A Kiss of Fire (A Kiss of Magic #2)(51)

“Yes. But in the meantime I am enjoying my visit in your country.”

“Your…visit?” again that arch tone.

“Yes. Your brother has been kind enough to play the role of host. I hope to see more of your fine country and its peoples.”

“Well, but for two autumns ago this had all been your country. Have you never visited it before?”

“Not this particular corner of it. It was not very settled, which is one of the reasons we were not so loathe to part with it.”

“Yes, my brother did make quite the bargain, getting us all this wild country. It is taking quite an effort to see it settled. Our Anima shamans, who are the equivalent of your Padoni majji, are having to learn all new ways of growing things in nature. They are used to making rocky shale and soil produce what little homegrown crops we had. This richer loam is not nearly so temperamental, but it is taking some learning. Plus, the weather plays a factor. We have tremendous weather events here. That requires the use of the Weath, our weather shamans. Farmers can hire both shamans to maximize their crop output, but they don’t come cheap and they can’t perform miracles. It takes time and energy and a great many resources to make this land produce. Even so we have yet to yield a decent crop. I only hope next autumn is better…elsewise it would seem you got the far better end of our deal.”

It was a judgment and an insult, Ariana realized. And yet Sin let it slide. For some reason she felt compelled to come to Sin’s defense.

“Learning to work the soil is only a matter of time and patience,” she assured Vich. “I am only sorry that more Sarens did not volunteer to guide you as we had hoped they would. I suppose there were just too many bad feelings all around.”

“We did offer your Padoni majji handsome recompense, but alas the war left them too bitter to consider the riches we could offer them.”

“We are making our own way,” Sin said.

“Yes, but quite slowly. Why with all the expense we are putting out, it will be no wonder if we starve to death before we ever see a single bumper crop.”

“I’m sure it isn’t as bad as all of that,” Ariana said, trying not to talk through her teeth. If Sin could keep his temper in check, then so could she. “As a matter of fact, I know it isn’t. For I have seen the ledgers myself. Kilt remains quite prosperous.”

“You have seen…?” Raj Vich couldn’t conceal his shock. “My brother shares intimate details of the workings of our government with you?”

Oh dear. That wasn’t what she had wanted to do at all. She was trying to defend Sin, not give Vich more fodder for his workings against him.

“Yes. Raja Sin has been kind enough to help us. You see, we are thinking of implementing a tariff on all of our imported goods, but we have no model on which to base our system. Your brother had provided the intimate details of a working—and might I add flourishing—economy with a tariff basis.”

“That is very kind of you Raja Sin,” one of the ambassadors said. “Perhaps you would be kind enough to show us as well?”

“Perhaps,” Sin said shortly. “I would not make a habit of showing such details to just anyone. Ariana is a leader of her people. An equal. If your leaders were to come themselves as she has, I would wholly consider the possibility.”

“Harea,” Ariana said brightly, changing the topic away from its current bent. “You are due soon?”

“Any day now,” Vich said for her. “She will give me my third son.”

“Are you so certain then that it is a boy?” she asked with a smile.

“It makes no matter either way,” Vich said with a careless wave. “I’ve got my heir, and a second son to boot.” Which is more than I can say for my brother, was the unspoken remark in the room.

“What does a man need with so many wives and concubines? In our culture we take only one husband or wife.”

“Pregnant wives and concubines are a sure sign of a man’s virility,” Vich said proudly. “It is our duty to provide many sons for the royal line.”

“It seems as though this was an unwise thing to do when you were so crowded before this. One would think you would make effort to keep the population down.”

“Only royals may take multiple wives and concubines.”

“Is it required?” Ariana asked. For some reason a vicious stab of jealousy went through her at the idea of having to share Sin with other women. The thought shocked her. He was not hers! She could not make any demands on him. But she would be damned if she was going to be one of many women in his life, only of interest until the bloom rubbed off.

Confused by her feelings, she hardly heard Sin’s reply.

“No. Not required. For instance, our father only ever took our mother to his bed and his heart.” She looked at him and could see the intensity in his eyes. As if he was trying to say “As I would do to you.”

She blushed under the regard of his speaking eyes. A plate of food was put down in front of her, and she picked up her utensils, but she simply stared down at the fare, not really seeing it. She didn’t know what to make of herself. Of these odd feelings swirling about inside of her. There was such a study in contradictions. On the one hand she was hoping someone would come and rescue her from this fate…on the other thinking maybe…perhaps it was not such a bad fate after all. Her entire body was thrumming with awareness of the man sitting next to her.