A Promise of Fire (Kingmaker Chronicles, #1)(109)
I worried that between cutting taxes and giving away money, he might not have the funds to recruit soldiers, but he said the ex-royals had hoarded enough riches to stop all taxing for a generation if he wants to. I stopped arguing, wondering about the state of Fisa’s finances for the first time in years.
Everywhere in Sinta City, faces are fuller, eyes friendlier. People have more coins in their purses, and the agora is bustling. We walk past the food stalls first, attracting a good deal of attention. The smells of baking bread and roasting meat make my stomach rumble, so I buy a honey-coated bun and eat it while we walk.
Everyone wants to touch the princesses, just a pat on the hand or a flutter of fingers across a shoulder. Just watching all the contact makes me want to crawl out of my skin, but the girls don’t seem to mind. They find a gracious word for everyone. When an old woman with a rickety wagon wants to sell us lemons, I buy ten, not because I need ten lemons, but because she bows low and long to Jocasta and Kaia even though her joints look swollen.
The agora is a kaleidoscope of noises, scents, and colors. I’ve been here many times, but I’ve never seen it like this. Vendors smile and laugh, rush out to greet us, and press gifts into the princesses’ hands. I buy all the new clothes I’ve been needing and two squares of yellow soap that smell like citrus. No one lets me pay full price for anything.
I was wary about taking the girls out with only Flynn, Kato, and me for protection. Not that the three of us are anything to scoff at, but still, it didn’t seem entirely wise even with the new royals’ overwhelming popularity among the Sintan majority. Street children have their fingers in a lot of pies, though, and what goes on at the north wall must have made the rounds of the city because it turns out we didn’t need Kato and Flynn, except to carry packages. Jocasta, Kaia, and even I appear to be universally adored. After weaving through the outdoor marketplace at an agonizingly slow pace, it’s clear that if anyone in Sinta City is stupid enough to even look at one of us wrong, they’ll be shredded by an angry mob.
When we finally wind our way up the hill toward the more exclusive shops, it’s with just enough time left before Griffin sends the army looking for me. I choose a discreet, intimate-looking establishment, and after a quick glance through the selection of ready-made dresses, I decide on an ivory gown with gold trim, finding high-heeled sandals, a geometric-patterned gold belt, and matching shoulder clasps to go with it. I try everything on, and while the seamstress is making final adjustments to the hem, the merchant, who’s handsome and young and showing a particular interest in Jocasta, convinces me to buy a length of braided gold rope to dress my hair.
Satisfied with my purchases and once again in my tunic and pants, I emerge from the back room to find Jocasta having trouble unhooking a necklace she tried on. The merchant goes to her at once, eager to help, but the second his fingers touch her skin, Flynn shoots like a lightning bolt from the shadows where he and Kato were hiding from all the shopping. With a growl, he yanks the man back hard enough to toss him halfway across the room. Jovial Flynn suddenly looks rabid.
Kaia snorts and then sucks the sound back in, making for an interesting combination.
Jocasta’s eyes jump to Flynn’s, tense and grateful. I could swear Flynn’s color rises. He tries to back away, but she holds her hair to one side, and he has little choice but to help her with the necklace himself.
It’s a somewhat awkward walk home, mostly because Flynn and Jocasta act like they can’t see each other even though they’re never more than five feet apart. Griffin is in the Athena courtyard when we arrive. He looks at the sundial, turns on his heel, and goes back inside. Five minutes to spare.
“Let’s meet back here in one hour,” Flynn suggests. “We’ll take lunch to the kids at the north wall.” He’s not looking at me. He’s finally looking at Jocasta.
She nods, and we go our separate ways.
*
“That’s a lot of lemons,” Griffin says, following me into the bedroom after dinner.
I found a bowl earlier and put the lemons on the table, using them for decoration instead of handing them over to the kitchens. “The old lady selling them bowed to your sisters, so I bought her lemons.”
“All of them?”
I throw him a dirty look. “No, not all of them.”
He comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist, resting his chin on the top of my head. His earlier irritation seems to be forgotten. I feel more settled, too.
“You’re not nearly as mean as you pretend to be,” Griffin says.
“Oh, I’m mean,” I assure him.
He chuckles. “My apologies. I believe you.”
“Everyone loves them.” I sigh. “They love you all.”
“It seems so.” He sounds pleased, and a little proud.
“It’s revolting.” We both know I don’t mean it.
“Let’s hope Magoi are as easy to win over as Hoi Polloi.”
“Don’t count on it, but if anyone is capable of conquering with charisma and ideas as well as force, it’s you. You have the people. Get the nobles, and most Magoi will follow. Sinta will be locked down.”
He rubs his jaw over my hair and then inhales deeply, as if enjoying the scent he stirs up. “With Sinta definitively stable, we can focus on the next step.”
My gut tightens with worry. Is he talking about increasing Sinta’s defenses and implementing the projects he and Egeria have cooked up, or something else? Something far more dangerous? I don’t want to know. Not tonight. Maybe not ever.