Ash Princess (Ash Princess Trilogy #1)(41)

Artemisia laughs. “She is the most feared pirate on the Calodean Sea. You might know her better as Dragonsbane.”

For a moment, I can only stare at the wall she’s hidden behind. The rebel Astrean pirate is notorious, but I’ve always heard Dragonsbane referred to as a he. It never crossed my mind that it could be a woman. A mother.

A surge of hope bubbles up in my chest and I can’t help but laugh. If Dragonsbane is on our side, our chances just greatly improved. But when I turn back to Blaise, his jaw is set and he looks anything but relieved. I remember what he said about Dragonsbane in the cellar. She is not on our side, not really, even if our interests sometimes align.

But Astrea must be our common interest, right? This is her country, too, and she’s done so much to help it. We have to be on the same side. After all, what other side is there for us?

Before I can ask Blaise more about it, he stands up and holds out a hand to me.

“We can’t dawdle all day,” he says, pulling me to my feet so that I’m facing him. This close, I can feel the warmth rolling from his skin. Even though he hasn’t been outside in days, he smells like the earth after a rainstorm. He cups my cheeks gently, running his thumbs under my eyes to dry the leftover tears there. It’s a surprisingly intimate gesture, from Blaise of all people, and I hear Heron cough awkwardly to remind us of his presence. Blaise clears his throat and steps back. “You have a prinz to charm,” he reminds me before hesitating. “If you can hide a weapon where no one will find it, I can get you something. A dagger, maybe?”

Relief floods me even though I doubt I would know what to do with a knife if the moment came. Still, having it will make me feel better.

“A dagger would be perfect,” I say as a gust of wind blows through the window and raises goose bumps on my skin, bringing an idea with it. “The season is turning. I’ll need my cloak soon.”

His brow furrows. “I suppose so,” he says.

I smile. “How are your sewing skills, Blaise?”

“Abysmal,” he says, though his eyes lighten. “But Heron’s fingers are surprisingly nimble for such a big fellow. Part giant, isn’t that right, Heron?”

“I’m big enough to crush you,” Heron shoots back from behind his wall, but there’s only good humor in his voice.

“Could you sew a dagger into the hem of my cloak?” I ask him.

“Easily,” he says.

“Thank you,” I say to both of them before smoothing my hands over my skirt. “How do I look?” I ask Blaise.

“Lower that neckline half an inch and he doesn’t stand a chance,” he tells me with a smirk.

I give him an annoyed shove toward the door, but when he’s gone, I do it anyway.



* * *



—

Before seeking out S?ren, I stop by Crescentia’s rooms. I rarely visit her quarters for fear of having to see her father, but the Theyn is still inspecting the Water Mine, making sure everyone there remembers their place. He’ll bring back a few new gems for Cress, as he usually does. It’s no accident that her collection of Spiritgems rivals even that of the Kaiserin.

Which is why I’m hoping she won’t miss a few now. If our plan has even a sliver of a chance of succeeding, my Shadows need gems.

Elpis answers the door and gives me a shy smile before leading me through the gilded maze of rooms that make up the Theyn’s suite. These were Blaise’s family’s rooms once, but I doubt even he would recognize them now. The entire suite is a living crypt of all the countries the Theyn has brought to ruins.

Most of it comes from Astrea—the burnished brass chandelier hanging from the ceiling that once hung in my mother’s study, the gold-framed mirror crowned with the face of Belsimia, the goddess of love and beauty, that watched over the city’s bathhouse—but there are other pieces that Crescentia had to explain to me. Candlesticks from Yoxi, painted bowls from Kota, a crystal vase from Goraki. The Theyn isn’t a sentimental sort by anyone’s definition, but he does like his souvenirs.

I once asked Cress how long it’s been since the court was in Kalovaxia, because no one ever talks about it, but she didn’t know. She said it must have been a few centuries and that, effectively, there was no Kalovaxia anymore. The winters had grown colder and longer until there were no other seasons, until nothing could grow there, until the livestock perished, until the Kalovaxians loaded up their boats and left for a better country. It didn’t matter that it belonged to someone else; they took it by force and they reaped everything it had to offer—slaves, food, resources—and when they’d driven the country into the ground and there was nothing left, they found somewhere new and started the whole process again. And again, and again, and again.

Astrea was the first country they found with magic. Maybe that’s why they’ve been here the longest, though I’d imagine even this country is starting to run low, both on gems and the people to mine them.

Elpis leads me down the hall to Crescentia’s room, neither of us daring to speak. In the small space of the hallway, I feel confident enough of our privacy to reach out and give her arm a reassuring squeeze.

“You did well,” I whisper.

Even in the dim lighting, I can see her face flush with pleasure.

“Is there anything else I can do, my lady?” she replies.