The Rogue Queen (The Hundredth Queen #3)(21)

I pace again, restless to act. I cannot wait for Kali forever. If she thinks Ashwin’s plan of allying with Hastin will save us, then let them have their idealistic idiocy. My brother needs me.

I stop tromping around. Rohan deserves more time to mourn, but I need his help. “Rohan, I need you to fly me to the location where you last saw Opal and Brac.”

The Galer unbends from his slouch, buoyed by my request. His eagerness quiets my concern about how he will fare on our mission.

“Deven, don’t be rash,” Yatin says, direct but always respectful. “Rohan said the army has catapults and more than enough soldiers to fire them. The troops will shoot you from the sky.”

“The army will have marched on by now. Brac and Opal could be waiting for us where they landed. I need a Galer to take me.”

“And me,” Natesa says.

Yatin and I stare at her in joint astonishment. She blushes, squirming under our silent enquiry. Why is she volunteering? Natesa takes care of herself. She has extended her self-preservation to include Yatin, and sometimes Kali, but no one else. Especially not Brac. The two of them have never gotten along. He parched her the first time they met, and she has never forgotten.

“We should stay,” Yatin counters. “The wing flyer will travel faster without us.”

He has a point, but I would appreciate two more people on the lookout for Opal and Brac. Even so, coming along is their decision. I have no illusions about how dangerous this will be.

“I want to go,” Natesa insists. “My older sister passed away last year. After our parents died, she was all the family I had left.” She speaks more quietly, to steady her voice. “I don’t want either of you to lose a sibling as well.”

Her concern extends to Rohan, as his circumstance closely mirrors her own. His sister is also the only family member he has left. I should have considered Natesa’s decision was personal, but she often acts impervious to heartache, others’ and her own. I am beginning to see she is not as immune to compassion as she would like us to believe.

Yatin links hands with her. “We’ll both go.”

“It’s settled then. Eat up, soldier.” I slap Rohan on the back. “We need your powers refreshed for our flight.”

Rohan perks up even more at “soldier” and shovels in mango as fast as he can chew.

“Should we tell Kalinda and Ashwin?” Natesa asks, eating the last of her breakfast.

“They already know.” Despite my effort to sound neutral, rancor burns my tone. Natesa pauses chewing, sensing I am omitting something. I set forth our plan before she can prod at me. “Rohan, can you be ready to depart in an hour?”

“I’ll do my best,” he says, cramming his mouth with fruit.

“Everyone be ready to leave then.” I step nearer to the terrace. My mother and Chitt are still conversing in private. Their bodies are turned toward one another, sealing me out.

I clamp off a sting of envy. I have fretted over my mother’s safety for days. Chitt has no right to reenter our lives and take all her attention, particularly after abandoning us. He may not be my father, but he could have filled that role for both Brac and me. Gods know we needed him.

Buttoning up my jacket, I stride out of the chamber. I will keep my word to my mother and find Brac. No other outcome is acceptable.



Less than half an hour later, I weave my way down the dock rife with sailors preparing for departure. A dozen moored navy vessels line the wharf. Most are built like Enki’s Heart, with one mast and the capacity to hold up to two hundred passengers. The ship on the far end is the biggest, with three masts. I anticipate it can carry twice as many people. On the whole, I estimate the navy is sending up to three thousand men to battle.

Past the sailors loading supplies for their voyage, I locate Admiral Rimba on the largest craft. He waves me aboard. I jump on deck and maneuver through the working sailors.

“General Naik,” the admiral says by way of welcome, “I received word that the kindred and prince aren’t coming. Are you still joining us?”

“No, sir, but I am leaving for the continent. My brother has gone missing. I told my mother I’d find him.”

Admiral Rimba frowns at my brusqueness and then enters the cabin. I follow him to his command console, which is covered in maps. He removes mint leaves from a small tin and rolls them into a bundle. “Indah told me Prince Ashwin and Kindred Kalinda are departing for the mainland by another means as well.”

“We’re not leaving together. They have another destination.”

“So I heard. They intend to meet the warlord.” Admiral Rimba presses the bundle of mint into the side of his cheek, but it does not impede his speech. “And you’d like for us to alter our destination from Iresh to Vanhi.”

“I would,” I reply, relieved one person in Lestari understands military strategy.

The admiral waves me over to the map at the other end of the console. “Datu Bulan agrees. He sent orders for me to lead the fleet up the River Ninsar. The river goes around the Bhavya Desert and connects here, to the River Nammu, which flows into Vanhi. The passage narrows, so we must sail single file, but we should fit.”

“Should?”

“Our navy has never voyaged that far inland.”

The odds continue to stand against us. “How long until you reach Vanhi?”