To Love a Prince (Knights of Valor Book 1)(61)

Ndrek stilled. “Premal will try again if he still lives. And if he’s dead, Rashalee will send someone else. Someone we may not see coming.”

Eli nodded.

“What can I do to help, Your Highness?”

“You know more about Qumaref than we do, places to look, what things mean. Talk to Sligo. Offer him your help.”

“It will be done, Your Highness.”

Ndrek bowed to him, and Eli returned to his quarters, but the prince couldn’t settle enough to go back to bed without waking Auburn.

Eli paced, trying to piece together who his enemies were and what would be waiting for him in Tamryn.

The sun had climbed over the horizon, and Auburn still slept. She’d been tired lately, and he worried the stress of the last few weeks was draining her. Eli wanted to leave Qumaref and take her to his country estate. A sanctuary away from the machinations of succession. A place they could be together. A place she’d be safe.

But he couldn’t. Not yet.

He owed Dracor more than that. The Dragon Church. His father.

And the people of Qumaref deserved a chance at freedom. That meant returning to the sultan’s palace and continuing the negotiations.

He kissed Auburn, softly, gently, and whispered that he’d return to take her to Tamryn. Her breathing continued, deep and steady as she slept.

Eli called for Sligo and smiled at the carriage his bodyguard had waiting for him. Seating himself, the prince watched as the early dawn light painted the quiet streets gold. He wanted to find the beauty in the city, see a hidden majesty beneath its cracked and faded fa?ade, but he couldn’t. Not while Premal still threatened Auburn.

The carriage entered the exotic courtyard, but not even the monkeys or peacocks were awake yet. Guards patrolled the courtyards, and they waved the carriage to the main entrance where a handful of servants met Eli. They bowed until their foreheads touched the ground, then rose and led him back to the great hall.

The first thing the prince noticed was the quiet. Only a handful of people joined the sultan, and all of them were important. The brightly lit room smelled of lemon and rosewater, and it was difficult to believe it had been the site of a coup less than a fortnight ago.

“I am glad you accepted my invitation,” the sultan said.

“I’m glad you extended it.”

The sultan waved Eli towards a chair, and the prince sat down at the rich mahogany table. He noted that Premal was not in the room.

The sultan seemed to understand the urgency of reaching an agreement, and he dispensed with much of the normal showmanship and focused on the treaty.

By the midday break, they’d accomplished more than Eli had expected, more than he’d even hoped.

As the few people who’d accompanied the sultan dispersed to wait out the afternoon heat, Sultan Pandhuka motioned to him. “If you have a few moments, Prince Eli, I would like to speak with you.”

Eli nodded and walked with the sultan, both of their bodyguards falling in behind them as they strolled through the dim halls.

“I understand you have moved all of your nonessential people to your ship.”

“It seemed the prudent thing to do.”

Pandhuka nodded as he stared down the hall. “You will head back to Tamryn soon, yes?”

“I hope to leave with an agreement.”

“As do I.” The sultan paused again. “Your slave girl hid me from Premal. She saved my life.”

“And mine.”

“You are taking her back to Tamryn with you, yes?”

“Yes.”

“Yet, Tamryn does not permit slaves.”

“It doesn’t, but I will still take good care of her.”

The sultan nodded then paused. “There were a few who showed great courage, and many who showed great cowardice. I am glad you are taking her to Tamryn. I would like to give her a gift, a token of my thanks.”

“There is something you could do to make things easier for her in Tamryn.”

“Name it.”

“Make her Qumarefi nobility. Let her come to Tamryn as a maharaja rather than a slave.”

A sly smile spread over the sultan’s face. “That would pave the way for you to take her as a wife, yes?”

Eli said nothing.

“Then she will be a daughter to me. A princess to marry a prince.”





Chapter 37





After several more weeks, Prince Eli and Sultan Pandhuka concluded the talks. The outcome pleased Eli. He’d gotten the concessions he needed to keep the Dragon Church happy, and the merchant’s guilds could accommodate the Quamerfi demands.

The victory was enough to quiet Eli’s impatience though he still ached to return to his ship and Auburn.

A knock on the door scattered the prince’s thoughts, and his hand flexed over his sword even as he recognized the password. “Come.”

Sligo entered the room and bowed low. “She is doing well, Your Highness, though she misses you.”

Eli smiled. His bodyguard knew him well. “That’s not what brought you.”

“Negotiations permitting, it would be ideal to leave with the spring tide.”

“Still restless down at the docks?”

“More than before. I believe there is a bounty on you and Auburn.”

“Enough to entice a professional?”