Scars of Gold

Chapter Twenty

Evanthe was in an even worse mood than usual during our training session the following evening. She snapped at my every mistake, her eyes blazing with a fury I hadn't seen since our first meeting. There was no way I was going to coax her into revealing the information Ciar was after; she'd erupt with more force than Volcaria.

I wanted to tell her about my success on the way home from Mari's party, hoping to soften her up by impressing her. But Ash and I had agreed that it would be best if we kept the encounter to ourselves until he found out more about the man's brother. It was frustrating that he hadn't given us his name, but Ash said serpensaquae were rare in the city, so it shouldn't be difficult to track him down.

"You seem... pricklier than usual," I pointed out after Evanthe reprimanded me for biting down on my tongue while attempting to soften her aura.

She arched an eyebrow, looking as if she were about to snap back, when she appeared to change her mind and sighed instead. "It's not your fault. I know you're trying your hardest. I've just had a particularly unproductive meeting with Lord Balmorez."

"The head of defence?" I asked. Even his name left a bad taste in my mouth.

"Yes. He's taken control of the transportation of Etealians back to Volcaria, sending my best altora to the city this morning and undoing every precaution I'd taken." I knew from gossip I'd picked up around the court that Ilarianna was more than just Evanthe's best altora; if Balmorez was being reckless with her safety it was no wonder Evanthe was in such a foul mood.

I tried not to look too interested. Perhaps I'd get details for Ciar at all.

"What does he want to do that's so bad?" I asked cautiously. "Surely he should know what he's doing if he's the minister for defence?"

Evanthe laughed, though her expression was dark. "He wouldn't recognise a decent battle plan if it danced around him naked. We haven't been at war since the Etealian revolt. He's unpracticed and unskilled. The position is really supposed to be an honorary one, as most of our kingdom's defence is left to the altorae. But he insists on proving his 'usefulness'. He wants to do the opposite of what I was planning to convince everyone that he's better than me."

I let her pause, reluctant to ask any suspicious questions and trusting that Evanthe's anger would keep her talking. I was right.

"Travelling through Cribane Wood when one of the altorae leading the raiding parties is a vis is idiotic. Even moving at night, they're leaving themselves too exposed to ambush." She sighed. "It's too late now. They'll be there the night after next and I'll lose three altorae to Balmorez's pride. Their poor families. How will I tell them..." She paused for a moment, tears glistening in her eyes. "This is a fool's errand. I don't want them there. They don't want to be there. We should put the re-population of Volcaria on hold until we have time to form a proper strategy. We're on the cusp of civitas; it's madness to keep people out on the roads. The cost of life - both Lathrian and Etealian - if a caravan is caught in out in those temperatures will far outweigh any gains we could hope to get from resuming work in Volcaria with such a pitiful labour force."

I watched Evanthe speak with surprise. This was more than military strategy to her; lives were in danger - Etealian as well as Lathrian. And she cared. "I'm sorry. Let's call it a day. We can practice again tomorrow."

Evanthe left the room before I could reply, leaving me to fall asleep still mulling over her words. I had Ciar's information; but I wasn't sure I could leave Evanthe's altorae to the twins' mercy.

The following morning, after delivering Michael his coffee, I was back in the training room watching Ash spar with a young soldier. I kept my eyes focused on him, pretending to analyse his movements as I'd been instructed, but my mind was preoccupied by the twins. Would Ciar be on his own again, or would Arlo be with him too? How was I going to give them my information without looking suspicious? They ought to approach now, while Ash was caught up in his fight. He had just brought the soldier to the ground with a sweeping throw.