The Bloodbound by Erin Lindsey Page B

the Blacklands if this keeps up.”
    â€œHe must have a plan,” Kerta said. “I’m
sure
he has a plan.”
    Gwylim nodded in agreement. “Traitor he may be, but Tomald White is no fool.”
    No one could deny that the Raven had a keen military mind, but Alix failed to see the strategy in letting the enemy weaken the Banner Houses. Unless . . . The familiar doubt surged back into her mind. “What if he’s in league with the enemy?”
    For a moment, no one spoke. They just looked at each other uncomfortably, wondering who would be the first to speak.
They’ve talked about this before
, Alix realised.
    â€œI can’t believe that,” Kerta said.
    â€œWhy not?” Liam’s exasperated tone left little doubt that they were going over familiar ground. “He left his own brother to die. On top of that, the Oridians are hanging around at the border, when they could have invaded in earnest weeks ago. How do you explain that, unless the Raven made a deal with them?”
    â€œMaybe they don’t really want to conquer us,” Ide said.
    â€œJust a bit of flirting?” Liam asked dryly.
    Ide shrugged. “They’re fighting us, sure, but we’re the ones declared war on them.”
    â€œBecause they annexed Andithyri!” Kerta said in her earnest, wide-eyed way. “King Erik was treaty-bound. We had no choice but to defend our ally.”
    â€œNot everyone feels that way,” Gwylim said. “The Raven and Arran Green argued about it more than once in my hearing.”
    â€œThe Treaty of Imran clearly states—”
    â€œI know what it states,” Gwylim said mildly. Kerta had the good grace to look embarrassed, caught giving a history lesson to an almost-priest. “I also know that scholars everywhere are still puzzled about what old King Osrik was thinking. It doesn’t make sense to risk Alden’s security for Andithyri, especially when the Trionate was already showing signs of expansionism. Andithyri could never protect us if the situation were reversed, so what did we get out of the deal? King Osrik should never have signed it.”
    â€œBut he did sign it,” Liam said. “Kerta’s right—the king had no choice.”
    â€œHarram and Onnan are our allies,” Gwylim said. “They don’t seem to feel quite so obliged.”
    Kerta
tsk
ed. “Harram has always been aloof. They might be allies, but there is no treaty compelling them to come to our aid. We can’t count on them. Besides, they haven’t fought a real war for centuries. They wouldn’t be much help.”
    â€œOnnan neither,” Ide said.
    Liam gave her an incredulous look. “They brought down the whole Erromanian Empire!”
    Ide shrugged, unimpressed. “Fishmen might know how to be rebels, but that doesn’t mean they know how to be soldiers.”
    Alix was only half listening, still stuck on the original question. The Raven
might
be in league with the enemy, but it wasn’t a given. There could be a simpler explanation for his inaction. “The Raven would have to spend some time in the capital to secure his accession,” she said, thinking aloud. “Maybe that’s all it is. Maybe he’s waiting to be crowned before riding out again.”
    â€œBetter get on with it, then,” Ide said. “Word of the king’s survival will get out soon, especially now that the Kingswords are back to the road.”
    The image of a haemorrhaging timeglass flashed into Alix’s mind. They might have a little sand left, or none at all. Her thoughts returned, as they had so often, to the spy they’d caught weeks ago. It seemed safe to assume he worked for the Raven. Had he managed to leak word of Erik’s fate before they caught him? And if so, what would the traitorous prince do with that information?
Questions and more questions, but no answers.
She cursed and rubbed her eyes.