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“She was really leaving?” Gray asked, his eyes full of hurt bewilderment “Without me?”
“She’s confused, Gray” He couldn’t think of any other way to say it, so he said it straight out “She thought you were going to fall in love with Kermilla”
Gray’s eyes widened “Why would she think that? Did I do so?”
Ranon shook his head “Theran’s been ured the rest of us were attracted to Kermilla too”
Gray shuddered Ranon shared the feeling
“Coet out”
“Ranon?” Gray did a nervous shuffle from one foot to the other
“What?”
“You didn’t invite her to thisto tell Vae?”
“What’s on your mind, Powell?” Talon asked as soon as they were alone in the Steward’s office
“Were you aware that Theran has been driving Ker her to the aristo families here and” Powell cleared his throat and suddenly got busy stacking account ledgers into neat piles before vanishing them
“And?” Talon prodded When Powell didn’t answer, anger began to simmer under a reluctance to understand “He’s introducedher as the Queen?”
“Not directly,” Powell said “I believe he’s introduced her as a Queen fro assumption”
“What kind of gaame did I allow him to play? Cassidy’s pain—and the fact that it ran so deep she’d been ready to run—was as much his fault as Theran’s
Powell sighed Calling in some small slips of paper, he handed the Theran ordered the ht sufficient marks with her to pay for extra expenses So she said”
“Whichthose bills from the treasure Lia hid for the family”
“No, Theran told the merchants all of Kermilla’s expenses would be covered by the town’s tithe to the Queen”
“What?”
“Kermilla spent more in a day than Cassidy spent in all the weeks she’s been here” Powell paused “The merchants wanted confirmation that they could deduct Kermilla’s purchases from the tithe I told them I would let them know as soon as I had a chance to discuss this with the Queen The ers of dealing with a Queen By not giving immediate confirmation, I’ve warned them to be wary of further transactions”
Talon prowled the room for severalfor Cassidy
“We’ll concede the town of Grayhaven,” Talon said “Theran can have fifty percent of the tithe to use as he pleases The other half goes to the treasury to pay the guards’ wages and maintain the town I’ll clear it with Cassidy, but I’ll ask her to accept ive up that much”
“In exchange for what?” Powell asked
Talon shook his head In exchange for nothing At least, nothing he illing to discuss with Powell
He felt a respectful tap on his first inner barrier “Ranon is on his way down The boy cleared out his room fast”
“He wants to be gone” Powell rubbed his left hand “So do I”
Talon sighed “I raised Theran, taught him as best I could Tried to hold on to the Old Ways even when I could feel theht to keep him safe I killed to keep hi hi him from the twisted Queens all his life has made him blind to the kind of woht but is defending her because he can’t adht I’ the Grayhaven bloodline”