A Gift of Poison (The Kingmakers' War Book 1) by Kate Avery Ellison

Author:Kate Avery Ellison [Ellison, Kate Avery]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Unknown
Published: 2014-10-12T04:00:00+00:00

~

At midday, they came upon a band of merchants, camped for the noon meal beneath a cluster of broken rocks. At first, the string of horses and mules looked just like any other company of merchants laden with saddlebags, dirty tack, men in cloaks crouched around smoking fires.

Kael held up his hand, and Briand and the rest of their company halted a few paces away from the first fire. Kael rode forward alone, still shirtless, his amulet dangling around his neck, banging against his chest with each stride of his mount. She saw Tibus put one hand to his sword, and Ammon grow tense, but they didn’t verbally contest their leader’s move.

As the horse and his rider drew close to the fire, one of the merchants stood up to greet them, and Briand saw at once that it was not a normal merchant caravan, for the man who stood up was a Tyyrian.

“Tyyrian merchants are banned from trading in Austrisia on pain of death, by order of Prince Cahan,” she whispered to Bran. “What are they doing here?”

“The law and the act of enforcing the law are two different things,” her cousin replied in a low voice. “Tyyrians support Prince Jehn because of Cahan’s hostility toward Tyyr. At least, some of them do.”

Briand watched as the Tyyrian merchant reached out both hands, palms up, to Kael. She remembered hearing somewhere that such a gesture meant welcome. Kael dismounted and took the man’s hands, bowing his head over them.

Bran was still leaning across her saddle horn, whispering in her ear. “I’ve heard the royal court is divided on the issue. But some merchants do move through the eastern province, bringing supplies to trade on the black market. They risk their lives, but so do many others in this day and age.”

She thought about the spices in her uncle’s food. If Kael had Tyyrian connections...

They risk their lives, but so do many others in this day and age. She thought about what he was doing, what she was doing. If they were caught by the Seekers, there would be no mercy.

The Tyyrian and Kael were speaking quietly now. Kael gestured at the trail, and the Tyyrian nodded slowly three times. Kael mounted his horse again, turning the horse’s head back toward where his own band was waiting anxiously.

“They’ve been waiting for us,” he said as soon as he had drawn near. “They will come with us to the monarchist stronghold.”

She looked over Kael’s shoulder at the merchant who had greeted him. The man stared back at her without reservation, his gaze black and bold. He had the bronzed brown skin of most Tyyrians, and the straight aristocratic nose, but his coppery red hair was curly instead of straight, suggesting that he was mixed blood. She looked away, unnerved by his frank assessment of her. She wondered if Kael had told him she was the dragonsayer.

The Tyyrians mounted up, and trailed behind them as they continued the climb up the mountain.

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