Traitor Princess, Assassin Saint by T. R. Sherwood

Author:T. R. Sherwood [Sherwood, T. R.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-07-09T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Four days later, Senne still hadn’t seen a sign of Annara.

She and Heron strolled side by side in the Royal City, around puddles covered in lacy ice that would melt by the afternoon. Winter was coming, and with it, a lull in trade as the merchants faced increasingly inclement winter weather. Senne bit her lip and watched the flat cobblestones go by.

“I’m fairly sure she’s fine,” Heron said, for perhaps the third time that day. “I assume she has her own plans. It was rather unkind of her not to leave a note, but it is Annara we’re talking about, so...” His tone changed abruptly. “Actually, I know she’s fine.”

“What? Why?”

Heron pointed. There was a broadside pasted to a brick wall nearby. It had gone slightly transparent from moisture, and the paper was already starting to deteriorate at the edges. DEADLY COUP D’ÉTAT IN ARCHON, it said, in a bold black font. Underneath, there was a black-and-white etching of a young woman sitting on Archon’s white swan-shaped throne. The illustrators had added a cruel twist to her mouth.

“Ah,” Senne said.

Heron bent to take a closer look. “They made her look too much like her father,” he said.

“How many casualties?”

“Just one, it seems. The late Lord Archon.” He frowned. “That’s impressive, actually. She was one corpse away from the Crescent’s first bloodless coup. I wonder how long she’s been planning this.”

“A long time, I think,” Senne said grimly. She wasn’t in the mood to be impressed. “Years.”

On the 18th at sunset, Annara of Archon seized power in the Crescentian state of Archon, committing patricide and astonishing all the world’s righteous authorities, the broadside read. Several of the previous Lord Archon’s courtiers and allies were banished at once. What are the new Lady Archon’s plans for the city-state? Does this action violate the three-state treaty? Most importantly, what does it mean for Seichrenese trade?

“What’s the three-state treaty?” Senne said.

“It’s an agreement between Seichre, Alrhen-Xiun, and Pahinvar. It states that the Crescent’s islands are to remain independent city-states, and no empire can conquer them without starting a war with the other world powers. The Crescent used to be hotly contested.”

“And does this violate the treaty?”

“Not yet,” Heron said. “But it will make a lot of powerful people very, very nervous. If Annara decides to conquer one of the other islands, that might violate the treaty. I don’t think anyone wants to let her get that far.”

A young man in a bright red messenger’s uniform jogged up to them, panting. “Lord Wraith and Retired Lord Wraith?”

“Yes?” Senne said.

“I have a message for you. It’s a royal summons.”

Heron reached out to take the envelope that was offered to him. The royal coat of arms glinted against the scarlet paper. “Effective immediately, I assume.”

The messenger dropped to one knee so fast his kneecap cracked against the cold stone. “Yes! I apologize for my tardiness. Respectfully, my lord, you should have been there fifteen minutes ago.”

“The king’s in one of his moods, then. I swear to the Goddess, that man…”

“Heron, that’s the king,” Senne hissed.

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