what ‘the end’ would look like, it might look a lot like our situation.”
As they were being tied and gagged, the three crewmates watched their captain for a signal. But Harp did nothing. He’d found Liel and lost her in less than a day. It didn’t matter where they took him. He just didn’t care anymore.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
2 Flamerule, the Year of the Ageless One (1479 DR)
Kinnard Keep, Tethyr. he path to Evonne’s grave was well tended. The gravel was freshly raked and the grass along the edges neatly trimmed and leveled. As requested, the gardener had planted stands of red and gold flowersEvonne’s favorite colorsalong the path. It was a steep climb to the wooded grove at the top of the hill, and Tresco paused halfway up to rest. From that height, he could see the crashing waves of the ocean in the distance.
“Where is Cardew?” Ysabel asked, as she waited beside Tresco. It was windy, and Ysabel’s hair was escaping from the sky blue cloth that she had used to tie back her hair.
“He rode into town on business,” Tresco replied. “He’ll be back in time for dinner.”
“Thank you for taking me,” Ysabel said as they continued up the hill. “It’s been too long since I’ve visited my mother’s grave.”
“Of course,” Tresco said. When Ysabel became his ward after the massacre, Tresco ordered the guards not to let the child go anywhere unattended. There were many would-be assassins and many who would pay good coin for the head of the daughter of Evonne Linden. Technically, Evonne’s grave was on Tresco’s estate, but it bordered land owned by House Lahame, a viciously royalist family. Because of their proximity, Tresco refused to let Ysabel travel to the gravesite without him. While Tresco always made it a point to visit Evonne’s memorial on his rare visits to the estate, he didn’t usually bring Ysabel with him. He liked to be alone with Evonne, after all.
“How was the sanatorium?” Ysabel asked. “Did you have any interesting patients?”
“Not my past visit,” Tresco said regretfully as they crested the hill and crossed under the wooden arch that marked the entrance of the memorial garden. “I think the usefulness of that arrangement is coming to an end.”
A year after Evonne’s death, Tresco suggested that Ysabel design her mother’s memorial. When she came to him with the plans, he was taken aback at the scope of the little girl’s vision. But Evonne had left the girl a substantial amount of coin, which Tresco was happy to spend. Ysabel requested a life-size marble statue of Evonne, her hair loose on her shoulders and wearing a flowing gown like a goddess. The statue stood on top of a marble ossuary where Evonne’s bones were entombed. A hexagon-shaped reflecting pool lay at the foot of the tomb. A master stonemason crafted a red and indigo mosaic of a leviathan curled in a spiral on the bottom of the pool. When the wind rippled the waves, it looked as if the leviathan was swimming in circles along the floor.
“You seem distracted, Uncle,” Ysabel said. “Is something wrong?”
Tresco sighed. Ysabel was a bright girl, but for her safety, he’d kept her innocent about the complexities of not only court politics, but the natural hierarchy of power in and out of Tethyr. Given she was of age to marry, he wondered if he had done her a disfavor by sheltering her from the world.
“Do you know of Avalor, Treespeaker of the Wealdath?” Tresco asked.
“The filthy elf who sits at Anais’s knee and laps up her scraps?” Ysabel asked.
“Yes,” Tresco said. “I’ve had word that he hired a mercenary to investigate the colony in Chult.”
“Why would he do that?” Ysabel asked.
“Because he doesn’t know his place,” Tresco said darkly. “Evonne would have done something about it, if only she’d had the chance.”
“What about my mother’s supporters?” Liel asked. “Why aren’t they doing something?”
“You’ve heard of the battle of Ebenspy Keep, of course. Many of your parent’s closest followers died in that assault. But the Branch of Linden still grows. You may yet see the Tethyr that your mother worked so hard to achieve.” A silence fell over them as they stood beside the grave.
“May I ask you a question, Uncle?” Ysabel asked.
“You may,” Tresco replied.
“Why were you annoyed with Cardew last night at dinner?”
“You’re very observant. I was annoyed with him. He failed me in a business venture.”
“A business venture with the colony?”
“Of course not,” Tresco said testily. “That was Anais’s enterprise. It was another matter entirely. But I am a forgiving man, and I’ll give him another chance to prove himself.”
“That is kind of you,” Ysabel agreed.
“Despite Cardew’s shortcomings, he would make an adequate husband for you.”
“It’s not too soon since his wife died?” Ysabel asked.
“No, it’s been almost a year. He’s free to marry. And the sooner the better I say.”
“You know best, Uncle. I know my mother would have trusted your instincts.”
“Your mother was a brilliant woman,” Tresco said, warming up to the conversation. Ysabel had heard him say those things before, but he liked talking about Evonne. “Before I met her, I never put much stock in the intelligence of women. So easily distracted. But Evonne was unique.”
“How so?”
“She had a keen eye for politics. And for people. She surrounded herself with only the finest men. She had natural talent, as well.”
“In magic?”
“Oh, I wasn’t thinking about magic, but yes, she dabbled in spells now and then. She was always at her books, and I think she learned a great deal simply by force of will.”
“Men underestimate both force and will,” Ysabel said quietly.
Tresco peered down at her, “No child. I meant that she worked hard to achieve what she had. After your father died, she was all alone. Most women would have crawled into a bed and wept. But not your mother. She took up his mantle.”
“You admired that? I wouldn’t think you would approve.”
“I didn’t at first. Eventually, I saw the necessity of her political involvement. It was her other interests that troubled me.”
“What do you mean?”
Tresco sighed. “There was a dark side to your mother.”
“A dark side?”
“She was fascinated by macabre things. Had she lived, I would have made sure to direct her interests elsewhere. I’ve tried very hard to keep you away from such things.”
“How horrible. I didn’t know that about her.”
“It wasn’t dire. Ironically, it was her interests that made me what I am today.”
“How so?”
“A few months after she died,” he said, “I found one of her manuscripts in my study. I’d never seen it before. She must have left it during one of our visits. A bound manuscript filled with maps and theories the likes of which I’d never seen. They were very complex and involved ancient magic from the sarrukh in Chult. To my knowledge, Evonne never traveled to Chult.”
“Chult? Where the colony is?”
“Actually, yes. There are things hidden in the ruins you couldn’t fathom.”
“Oh, do you have more stories of the jungle! Tell me, Uncle. Have you found something incredible?”
“Not yet,” Tresco said. “But I will. And then you’ll see some changes in Tethyr. But enough talk about such things. I’m going to let you and Cardew dine alone.”
“Why?”
“Cardew and I are going fox hunting tomorrow. We will leave early in the morning and return very late.”
“Can I come?” Ysabel asked. “I love a good chase.”
