The Queen of Stone_ Thorn of Breland - Keith Baker [65]
He reached out, placing a hand on her arm. Thorn didn’t pull away; she could feel the tension in the air and in his touch.
“Nyrielle,” he said, his eyes locked on hers. “We began something in the Duurwood. I’d hoped we could continue it. I know you were defending your countryman the other day, but if we want the war to be over, we need to work together.”
“And what did you have in mind?”
“During the Duurwood incident, the elf implied that one of the other warlords had turned on the Daughters—and might threaten the delegates. I had some trouble with indigestion myself last night, but I chose to walk it off.”
“If I could turn invisible whenever I wanted, I might have done that as well,” Thorn said.
“I wanted to know more about Tzaryen Rrac. I felt some hostility during the feast. Certainly, he wasn’t telling us everything. So I followed him after he left the hall.”
“Considering that all the envoys seem to be alive, should I assume that you defeated him in heroic battle?”
“Of course,” Drego replied, raising his chin in mock arrogance. “Then I resurrected him so no one would guess. No, I saw nothing suspicious at all. No unusual behavior or secret conversations … he doesn’t even have an army here. I don’t think he’s the target.”
“That leaves the medusa and the giant, if the elf is to be believed.”
Drego raised a finger to her chin, gently turning her face up toward him. Bold, Thorn thought. One set of instincts suggested that she drive her heel into his instep and follow with an elbow to the throat. Another part of her had different ideas. He was confident, handsome—and, it seemed, good at what he did.
“What about you?” he said. “Did you learn anything last night?”
“You really don’t want to know what I saw last night.” She gently pushed his hand from her chin. “It’s nothing relevant to our shared goals.”
“So you do have your own agenda!” he said. “Just like that unfortunate Karrn. Let it go. You saw what Sora Katra threatened to do to him.”
“And will you just abandon your mission? What—you think I didn’t know about it?”
She didn’t, of course. Until now. Drego was good at what he did—very good. But he shouldn’t have touched her. Nothing showed on his face, but he couldn’t keep the twitch from his hand. And he knew it. He let go of her arm, looking faintly crestfallen.
“Well played,” he said. “So if I tell you, then what?”
“Then you’re placing your mission at risk based on the fact that you like me. Perhaps you haven’t been at this for very long, but that’s not usually the way to get ahead in this game.”
“Perhaps I don’t consider it a game.”
Thorn knew that Steel would be shouting at her right now, but she didn’t touch him to find out. Drego was an enemy spy. He was practically volunteering to share information. And she was pushing him away.
“Do as you see fit,” she said. “But I’m not promising anything in return.”
He glanced from side to side, then closed his eyes for a moment—probably using his powers to search for scrying. He took a step toward her; barely any space was left between them. He whispered, “I’m here to kill the Daughters of Sora Kell.”
His proximity was distracting, his words calm and committed; it took a moment for them to register.
That was ridiculous. Sora Maenya alone was said to have broken a battalion, and Sora Katra had different powers in every tale. If Drego were that powerful, surely she’d have heard about him … then she realized what he was doing.
“I’m supposed to release Khyber, myself,” she said. “At least we’re not at odds.”
He chuckled. Thorn had been right the first time. Drego was good at what he did, and he wouldn’t give the game away after a single night in the woods. But she’d still come out ahead. She knew he had a secret … and she’d seen him lie. In time, she’d learn to read him. Until then, she could feel the energy between them. He might put his nation first, for now. But the desire was there.
The door of the conference hall opened, and delegates began to emerge. Drego leaned close to whisper. “The giant or the medusa. Which do