Page 22 of With Wing And Claw

‘I onceheard you argue that safe decisions don’t lead to victory,’ she shot back, and he granted her that point with a small grin and a swift lift of his glass. ‘Look, the trouble is I currently don’t have any military force to back my decisions. As unpleasant as Naxi’s magic may be …’

‘She certainly does have an advantage in battle, yes,’ he dryly admitted. ‘The lack of military support might be solvable, though.’

Her heart skipped a beat. ‘Might it?’

‘The third is technically still under my command.’ He tilted his head, two snow-white locks of hair falling out from behind a pointed ear. ‘I’m quite sure most of them will still follow me even without the Mother to back me. And several other regiments have lost their commander – we could likely convince some of their members to join us as well. In either case, there wouldn’t be any organised opposition for at least a while.’

All the words she hadn’t even dared to hope he’d speak.

The hairs were rising on her neck.

This was too easy. Much, much too easy. She had expected to argue, barter, plead – and here he was, offering her exactly what she needed on a shining silver plate? Which didn’t make sense. Life was not a charity, and Nicanorcertainlywasn’t one to hand out favours for nothing … so if he wasn’t going to point out what he wanted from her in return right from the start, what game was he playing?

Was he hoping to make her dependent on his support so that he would be able to demand some outrageous price later, when she was no longer capable of refusing at all?

She kept her face carefully expressionless, her fingers loose around her glass, as she slowly, deliberately said, ‘Why?’

He raised a white-blond eyebrow. ‘Why what?’

‘Why would you risk your head like that, when you don’t even know what plans and strategies I’m thinking of? Whether we stand any chance of surviving?’ She grimaced. ‘Or whether you’ll even agree with my decisions, for that matter?’

Even his shrugs were oddly elegant. ‘We’re old friends, aren’t we?’

She rolled her eyes. ‘Nicanor.’

He gave her one of his sardonic half-grins. ‘Yes?’

‘I’m well aware we’re old friends.’ A little more than that, even – she could have done without the reminder. ‘I’m also well aware you poisoned another old friend of yours two summers ago, so forgive me for not being terribly impressed with that particular argument. You don’t like me enough to choose the losing side for me.’

‘I do like you more than most people,’ he countered, looking wryly amused at worst by the entire conversation.

‘So you’d pick a painless poison for me. I’m glad to hear that.’ She raised an unimpressed eyebrow at him. ‘Don’t offend me by pretending I might fall for this nonsense, Commander. I’m happy to work with you, but you can’t expect me to trust you if I don’t have the faintest clue of what you want in the first place.’

He considered her for a moment, then smiled and nodded – a small gesture, but the way his wings relaxed a fraction was a clear sign she’d won. ‘Fair enough, Your Majesty.’

She glared at him.

‘Here’s the thing,’ he said, putting down his glass and planting his palms flat on the table as he shifted straighter on his stool. Gone was the mocking tone, the silver-tongued flattery. They were talking business now. ‘I’ve spent the last few centuries playing mid-level commander to the Mother. Useful enough to be trusted with a regiment, not useful enough to have any hopes of promotion. What I want is a decent position, and so far, my estimate is that you might be willing to give it to me. I have no reason to assume the same of anyone else.’

There. That was more like it.

And if it was true – which was not unlikely, at least – then that meant she would be able to trust him as long as no one else offered him an easier path to fulfil his ambitions. That seemed doable. She could make things pretty damn easy for him, if she wanted.

‘And you want that position badly enough to get involved with this madness?’ she said, keeping her expression pointedly blank. ‘Enough to risk losing a potential civil war for it?’

His grin returned, more genuine now. ‘Safe decisions don’t lead tovictory, I’ve been told.’

Damn him – but she couldn’t help but laugh, his unabashed opportunism far more tolerable than Naxi’s fickle claims of almost-altruism. This might still be quicksand, but it was quicksand she knew like the back of her hand. It felt more reliable, somehow, than the notion of safe ground beneath her feet.

‘So what exactly does victory look like to you?’ she inquired.

He didn’t hesitate for even a moment. ‘Did you already have anyone in mind for the post of Lord Protector?’

Bold start. One of the most powerful offices at the court, the Lord Protector was responsible for managing both internal threats and external defences; it was a position that came not just with great influence but with great risk, too. Agenor had held the title as long as she could remember under the Mother’s rule, and now that he was gone, she had trouble even imagining anyone else in his place.

Then again …

Shewouldneed someone to oversee the military on her behalf, and she did not have anyone else in mind.