Exploitable Weaknesses by Brian Keller (red queen free ebook txt) 📗

to keep concealed. I regret speaking ill of the dead, but in this regard, he was sadly lacking.” He scrutinized her as he asked, “If not an apprentice, what purpose did you serve?” She blushed at his implication but her reply was direct, “My Prince, I was not his ‘plaything’ or his ‘pet’, if that’s what you’re referring to. My Talent allows me to detect the Talents of others when they are in close proximity. The stronger the Talent, the further away I can detect them. The same goes with the amount of power they accumulate, or expend.” The Prince leaned back in his chair, even slouched a bit. He pressed his fingertips together under his chin and rested his head upon them, “So you can detect any Talent in your immediate presence? What is my Talent?” Iona shook her head, “It doesn’t work like that, my Prince. You’re not accessing it. You’ve not built up any power. Though if I were commanded, I’d guess that you’ve a powerful affinity for Air, augmented in some way by Earth, but there’s something else. Whatever it is, it either obscures my ability to sense it, or it’s simply something unfamiliar to me.” He rewarded her with a satisfied smile, whether for her assessment or for her honest report of her limitations, she couldn’t be certain. Before she could inquire, there was a knock on the door. The prince rose and answered the knock, and returned to hand her a pair of gloves made of fine calfskin, “By all means, open the tube carefully. Don’t mistake me for a coward, but I’ll be standing over there.” He casually swept his hand to the far side of the table.

Once he crossed to the other side, he gave her a nod. She grasped the tube firmly and cracked the seal. Nothing happened, other than the cap of the tube rotating smoothly under her grip. She twisted it one direction, then the other as she worked the cap off of the tube. There was a hollow sound as the cap was worked free. She held the tube at arm’s length for a moment before tilting it to look inside. She then shrugged and poured the tightly-rolled message out of the tube and into her hand. The message was bound in a short length of red silk ribbon. She untied it and unrolled the parchment. The letters were well-formed and the written lines were as straight as she’d seen in any book. She arched an eyebrow to the prince, “All’s well so far, my Prince. Shall I read, or do we have reason to fear some spell or curse?” He scoffed, almost laughed, “Read it, please, if you will.” Iona turned to examine the first few lines then read aloud,

“Prince Lancaster,

We sincerely hope that this message finds you in good health and fine spirits.

We are citizens of Paleros. We benefit when Paleros thrives, and we suffer if she weakens. Recently, we have learned that the opposite is also true. We have been weakened, and Paleros now suffers as a result.

Apex has been brought into the city and the trade of the drug thrives due to this weakness and as a result, your populace bears the cost.

We can correct this problem within one week. We can succeed where your conventional methods have failed. We merely await your assurance that we will not be attacked again. We can help the city recover, perhaps to even surpass her former glory.”

At this moment, the doors to the Chamber were pushed open violently. Iona immediately felt a wash of Fire Talent, or Cold to be more precise; a stronger affinity than even she possessed. She reflexively took a few steps closer to the prince before she realized that the man who’d burst into the Chamber was the Lord General. The man’s commanding presence expanded to fill the room like waves crashing against the rocks. Iona noted that the rocks in this example, was the Prince’s own aura. The Lord General’s power diminished rapidly but it had filled the room to the point that Iona was able to see her breath as it left her mouth. The Prince had an enigmatic smile on his face as the Lord General snapped to attention and reported, “My liege! The Spymaster is dead!” Prince Lancaster waved a hand, indicating that the Lord General should seat himself, then withdrew his hand, smiled and replied, “Ah. Never mind, Hennit. I’m sure your armor prevents you from sitting comfortably.” The Lord General seemed to finally notice her. It took a moment for recognition to sink in. When it did, he turned his attention back to the prince, “I see that you are already aware of Yoren’s death. His understudy is already here, vying for his position?” Iona opened her mouth to protest but the prince spoke first, “I do not believe so, Hennit. She was reading a letter left by Yoren’s killer. This may be of some interest to you.” He turned to Iona, “Please, start again. From the beginning of the note.” Iona’s eyes returned to the top of the parchment. She’d reached the part about solving the Apex problem in one week and the Lord General took in a breath to protest. Prince Lancaster silenced him casually with a single raised finger. The Lord General appeared to bristle but remained silent, looking from the Prince to Iona with undisguised indignation. He listened to Iona as she continued reading, and his expression changed to understanding and incredulity. Iona continued, uninterrupted,

“Additionally, your assurance guarantees our loyalty. For the duration of our accord, we will not accept contracts against you or your immediate bloodline. Likewise, we will dutifully inform you if we discover any plots or threats against the same. Your Spymaster’s attacks on us were truly ‘biting the hands that feeds’.

We shall request a signed, sealed document describing this accord, but as time is of the essence we will accept,