In Deeper Waters by F.T. Lukens (best business books of all time txt) 📗

her wardrobe alone, not to mention the rest of the Ossetian retinue.”

“They don’t sound as desperate as they make out to be.”

Brushing back a lock of hair from his cheek, Kest took another gulp of soup, completely ignoring Garrett. “I don’t know how Isa is going to suffer Prince Emerick. He has all the bearings of royalty but with none of the tact or aptitude.”

“She cultivated the match herself. She knows what she’s getting into.”

Kest huffed. “He thinks of my gift as a parlor trick, despite Isa educating him otherwise.”

“What do you expect from a kingdom with no magic at all?” Garrett said with a shrug. “He’s bound to be curious.”

“He tries to feed me treats.”

Garrett barked a laugh, and Tal hid a smile behind his hand.

“Well,” Garrett said with every ounce of diplomacy he had, “it is rather amusing to watch, especially when you’re grumpy and your feathers puff out.”

Kest narrowed his eyes. “Remind me to bite you next time I have a beak.”

“Why don’t you bite Emerick next time he asks you to shift?”

Kest’s thin lips curled at the corners. “Good idea. I’ll tell Isa it was all yours.”

“Better not.” Garrett scratched his beard. “We need the alliance. Their kingdom is rich, and our coffers are dwindling with the reparations we pay to the continent kingdoms. We can’t afford for Emerick to scurry away because of a bite from one of Isa’s magical brothers.”

Tal bowed his head, Dara’s accusations ringing in his ears. Their great-grandfather had made a mess of things between Harth and the rest of the world. This marriage was one of the many steps his mother and sister had taken to try and repair diplomatic relations. Of course, it didn’t help that the queen had a magical son who bore the same talents as the man who’d started a devastating war. The mere rumor of Tal’s magic was enough to threaten their alliance. He picked at a loose thread from Garrett’s plush blanket.

“True. But if they break our alliance, they’ll sorely miss our soldiers when their border disputes with Mysten flare up again. Though not as much as we’ll miss their gold.”

“Speaking of, tell Prince Emerick that we found a chest of gold stamped with an old crest on a ghost ship in the bay. See if he knows anything about it.”

Kest raised an eyebrow. “A chest of gold?”

“Yes. Uncirculated, at that, going by its condition. The prisoner they left behind didn’t say much before he threw himself off the stern.”

Tal shifted uncomfortably.

Garrett winced apologetically. He tipped back his drink and downed a large gulp.

“There’s more to the story than that,” Kest said, sharp gaze darting between them.

“Tally cried.”

“Hey!” Tal protested, mortified. “You don’t have to tell everyone.”

“I think Mother gathered that you were upset from the letter. Don’t worry,” he hastened to add as Tal paled, “she didn’t show it to me. She may have also mentioned the gold to Emerick. He did say something about a lost wedding gift.”

“Oh.” Garrett stroked his beard. “That makes sense. Uncirculated gold from their treasury would be an appropriate present to the kingdom. Not so much to Isa.”

“And not so much if it never arrived. Was it pirates?”

“According to the prisoner, it was on the seafloor. But I’m not sure I believe him. More than likely, the ship delivering it was set upon.”

Kest drank more of his soup. “I see.”

“Fucking marauders.” Garrett slammed his empty cup down, leftover droplets splattering on the rough tabletop. “I wish I could scour the sea of them.”

Kest’s lips twitched. “Maybe one day when you’re not taking our little brother on his coming-of-age tour.”

Garrett and Kest laughed, and Tal bowed his head. His throat tightened. “Does Emerick know about me?”

“No,” Kest said quickly. “He’s no doubt heard the rumors, but we’ve confirmed nothing.”

“It seems wrong to hide my talents from our brother-in-law.”

“He’s not married to Isa yet.” Garrett wagged his finger at Tal. “Knowing about you may scare him away.” He said it as a jest, though Tal didn’t take it as one.

“Or entice him,” Kest said. “A magical brother-in-law would be a formidable political weapon.”

Garrett kicked Kest under the table. “No matter which it would be, we need this alliance.”

“And when he does become part of our family,” Kest hurriedly added, throwing Garrett an annoyed look, “we’ll all agree about how and when to tell him. You won’t have to be a secret forever, Tally.”

Tal furrowed his brow. He opened his palm and a small flame flickered over his hand. “I’m not Great-Grandfather.”

Kest and Garrett exchanged a glance. “No one thinks you are, Tally,” Kest said, voice soft and sincere. “But he did horrible things, and you’ve unfortunately been burdened with the same gift.”

“It wasn’t the magic that made him cruel, and anyone who knows you wouldn’t believe you capable of the things he did,” Garrett added.

“But I can do them.” Tal curled his fingers and snuffed out the flame. Smoke wreathed around his fist. “I’m capable.”

“We’re aware,” Kest said softly.

Tal didn’t think they were. Only his mother and his tutor knew the full extent of his power, knew the times where it burst out of him, violent and terrifying, unpredictable and abundant. It scared Tal how easily he could destroy without thinking. Guilt rose in his gut at their blind faith. He might have promised he’d never use it to harm anyone, but he also knew that Isa was his queen and she could command it of him. His magic was there to serve the family, and once she married Emerick, that would include him as well.

“I’m tired,” Tal said, shaking out his hand. “I’m going to read in my hammock.”

“It was all that running around today,” Garrett said with a grin. At Kest’s perplexed look, Garrett added, “Tally shook Shay today and met with a boy in the market.”

Kest’s grin turned lascivious. “A boy in the market, huh? You’ve been gone from the castle for only a few days and are already embracing your coming-of-age.”

Tal groaned. “Not you, too.”

Kest