Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 91002 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 455(@200wpm)___ 364(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91002 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 455(@200wpm)___ 364(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
Tristan gracefully sat on the couch facing Patty. She’d launched into her chat so quickly, and with such gusto, that neither of us had thought to break the string of words by sitting. She hadn’t seemed to mind or maybe even notice.
I took my seat next to Tristan as Mr. Tom reentered the room.
“We could destroy their operating production cairns,” Tristan said while Mr. Tom set down the mugs.
“There you are—”
“Maybe just one,” Patty said, cutting Mr. Tom off. “A larger one. We’d reduce their income that much more and squeeze the cairn. The desire for new leadership—leadership that might better protect them—would increase. It would prompt Nelson’s critics to get even louder.”
“I know which one to hit,” Tristan replied. “If we do a thorough job, it’d take years to rebuild. It would also show our battle prowess. We—”
“No.” I tried to keep the distasteful expression from my face. “I will not make people suffer for my own gain. Besides, there’s no guarantee a new leader would be any more interested in joining our convocation or even giving Austin and me the time of day. There has to be another way to show our power, something to make the people in that cairn sit up and take notice. To want change.”
Tristan was looking at me steadily now. No expression showed on his face or through his body. He’d gotten too good at that shifter body language training.
“Yes, hmm.” Patty tapped her chin and looked up at Mr. Tom, who was still standing there. “Did you need something, Mr. Tom?”
“If I did, I don’t imagine you’d stay quiet long enough to hear it.” He sniffed. “Miss, did you need anything else? Earplugs, maybe? A timer?”
“No, thank you, Mr. Tom, that’s great.” I smiled at him.
He spun on his heel and left the room.
“Let’s table Gimerel for now,” Patty said. Tristan was still looking at me.
I was about to ask him, “What?” but Patty was away again.
“Now, how about this!” Her smile stretched. “Remember that little spot of trouble Withor got into? The surrogate for his heir that his mate didn’t know about? His mistress, in other words. He’d promised that poor woman the world, thinking his mate would die from her sickness. Well, the baby was born…and the mate didn’t die!”
“Nikken cairn. I remember.” I’d sent word, asking that she be sent to my territory. We would look after her so she didn’t have an “accident.” Gimerel wasn’t the only cairn that made people disappear. So far, we’d gotten no reply. It was time to force the issue. I’d asked Patty to get more information before we created a plan.
“Well…” She leaned forward and then away again. The woman was entrancing with her gossip. “The young woman’s second cousin got wind of all this. He’s a guardian in a cairn in the Rocky Mountains. He’d been angling to take the cairn over and make something of it—it’s a medium-sized cairn—but decided instead to travel to Nikken and protect his family’s honor.”
“He saw an opportunity,” Tristan murmured.
“Yes, he did.” Patty nodded adamantly. “He did, indeed. That’s how these things go. He called down Withor, talked about the failing finances and the problems with the production cairns and the instability of the cairn, not to mention the lack of an heir, all while demanding justice. He demanded something be done for the poor woman. Well, Withor’s mate was appalled. Appalled! Out came the stories of how horrible Withor had been to her on her deathbed, yelling at her about not being able to produce an heir, and all sorts of filthy things. Nail in the coffin.”
“She saw the writing on the wall,” Tristan said. “She knew Withor’s time was over. If she helped facilitate the new leader, he’d be inclined to look after her.”
“Exactly that!” Patty beamed at him. “Only fifteen years in a cairn and you’re well versed on all the politics. With her supporting the new guy, and Withor having plenty of naysayers without knowing about the mistress, and the mistress—well, he was basically flung out. Exiled. The new guy tried to offer him a place, as is decent, but the people of the cairn would not hear of it—”
“That’s pretty common with a downfall like that,” Tristan murmured to me. “He’ll find a cairn to take him in. He has his riches to offer, not to mention experience. Someone will be glad of his company.”
“Not that he deserves it,” I grumbled.
Tristan’s head snapped my way. This time, confusion poked through his expression. This gargoyle just didn’t get me.
I laughed and so did Patty, though I wasn’t sure what she was laughing at.
“Yes, so that is Withor off his stoop,” she said, clapping. “And do you know what else?” She pursed her lips and lifted her eyebrows before springing up and walking around the couch.