The Broken (The Lost Words: Volume 2) by Igor Ljubuncic Page A

Agatha hovered nearby.
    “Where’s my mother?” Amalia asked.
    “Lady Lisa cannot attend. She has other private business,” the adviser said.
    Amalia did not seem pleased with the answer, but she said nothing.
    A few minutes later, Councillor Stephan was led in, escorted by two burly men. Gerald frowned when he saw them thump the guy into the office. This behavior felt more befitting a prisoner than a guest. He would have to talk to Edwin, his deputy, about this. The guards left. Gerald stayed, watching the man, ready to take action if need be.
    The Caytorean seemed calm enough, innocent, nonchalant, good spirited, not really bothered by his ill treatment. The deliberate moment he took to adjust his crinkled suit told Gerald he felt the slight abuse was actually to his advantage.
    “Your Majesty,” he said.
    “Highness,” she corrected him.
    He bowed. “I apologize. I was not sure about Athesian formalities.”
    Amalia did not let him dawdle. “What is it you want?”
    Councillor Stephan looked toward an empty chair, but they ignored his cue. He coughed. “I would like to appoint myself as an adviser on behalf of Caytor and the High Council of Trade in your service, Your Highness.”
    She seemed confused, but made an effort not to let doubt touch her face. “What do you mean?”
    “It is obvious that our nations have reached, well, sort of an impasse. We probably owe your father much in return for his benevolence when it comes to trade and peace. As a man of wealth and heavy investments in cargo traveling down your roads, I would hate to see perfectly good gold go to waste over petty bickering. Instead of letting this situation deteriorate into war, we could perhaps work some sort of an agreement that would assure both Caytor and Athesia that we need and want peace.”
    Amalia let him fret a little while she took more than her share of time to consider his proposal. “That does sound reasonable.”
    He nodded like the good merchant he was. “Indeed. Now, my colleagues in Eybalen must be a little worried about this affair, so I would need to ask you for a favor.”
    She arched a brow. He took this for permission to press on with his demands.
    “You may want to release your hostages and let them go home. I would remain and serve as the chair for any future negotiations. I am positive my colleagues will be pleased.”
    “Do you have the authority to make any decisions, Councillor Stephan?” she asked.
    He nodded. “I sure do. It is in my power to negotiate deals on behalf of the House.”
    She smiled. “You sound as if this is an ordinary business meeting. You do realize the balance of power?”
    Councillor Stephan genuflected lightly. “Definitely. At the moment, you have the initiative. Which is why you should not miss this opportunity to prove your benevolence. You would assure Caytor you seek peace. We would be more than happy to double our trade deals with Athesia. This could be a pretext for alliance, perhaps.”
    “After you tried to assassinate my father,” she snapped.
    Theodore tsked in a low, barely audible voice. Gerald knew what that sound meant; the adviser felt it was a bad, childish move.
    Councillor Stephan frowned, clearly frustrated. “I am not sure…”
    The old man tried to stop Amalia, but she was flying. “Without my father, Caytor would have been in ruins. He saved your realm, no less than he saved Eracia from a similar fate. And what have you given in return? Poisoned arrows.”
    Stephan blinked. The meeting was not going the way he’d imagined, Gerald mused. “But now, you are the empress of Athesia. It’s a great opportunity to put old ills behind us and focus on the future and prosperity of our nations.”
    “Letting go a few Caytorean dignitaries might be a good concession,” Theodore whispered.
    Empress Amalia rose from her chair, facing the merchant. “First thing, you should wipe that smug smirk off your face,” she barked. Councillor Stephan paled. His face turned