Naya returned to her rooms after her conversation with Lucia. A few hours later, she sensed aether swirling outside her door and heard the murmur of excited voices. The meeting must finally be over. When she peeked out into the hall, she was surprised to find Francisco standing just outside with one hand raised to knock. He took a quick step back. “Good, you’re here. My father wants to speak with you,” he said.

“Now?” Naya asked. She’d expected him to summon her, just not so quickly.

“No, next week. Of course now.”

Naya gave Francisco a flat look before following him toward his father’s rooms. His clothes weren’t so neat as they had been that morning, and his expression was distant.

“Did something happen at the meeting?” Naya asked.

Francisco shook his head. “Nothing unexpected.”

“Then why do you look like you want to punch someone?”

Francisco stopped and scowled at her. Naya gestured toward his hands and the crumpled papers he held in a death grip. He looked surprised as he eased his grip and made a half-hearted effort to smooth out the papers. “Why is everything about violence with you?” he asked.

“That’s not an answer.”

Francisco sighed, then rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Nothing went wrong exactly. It’s just been a long day. If you want the details, ask my father, or get the notes from one of the scribes.”

Unease tightened Naya’s stomach as Francisco knocked softly on Delence’s door. “I’ve brought her,” he said as he opened the door.

“Good, thank you. Why don’t you go back to your rooms and rest,” Delence replied.

Francisco’s shoulders tensed. “Shouldn’t I—”

“Rest,” Delence repeated. “The Banians are hosting an afterdinner salon in two hours. I’ll need you sharp for that.”

“Yes, Father.” Francisco stepped away from the door. Before leaving he met Naya’s eyes. He had a strange look on his face, and for a second Naya thought he wanted to say something more. Then he turned and walked briskly away down the hall.

Naya stepped into Delence’s room and shut the door behind her. Delence stood by the window on the far side of the room, his back facing her. “Tell me about your meeting with Queen Lial,” he said without preamble, making the words a command rather than a question.

Naya felt something inside her snap at his tone. “Oh, the meeting was just lovely,” she said, letting all her frustration and impatience leak out in exaggerated sweetness. “We drank tea and talked about numbers.”

Delence glared at her. “I assume you’re joking.”

His tone was a warning, but Naya couldn’t help a bubble of slightly hysterical glee that rose in her throat. She swallowed it with effort. “Well, I guess I didn’t actually drink the tea, seeing as how I don’t have a body to put it in. But the queen really did spend quite a while telling me how much she loves numbers. After that, she all but threatened to have me killed if I didn’t help her track down Valn’s real allies. Oh, and she also implied that you won’t help her with the investigation because you’re trying to set her up.”

Delence’s lip twisted in a scowl before he regained control of his expression. “Absurd, but not surprising. I suspect this was her way of trying to bypass the laws that keep her from participating directly in the Congress. She’s no doubt hoping to manipulate your testimony. I trust you didn’t tell her anything?”

“Nothing important, but she did tell me something interesting.”

“What?” Delence asked.

“She said she’d been planning to replace Valn even before she heard what happened in Ceramor. Do you know if that’s true?”

Delence shook his head. “She’s made that claim before. It’s an obvious fabrication to hide her involvement. Was there anything else?”

Naya started to shake her head, then paused. “One thing. The Endran ambassadors were there when I arrived. They seemed to be on good terms with the queen.”

Delence’s expression darkened. “Another threat then.”

“What do you mean?” Naya asked.

“I suspect Queen Lial is hoping to make an alliance with the Endrans as an alternative to the Congress of Powers.”

“You think she’d abandon the Congress?” The prospect was unsettling, but Naya couldn’t see how leaving would benefit Talmir.

“I doubt she’ll go that far, but she is making a show of her connection with the Endrans. She wants us to know that she’s exploring other options, and that Talmir can remain strong even without the Congress.”

Naya’s brow furrowed. “She might be disappointed. I spoke to Ambassador Bargal after the feast and he seemed eager to learn more about necromancy.”

Delence’s eyes lit up. “Is that so? Tell me what happened.”

Naya described her brief encounter with the ambassador, and the way he’d ignored her in the queen’s garden. Delence paced back and forth across the room as she spoke. “This changes things. I want you to set up a meeting with the Endrans. Answer their questions about necromancy and try to figure out what dealings they’ve had so far with Queen Lial. If they’re interested in you, perhaps we can use that to upset whatever Queen Lial has planned.”

Naya stood torn between excitement and unease. “Why not have Francisco talk to them? He’s been studying the Congress longer than I have, and I know he’d like to play a bigger role in your work.” Also if Francisco was busy dealing with the Endrans, he was less likely to bother her while she searched for Lucia’s journals.

“You can bring him with you, but you’re the one they approached. Better that we not risk giving offense by sending someone else.”

“All right,” Naya said reluctantly. “I’ll see what I can learn. Could you have one of the scribes send me their notes from today’s meeting?” Those notes would hopefully contain any new details about the schedule for Valn’s trial.

“Talk to Vanessia. She’s coordinating records between the scribes, so she can get you whatever you need.”

Naya nodded, then started for the door.

“One more thing,” Delence said. “Francisco told me about the logbook you found on the Gallant. He convinced me that it will be fastest to let you handle the translation. But once you’re done, I want you to hand over a full copy of everything you’ve found, along with the original book.”

Naya fought down a grimace. It had probably been too much to hope that Francisco would keep quiet. “I’ll give you the translation, but the book belonged to my father. I don’t see why I have to give it to you.”

“Because I’ll want someone else to check your work. Also, it could prove useful as leverage in the future,” Delence said.

“Leverage against who?” Naya asked.

“That depends on what you find,” Delence said with a cold smile.