I snorted past a mouthful of food. “You have to ask?”

Uncle Ryn poured me a glass of something the color of fine rubies. A Caesolian red, a good one. Aside from the one look I’d given Markus when I came through the door, I was ignoring him until I’d gotten some food in my stomach. I occasionally felt his eyes on me as he, Mychael, and Uncle Ryn made polite small talk waiting for me to finish. I didn’t rush my meal, but I didn’t take my time, either. I’d waited long enough.

When I’d finished, I pushed my plate back and gave Markus my full and undivided attention.

“No doubt you want to know why I’m here,” he said.

“What I want is your honesty.” I put down my wineglass. I didn’t trust myself with anything that could be thrown or broken over someone’s head. Besides, it was an expensive glass.

“Raine, you don’t know what you’re asking for—or how much danger you’re in.”

I laughed. I had to. That had to be one of the most ridiculously obvious statements I’d ever heard. “Markus, I know exactly how much danger I’m in. I’m up to my eyeballs in it, and if it gets deeper, I’ll have to start swimming.” I leaned forward; it was more civilized than diving across the cabin for the elf duke’s throat. “What I want to know is how much of it is your doing. I can’t begin to tell you how much I’ve looked forward to getting you in the same room with me. I know exactly what I’m asking for. Entertain me.”

Markus Sevelien told me.

I wasn’t entertained in the least.

Officially, Taltek Balmorlan was an inquisitor working for elven intelligence. In reality, Taltek Balmorlan was an arms dealer working for Taltek Balmorlan. And in a world of magic where mages qualified as weapons, he was dealing in living, breathing people, collecting supernaturally powerful elven mages. I knew that much. Piaras hadn’t been the first. I’d suspected that. The bastard preferred them young and vulnerable, easily influenced or intimidated. And being an agent of the elven government, Balmorlan could concoct a legal claim to them, like drafting them into the army. And that was precisely how he planned to use them—as weapons in a war against the goblins.

Markus steepled his fingers in front of his face. “When you came here, Taltek followed you—and put his plan into motion. You being able to wield the Saghred without any adverse effect was his dream come true. His greatest fear was that you would go over to the goblins first.”

“Is that your greatest fear, Markus? That I’ll go to the goblins? Or that I’ll sell my services to the highest bidder because I’m a Benares?” I was getting mad and I let myself. This boilover had been a long time coming. “Because any elf worth their pureblood knows that we’re filthy criminals. We can’t be trusted and only care about filling our pockets with as much gold as we can carry. Is that your fear?”

“You know that’s not what I think.”

“No, Markus, I don’t know that. It’s your job to root out traitors. Balmorlan’s here, and now so are you. You’re Balmorlan’s boss. I think you’re here on business, and that business is me.”

“Yes, it is part of my job to find traitors.” His voice was carefully modulated. “You are not a traitor, Raine. You never have been—and you never will be.”

“Because you’re not going to allow it? I won’t work for the elves, the goblins, or anyone else,” I snapped. “I want to be rid of the damned rock and I want my life back. If you call that a traitor, then that’s what I am. No amount of gold can hire me, and I won’t allow myself or anyone I love to be used or threatened. And thanks to the rock, I can enforce my wishes.” My voice dropped to one step above a growl. “Don’t think for one moment that I won’t use it.”

I expected anger; what I got was calm acceptance, maybe even a trace of amusement.

“I know that, Raine. And I told the queen that’s what you would say.” He smiled. “She asked that I give you a message.”

That took me by surprise. I didn’t know the queen and I wasn’t sure I wanted her to know of me.

“She’s never met you but she already likes you, and she would like very much to tell you that in person one day.”

“Huh?” Way to use the rapier wit, Raine.

Markus leaned forward. “I no longer work for elven intelligence.”

“But you just got promoted to the head of the whole agency.”

“In a manner of speaking. I work for the queen. I report to her and only to her. There are some good people in elven intelligence. Unfortunately, their influence isn’t what it once was. People like Taltek Balmorlan have bribed or blackmailed their way into positions of power. When the Saghred surfaced, Her Majesty and I knew we had to act quickly. Yes, she appointed me head of the agency, and that appointment upset more than a few people, Taltek among them.” He took a sip of his wine. “The queen wants him and his allies exposed and stopped. When Taltek kidnapped Piaras Rivalin and attempted to remove him from this island, that act exposed Taltek’s network of mage procurers. The queen finds the practice abhorrent and she wants it stopped, as do I. Lisara Ambrosiel is a good and honorable woman. As are you, Raine.” He smiled. “And as to you being a Benares and my being a duke, you may be gratified to know that I am the chief of elven intelligence in name only; what I’m actually doing is more along the lines of a janitorial service. Her Majesty wants to clean house, and I’ve volunteered to be the broom.”

I looked over at Mychael, an eyebrow raised in question.

“It’s the truth,” he told me.

I was incredulous. “You knew?”

“I had some idea of what was going on, but not to this extent. Markus filled me in while you were up on deck getting that temper of yours under control.”

Markus laughed once. “This is under control?”

“If she’d been feeling really feisty, she’d have stabbed you,” Uncle Ryn said. “Don’t worry; it would have only hurt the first time or two.”

I knew an apology would be the right thing to do, but truth be told I wasn’t feeling particularly apologetic. “You could have told me sooner,” I said to Markus.

“Actually, Raine, I couldn’t. I have my reasons, and for now they have to remain mine.”

“Still keeping secrets.”

“It’s what I do.”

“You’re worse than a goblin.”

Markus inclined his head graciously. “Thank you. When it comes to intrigue, the goblin mind is without peer. I take that as the highest compliment.”

“I didn’t mean it as one. Right now, goblins piss me off just as much as elves, if not more.” I took a breath and exhaled slowly, my eyes never leaving Markus’s. “I will, however, apologize for entertaining thoughts of killing you.”

“No doubt you found them highly entertaining.”

“I did.”

“I sincerely wish it had been possible for me to be forthright with you from the beginning. As we were both being watched, it was quite impossible.”

“So why can’t you pull the plug on Balmorlan now?”

“It’s imperative that I know how far the conspiracy extends, and the name of every man and woman involved—from men like Taltek Balmorlan down to the messengers they use to communicate.”

“And a damned lot of good that does Piaras or anyone else Balmorlan goes after in the meantime. You’re their boss; you don’t need to know how far it goes. Just make the bastards stop.”

“And what about the generals and intelligence agents who secretly report to them? And the bureaucrats under them? Raine, you know as well as I do that if I pull down a vine, but leave the roots in the ground, that vine is coming back, and it will grow back stronger.”

“Shit.”

“An accurate assessment,” he noted dryly. “The only way to make sure that it doesn’t come back is to get it all the first time.” His expression turned solemn. “Raine, I won’t let Taltek Balmorlan have Piaras. You have my word. Though from what I understand, that young man is more than capable of defending himself.”