Page 78 of The Ragpicker King
“I was all astonishment,” said Andreyen, addressing Anjelica, “when I received your message. It is not every day I hear from royalty.”
Kel nearly choked on his tea. It was heavily sugared, and spiced with cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom. Glancing over the rim of his glass, he saw Ji-An mouth something at him but couldn’t read her lips. He glared at her:Stop it.
“They say that in Castellane, there is a King on the Hill and a King in the City,” said Anjelica in her musical voice. “Only the very shortsighted would take an interest in merely one.”
Andreyen raised his tea glass to her. “Although,” he said, “one of them will be your father-in-law, whereas I am only an ordinary criminal who has been blessed with extraordinary luck.”
“I hope that luck will help me now. Do you know the pirate Laurent Aden?”
Ji-An shot a surprised look at Kel, who gazed back at her with a bland smile.
“Ah, yes,” said Andreyen. “An up-and-coming young man, building his empire.”
“An empire of piracy and theft,” said Anjelica tightly. “He is a man with no scruples.”
“Scruples can be expensive,” said Ji-An.
Anjelica ignored this. “I have been told that if anyone can reach him, the Ragpicker King can. I need to get a message to him, in hopes that he will meet with me.”
“I cannot imagine,” said Andreyen, “that the Palace would be too complacent to hear that you are communicating with a former lover who is now hiding out in a sea cave along our coast.”
Anjelica flushed. “Not a lover. Asuitor.”
“Regardless.” Andreyen spun his cane thoughtfully. “He is a criminal. For a Princess to communicate with him would be alarming to the Aurelians. What matters to those like the Aurelians is loyalty. For you to plan in secret...” He regarded her kindly. “Forget Aden. Forget whatever hold over you he may have. You will be Queen of Castellane soon enough. He cannot touch you.”
“Aden was never my lover,” said Anjelica, her voice shaking. “But there was a time when I believed myself in love with him. I wrote him letters—the kind of letters that would be disastrous in the wrong hands. It was foolish, and he is threatening now that if I do not return to him, he will have those sent to all the nobles on the Hill. It will be an awful scandal, and the Aurelians will be pressured to end their alliance with my family. But my parents will never permit that—they will not now find a better position for me thanQueen of Castellane—and it could result in conflict between our countries, worse than the one you have with Sarthe. For there is no payment that could make it go away.”
The Ragpicker King said nothing. Kel was aware of his quick mind working away, his thoughts hidden behind his bland expression.
“Aden wants to cause trouble,” Kel said. “The kind of trouble that is bad for the Aurelians and for Castellane. And I have always been told that you care what happens to Castellane.”
Andreyen made a thoughtful noise. “Imagine I assisted you with this, Princess. What would your plan be? Shall you beg for your letters back? Men like Aden are not known for their mercy.”
“There will be no begging. I intend to offer him money—a fair exchange of gold for what he has.”
“And after you have paid him, do you think you will still be able to afford my fee? Because it will not be low.”
Kel shot a glare at Andreyen, who ignored it. Could the man really not understand the importance here? The political danger to the Aurelians?
“I had hoped,” said Anjelica, “to pay you with information. Information about Prosper Beck.”
Kel jerked in surprise and almost spilled his tea. He was aware that both Ji-An and the Ragpicker King were staring at him with a question in their eyes:Did you know this was what she was going to say?
“Prosper Beck?” Kel said harshly. “How would you know anything about Prosper Beck?”
Anjelica looked at him in surprise. “You’ve heard of Prosper Beck?”
“Everyone’s heard of Prosper Beck,” said Ji-An; it wasn’t true, but perhaps Anjelica would not know that. “And everyone knows he’s gone.”
“Prosper Beck is not gone,” Anjelica said calmly. “Prosper Beck has returned to Castellane. There are rumors he is preparing for a fight. Perhaps with you.”
Andreyen’s green eyes had darkened. “If you are telling lies right now to get your way, Princess, let me make one thing understood. That is not a safe path to tread. Not with me.”
He did not raise his voice or change his expression, yet there was something in the way he spoke that reminded Kel that Andreyen was more than the man who was kind to Ji-An and Merren and enjoyed his roof garden. Here was a man who had killed people and done it without a thought.
“There is no lie,” said Anjelica. She had placed her hands in her lap; Kel could see they were clasped together tightly. “There is a warehouse, on Arsenal Road in the Maze. One with a blacked-out door. It claims it is for tea storage, but you will find it filled with trunks of hoarded weapons.”
“How do you know all this?” said Kel. “Kutani spywork?”
