Gin smiled generously. He could feel his hook sinking in, the prize fish at the end weakening in its fight. “Of course,” he said, motioning for his ryuu to back off and give the prisoners a facade of privacy. He, too, stepped farther down the beach.

Tidepool followed. “With all due respect, Your Majesty, you’re not really going to negotiate with Tsarina Austine, are you?”

“How much of an imbecile are you?” Gin asked. “We’ll bring the tsarina and her advisers onto my ship, and once we’ve returned to Kichona, we’ll summon Zomuri to claim her heart.”

“B-but then why bother with this pretense of good will in front of the prisoners? Won’t they know soon enough that their tsarina is dead? And what about the other kingdoms? This will incense them before we’re prepared to fight the entire mainland.”

“We’ll inform them that, during our negotiations with Tsarina Austine, I proposed marriage, and she accepted my offer. She’ll wish to stay in Kichona as the seat of our united empire, of course. But one day in the near future, she will die tragically of an illness while pregnant with our first child. The other kingdoms will not be suspicious for a while.”

“That’s pure genius,” Tidepool said.

“I know.”

The prisoners were engaged in a lively debate. Gin allowed it to continue. Tsarina Austine was being given ample time to prepare her things and her entourage for the summit (under careful watch of the ryuu, of course), so a few extra minutes on the beach meant nothing.

He walked down to the shore and finally took in the clear turquoise of the lagoons. The water was so clear he could see straight down to the corals on the sandy ocean floor, the sea teeming with colorfully striped fish. He could do worse than have this island as a gem in his crown.

Where the sky met the water, though, something white sped toward Gin. Was it a seagull skimming the surface?

“Tidepool,” he said, “intercept that for me.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

A moment later, a wave leaped up and caught whatever it was in a fistful of water and rushed it to shore in a surge of foam. Tidepool grabbed it first to make sure it was safe.

“A seagull bearing a message,” she said, releasing the bird and unfolding the paper carefully. It appeared to be enchanted with ryuu magic, but caution was advisable nonetheless.

Tidepool undid the complicated folds. “It’s fine, Your Majesty. A note from Menagerie.”

Gin took the paper, which, having been opened, now flattened out its own creases.

Your Majesty,

We found where Virtuoso’s sister and friends have been hiding, but they foiled our attack. We’ll redouble our efforts and make sure they won’t be a problem for us anymore.

Ever your servant,

Menagerie