“Princess, would you do me the honor of accompanying me on a stroll around your grounds?”

Yenni slid her eyes to her mother, even as her heart jumped to her throat. Was the prince planning to ask for her hand already? Surely her parents would not have finalized their union without telling her?

But her mother remained as calm and regal as always. “What a wonderful idea,” she said neutrally. Her face gave no hint of her emotions.

“It would be my pleasure,” Yenni said, and took the hand he offered, stepping down from the dais of the high table.

Well, this will certainly create gossip, Yenni thought. But it would have been unwise to refuse. Besides, Prince Natahi was not so bad. The few times she’d met him he had been polite and charming. He was also passionate about runelore, like her. And he was handsome. If she had to get married, she could do worse. They walked arm in arm through the palace’s back garden, between women in tall hats or bright head wraps that crowned their heads like sunrise, and among men in fine kaftans who flashed them white smiles.

There, by a lone iroko tree, she made out Jayeh and her husband chatting with the Fuboli chieftain, the three of them balancing wooden bowls of palm wine on their fingertips. Yenni narrowed her eyes. A few days earlier, the Fuboli had announced that due to bad harvests they would be increasing the price of rice, which Yenni’s tribe imported from them regularly. However, her mother had it on good authority that they had increased the price more for the Yirba.

“How go your runes?” asked the prince, bringing her back to the present.

“Oh! Well,” said Yenni. “I’ve gotten much better at pain ward.”

“Hmm, yes, a tricky one.”

The pain ward rune was more complicated than most, and needed to be painted down one’s spine to be effective, which required much practice.

“I am happy to see His Blessedness the chieftain is looking well,” said Prince Natahi, then lowered his voice. “Princess, are you aware of the current political climate on the Sha Islands?”

“I am,” Yenni said cautiously.

“So you know that your father’s illness has made brave some of the other tribes—the Fuboli, for example. They came to us to try to foster an alliance, and insinuated that together we would hold more power than the Yirba. To what end, they didn’t exactly specify, but . . .”

“Do my parents know of this?” Yenni asked sharply.

“Of course. My father told them. The Gunzu and the Yirba were once one tribe, after all. And the last thing we want is strife among the Islands.” His face went dark. “Not with the Creshens waiting to swoop in as if we were carrion.”