Equal to that mystery was the reason why marriage had never formalised the longstanding arrangement. The distance between father and son rendered such questions impossible. Kasamor opined that neither party could bear to give up their family name. Latecomer though Ebigail was to the Kiradin line, she defended it as proudly as any daughter of the blood.

Malachi cleared his throat. “In point of fact, I insisted we speak with you.”

“Oh, of that I’ve no doubt,” said Lady Kiradin. “Very well. Say what you have to say.”

“It concerns the Southshires . . .”

“We settled the matter this morning,” said Viktor’s father. “No amount of talk will turn humbled stone into fortresses, or conjure soldiers out of the air.”

That last proclamation struck Viktor as particularly ironic. What else were the kraikon, if not soldiers plucked from sunlight, housed in bodies quarried from the soil? “There are soldiers already in the Southshires.”

“Our garrison forces?” his father barked with disdain. “Old men, young boys and a handful of creaking constructs? Keeping the south-wealders from making trouble is about the only thing they’re good for.”

“I speak of the southwealders themselves.”

“Hah! The Southshires haven’t had an army in fifteen years.”

“I don’t think that’s true,” said Malachi. “You’ve seen the reports. We lose more shipments each month than the one before. Our patrols are suffering. We’ve even lost kraikons, though Lumestra knows how. The Southshires may lack soldiers, but make no mistake – there is an army to be had.”

Lady Kiradin waved a dismissive hand. “Traitors and misfits.”

“The same might be said of our forebears, Ebigail. And all those who ended Malatriant’s rule.”

“I see no need to bring ancient history into this, far less myth,” growled Viktor’s father. He swirled his glass and glanced up at Viktor from beneath thoughtful brows. “Even if I agreed with your reasoning . . . Do you really think they’ll follow you?”

Viktor shook his head. “No. But they’ll follow the duke.”

“Josiri Trelan? He’s been locked in that crumbling manor for fifteen years. Why would anyone listen to him?”

“They’ll listen for the same reason we’ve kept him locked in that crumbling manor. Because they still remember his mother. What she stood for. What I’m proposing is very simple. We offer pardon to any southwealder who takes up arms against the Hadari. We offer them the chance to be full partners in the Republic again.”

Lady Kiradin spread the fingers of her right hand, seemingly lost in the examination of her nails. “Why would we do that?”

“Because whether the Hadari come or not, the Southshires are an open wound. Keeping any semblance of order costs us soldiers and resources better deployed elsewhere.”

“They don’t give us any choice.”