The Triumvirate was the ruling body of Pelago, composed of three queens. Vada had told them that these queens didn’t always get along or agree, and so depending on which one you were loyal to, things could get dicey if there was a conflict within Pelago.

Violetta snapped orders at other sailors to make sure the cargo they were carrying was safely hidden as well, and to bring out the diversions, whatever that meant. Sera didn’t know what sort of ship the Maiden’s Wail was, but could only guess it was carrying something illicit—besides herself, of course.

“What in the name of Bas are Triumvirate ships doing out in these waters?” Vada said as she grabbed Sera by the arm. She led her over to a low wooden bench along the railing and lifted it up to reveal a small rectangular hiding space. Sera needed no urging to climb inside.

“Get the boy in too,” a wizened old sailor named Breese said. “We do not need the Triumvirate thinking we have kidnapped a Byrne.”

Apparently Leo looked so very much like his mother that he was actually recognizable in a country he’d never stepped foot in. It was quite tight with the two of them, but with a little bit of shifting, they made do. Sera’s heart was in her throat as Vada closed the bench. Thankfully there was a narrow crack running between two planks of wood, and if they positioned themselves just right, they could see a fair amount of the deck. Leo’s head was level with her waist and her feet were jammed against his stomach. Sera felt a strange lurch in her chest. She’d never been this close to him before.

There were several thumps as Vada put things on top of the bench to cover it, and Sera heard her mutter to Agnes, “Keep your head down and your mouth shut. Your Pelagan is very good, but no need to risk it if we don’t have to.”

Vada had been teaching both Agnes and Leo Pelagan and had been shocked at how quickly they picked up the language. Soon both twins could easily converse, though Leo seemed to have a slightly better ear and grasp for it than Agnes did. Vada commented that perhaps it was their Pelagan heritage that had given them some unknown advantage, but Sera suspected it was her own magic, living inside both twins, that was responsible for their startling aptitude. She was grateful Agnes had that ability now, to appear as Pelagan—if there was one thing she knew about Kaolin and Pelago, it was that the two countries hated each other. And the discovery of Braxos had only made things worse.

“We’ve been at sea for so long,” Leo muttered. “We have no idea what’s been going on with the rest of the world.”