“I’ll have a captaincy of a fleet of our merchant ships.”

Aramus smiled. “Considering you are the only one, I can be rather generous with the number in your fleet. However, whatever number you choose, you’ll need to manage it.”

“Twenty-five ships,” Magnus said.

“It will be done,” Aramus replied. He dipped his voice when he went on, “A fool fights the future, the wise man embraces it. I always knew you were wise, Magnus. But I am glad for further proof of it.”

Magnus looked him direct in the eye. “I do not know if it matters whether there is a fight or an embrace. The quakes have stopped, my king, and with them the tidals. But my sense is that the future is more unclear now than it usually is, and it is usually entirely unknown. I take this decision in order to make great amounts of money. I also make it to be close to defend my realm if needed.”

One of the reasons why Aramus could call Magnus a friend was that he admired the man’s crafty mind.

But mostly, his loyalty to Mar-el.

And this was another indication of all of that, not only Magnus choosing the right path, but understanding the depths of murkiness it held that had nothing to do with managing a fleet of merchant ships as they traded wares on three continents.

“We will persevere, Magnus, we always do,” Aramus said with more conviction than he felt.

“I hope so, Aramus, I really do.”

On that, Aramus rose and moved behind his throne to walk down the steps and meet his friend face to face.

They shook, their fingers grasping the other’s forearm, before Magnus dipped his chin, released his arm, turned and strode from the room.

As he did, Aramus saw Bond entering it.

His other men gathered around him.

However, as they started discussing the breakdown in relations and what it would mean, Aramus kept his gaze to Bond as he made his journey across the long chamber.

Or more accurately, his gaze was on trying to decipher the expression on his lieutenant’s face.

Thus, the men also fell silent as Bond approached.

“Another uprising?” Tint asked when Bondi met them.

“No,” Bond answered. “A ship has arrived with a messenger from Wodell. They’ve discovered the location of the treasury of that Rising. This discovery came with carefully kept accounts. It is in code, but they are at work breaking that code and feel, once they do, all operatives, not just the higher-ups, will be identified. Once this is so, they will arrest them in their lands, and if these men are in residence in the Dome City, demand they are extradited to Wodell to sit tribunal for conspiracy to wage war.”

Finally, some good news.

“This is a great victory,” Aramus noted.

“It is indeed,” Bond agreed. “However, King True also shared that Princess Serena, who was instrumental in discovering the location of their purloined coin, is away to Airen in hopes of seeing her mother before the queen passes.”