Nightwalker hesitated. “It is not proper or safe to speak ill of the dead, but I believe that was her intention. Perhaps she couldn’t help herself—she was under the Bayar’s influence. Or perhaps she was looking for an heir that looked more like a flatlander.”

Raisa came up on her toes, seizing hold of the front of Nightwalker’s coat, pulling his face down toward her. “You have no right to say that,” she said fiercely, tears stinging her eyes. “You have no idea what my mother’s intentions were.”

Nightwalker reared back a little, focusing on Raisa’s face as if truly seeing her for the first time. For a long moment, they stared at each other, Demonai warrior and princess heir.

“Briar Rose,” he said finally. “Again, I am sorry. It seems that I have misjudged your feelings about the queen, especially after what happened a year ago. I need to listen more before I speak. This has been a difficult season for all of us.”

“That’s something we can agree on,” Raisa said, releasing her hold on Nightwalker’s front.

Nightwalker still seemed eager to explain himself. “You see, in recent months, there have been multiple jinxflinger raids on our villages on the lower slopes.”

“Why would charmcasters attack the villages?” Raisa asked.

“The clans have cut off trade in magical objects—amulets, talismans, and the like,” Nightwalker said, with grim satisfaction. “Our Demonai metalworkers no longer make them, having shifted production to other goods. Given their other actions, no doubt the wizards are preparing for war against us. They are hoping to spoil the villages and come away with enough magical weaponry to fill their armories.”

“The villages wouldn’t keep amulets on hand, would they?” Raisa asked. “What would they do with them? They’re traded mostly at Marisa Pines.”

“The jinxflingers don’t know that,” Nightwalker said. “There have been more and more incursions into the Spirits, more and more pressure from them. Lord Averill and I are endeavoring to provide better protection to the villages, but the Demonai are spread thin. So you can imagine how I felt when I heard about the attack on you. I’m sorry, Briar Rose, but I’m not in the mood to believe pretty words from jinxflingers.”

“Has my father brought these issues up with the Queen’s Council?” Raisa asked.

Nightwalker nodded. “Repeatedly. Lord Bayar excuses violations of the Nǽming, saying that the Spirit clans must resume production of flashcraft and make it freely available. He claims that under the circumstances bad jinxflinger behavior is understandable.”

“Have the Demonai considered a compromise?” Raisa said. “Could you make some less-powerful amulets available to them?”

“Not when they are conspiring against you,” Nightwalker said. “The last thing we want to do is arm our enemies prior to a war.”

Once again, Raisa felt the crush of responsibility.