I scan the parchment for any new information before dropping it on the ground in disgust. My father pays orphans to walk the streets and stir up commotion about the Queen of Thayaria every few years. They hand out informational pamphlets, as my father calls them, telling people they need to read whatever new story he’s uncovered to keep their families safe. As a result, the people of Velmara are terrified of the Witch Queen across the sea, afraid she’ll swoop onto our shores at any moment and steal their children in the night. The common enemy keeps them from turning their sights on their true oppressors—my father and his greedy nobles.

In reality, we know very little about what Queen Laurel Elestren has actually been up to for the last three hundred years. Thayaria and its reclusive Queen have been sequestered away behind a thick wall of mist since the war my father launched against them three centuries years ago. But my concern lies with my people, not with those hidden behind mist an ocean away.

“What information are you hoping to gather?” Fionn asks once we’ve cleared the dense thoroughfare and are walking down a quiet side street of the Floating Market.

“I hope the thayar shipments are reaching the Nivan Desert, and that Ragnor tells us our fears haven’t been realized. The people of Eastern Velmara need the goods the merchants ship across the desert. And the kingdom needs trade to be flowing to keep the economy bolstered.”

“But…” Fionn continues for me, sensing my hesitation.

“But I don’t think that’s what we’re going to hear,” is all I say, lips tight. Fionn only nods.

We reach our destination, a jewelry store in the Floating Market known for magically enhanced adornments. The building is painted red, the chipped paint standard for the shops that constantly battle salty winds. When we enter, a beautiful female greets us with a frown, shoulders squared and hands on her hips. She tosses her long honey-blonde hair over her shoulders in a huff and narrows her bright blue eyes on me.

“Thorne Vicant, what have I told you about conducting your little business in my shop without giving me warning that you’re coming?” she admonishes, though there’s amusement in her tone.

I quirk my lips in a half smile, instantly turning on the charm that’s become second nature to me. “Oh, come on, Enessa, don’t be cross with me. We both know you love being in on all my schemes.” I give her a wink, and she leans into my body. I wrap my arm around her waist and plant a kiss on her cheek while she pretends to bat me away. Fionn only stands near the doorway, bored. “Tell me, Enessa, what whispers have you heard since my last visit?”