Ragnor hesitates before speaking, choosing his words carefully. “It’s been a challenging few months. Fewer shipments of the thayar flower are making it to the desert. You know we need to use the tea we brew from the flower to enhance our magic enough to channel wind. We’re having to resort to manual labor more often. Pulling sand ships across the desert with ropes is back-breaking work. Without the flower, none of our channelers are strong enough to access their air magic, and we have no way to fill the sails with wind. It’s hurting our ability to get supplies to the far reaches of the kingdom. Not to mention, everything we get we have to use, so we haven’t been able to add at all to the stores you asked us to create.”

I frown. “That doesn’t make any sense. Imports have increased threefold in Arnia, but supplies here have also been limited. My father’s advisors are telling the nobles and the people that magic is getting even harder to channel in the desert, so Velmara is sending more of its shipments there. If you aren’t receiving it either, where is it going?” I lock eyes with Fionn before returning my gaze to Ragnor. Ragnor’s eyes narrow and his lips purse. “What is it?” I prompt.

“There are rumors…” he says slowly, “rumors that there’s a massive stockpile locked away in the mountains northwest of the desert that the King himself oversees. We haven’t been able to confirm or deny the rumors, nor can we find anyone who’s seen the stockpile firsthand. But the people of the desert believe the King is hoarding the flower for himself.”

My stomach drops. This is the third merchant I’ve heard it from. There’s nowhere else the shipments of magic-enhancing flowers could be going. But for what end?

“Thank you, Ragnor. I’ll do what I can to divert more shipments to the desert. Send word if you learn anything else.”

Once Ragnor and his son are gone, Enessa leads us to the front of the store and hands me a small, wrapped parcel.

“Your alibi.” She winks. “Silene will love it.”