The Amalfians were a silver-tongued people, Elya reflected as she watched the merchant prince and the lady warrior leave her improvised throne room. Cirindel Valehold and come to swear her fealty and ended up striking up a partnership with Francis Dandolo to hunt slavers. Once it became clear that going with Dandolo was in fact what she desired, Elya had given her blessing to it, of course. The Archangel was a loss, but she preferred no ally at all to an ally not entirely devoted to her purpose.

Besides, striking at the slave trade would strike at Janolf, and anything that weakened the man who had killed her husband would be supported by Elya. 

She exhaled slowly, not quite a sigh but close to it. things had suddenly become a lot more complicated. And now they were to be complicated further; her new guard – Rayf- had informed her, through Sir Stefan that yet another person would present themselves to her, this one also part of the Resistance and if she decided to answer the call from them, part of her escort through Alcea. 

Hopefully, the addition would make up for Cirindel.

***

“Your Majesty?” Sir Stefan spoke from the valve leading from Elya’s rooms to the garden whre she was watching her son play with the dog that seemed to have attached itself to him. she looked up, raising her eyebrows.

“Yes?”

“The woman the Calderwood boy went to fetch is here and wants to be presented.”

“I see,” Elya said. After a moment’s thoughts, she stood, running her hands down her dress to smooth out imagined wrinkles, “I suppose I had better see her right away. What is your impression of her?”

Sir Stefan shrugged. “Peculiar. Hard to say anything beyond that. But I do believe she would make a formidable ally.”

Elya inclined her head in understanding. “Show her in,” she said as they entered her reception room together. She stepped up unto the platform that held the chair that served as her throne and sat down, straightening the sleeves of her dark dress as she mentally prepared herself to meet her next guest.