"So it's true-Trevath sent the bowman?" Coalan ventured. Tris wondered if he was trying to distract him from the pain.
Tris grimaced. "Trevath gold doesn't mean the Trevath king had anything to do with it. Down near the border, both Margolan and Trevath coin spends equally well."
"Could throw off the scent, using Trevath gold. Get people looking in the wrong direction."
Coalan may not know politics, but he understands a hunt. He's got as good a head on his
shoulders as Ban does. Maybe with luck, we can keep him in one piece.
"I wish everyone used as much common sense as you do," Tris replied. Curane might like the idea of a war. If Margolan could not sustain a fight, or if Tris were to be killed in battle, the instability could create an opportunity for Jared's loyalists to declare a regency and put Jared's bastard on the throne.
"I'll let Uncle Ban know you're up." Coalan said.
"Tell him I'm in no hurry."
He opened the door that connected to what would soon be Kiara's chambers. They, like his own rooms, had been newly refinished. Tris refused to stay in Jared's chambers, even after he'd had all his half-brother's personal possessions destroyed. Serae's chambers and the old family suite next to them had been the site of the murders, and the memories were too strong for Tris to even think of bringing Kiara to those rooms.
The dogs stirred at a knock at the door, then whimpered and retreated, heads down and hackles up. It was enough to tell Tris that his visitor was vayash moru, and to guess the identity before he opened the door. Mikhail stood in the doorway, and smiled as Tris waved him in. He was, in face and form, just in his early twenties, although a glance at his eyes gave a clue to his real age, of lifetimes, not decades, one of Those Who Walk the Night. In the firelight, his pallor was not notable, and the smile that touched his lips did not reveal the over-long eye teeth.
"I was on my way up," he said. He peered over Tris's shoulder. "So those rooms are for Kiara?"
Tris nodded. "After what happened, I couldn't bring her to the old quarters."
"I can understand that."
"While you and Ban were out rounding up Jared's men, we moved everything over to the old guest suite," Tris said. "I'd rather have a smaller space than be in either the old quarters or Jared's rooms." He shook his head. "It's hard to explain… but things like what happened here leave an impression in the energy long after they're gone. Almost like the walls remember." He repressed a shiver. "Most people just say they get a 'bad feeling' in a place like that. But for me, even when the ghosts are set to rest, I can still sense the energy-at the worst, I can get images in my mind, even from long ago."