Princeps' fury Read Online Free PDF Page B

master of intelligence.

    “Kitai has alerted Demos to what Gradash said,” Magnus began, without preamble. “And the good captain will keep a weather eye out.”

    Tavi shook his head. “Not good enough,” he said. “Kitai, ask Demos if he would indulge me. Prepare for a blow, and signal the rest of our ships to do the same. As I understand it, we’ve had unusually gentle weather so far, sailing this late in the year. Gradash didn’t survive to old age by being a fool. If nothing else, it will be a good exercise.”

    “He’ll do it,” Kitai said with perfect confidence.

    “Just be polite, please,” Tavi said.

    Kitai rolled her eyes as she left and sighed. “Yes, Aleran.”

    Magnus waited until Kitai had left before he nodded to Tavi, and said, “Thank you.”

    “You really can say whatever you like in front of her, Magnus.”

    Tavi’s old mentor gave him a strained look. “Your Highness, please. The Ambassador is , after all, a representative of a foreign power. My professionalism feels strained enough.”

    Tavi’s weariness kept the laugh from gaining too much momentum, but it felt good in any case. “Crows, Magnus. You can’t keep beating yourself up for not realizing I was Gaius Octavian. No one realized I was Gaius Octavian. I didn’t realize I was Gaius Octavian.” Tavi shrugged. “Which was the point, I suppose.”

    Magnus sighed. “Yes, well. Just between the two of us, I’m afraid that I have to tell you, it’s a waste. You’d have been a real terror as a historian. Dealt those pigheaded snobs at the Academy fits for generations, with what you’d have turned up at Appia.”

    “I’ll just have to try to make amends in whatever small way I can,” Tavi said, smiling faintly. The smile faded. Magnus was right about one thing—Tavi was never going to go back to the simple life he’d had, working under Magnus at his dig site, exploring the ancient ruin. A little pang of loss went through him. “Appia was very nice, wasn’t it?”

    “Mmm,” Magnus agreed. “Peaceful. Always interesting. I still have a trunkful of rubbings to transcribe and translate, too.”

    “I’d ask you to send some of them over, but . . .”

    “Duty,” Magnus said, nodding. “Speaking of which.”

    Tavi nodded and sat up with a grunt of effort as Magnus passed over several sheets of paper. Tavi frowned down at them and found himself studying several unfamiliar maps. “What am I looking at?”

    “Canea,” Magnus replied. “There, at the far right . . .” The old Cursor indicated a few speckles at the middle of the right edge of the map. “The Sunset Isles, and Westmiston.”

    Tavi blinked at the map for a moment, looking between the isles and the mainland. “But . . . I thought it was about three weeks’ sailing from those islands.”

    “It is,” Magnus said.

    “But that would make this coastline . . .” Tavi traced a fingertip down its length. “Crows. If it’s to scale, it would be three or four times as long as the western coast of Alera.” He looked up sharply at Magnus. “Where did you come by this map?”

    Magnus coughed delicately. “Some of our language teachers managed to make copies of charts on the Canim ships.”

    “Crows, Magnus!” Tavi snarled, rising. “Crows and bloody furies, I told you that we were not going to play any games like that on this trip!”

    Magnus blinked at him several times. “And . . . Your Highness expected me to listen ?”

    “Of course I did!”

    Magnus lifted both eyebrows. “Your Highness, perhaps I should explain. My duty is to the Crown. And my orders, from the Crown, are to take every action within my power to support you, protect you, and secure every possible advantage to ensure your safety and success.” He added, without a trace of apology, “Including, if in my best judgment I deem it necessary, ignoring orders containing more idealism than practicality.”

    Tavi stared at him for a moment. Then he said, quietly,