Chapter 166

“We want Rona to think she’s won,” Eli countered. “If she has any idea whatsoever that you’re contemplating rising up against her, Kit, what she did to me is the least of our worries. I have no doubt in my mind the next time it will be far worse. And if we’re not ready, if our allies and confidants aren’t informed, we will all fall, no matter how just or true our cause is, and no matter how many of the citizens would prefer you to her.”

Kit wanted to argue, but she was afraid he was right. She slumped back on the pillow, staring at the ceiling for a moment, trying to come up with a response that let her slap her mother across the face and still pretend she wasn’t considering usurping her power and taking the throne. There didn’t seem to be a way.

“There are others who will also be angry. I’ve asked Cassius and Jate to speak to them, to let them know they cannot be hasty either. Those who are in power who would reveal their allegiance to you too quickly, and throw our plans out the window.”

Kit turned her head to look at him now, not sure exactly who he was speaking of, though she imagined her grandmother, Junno, and some of the other council members must be part of them. Other than the queen, they were the only ones with true power. “What of the provinces?”

“We are organizing there, but it is difficult to get word to them. The army is already highly visible in areas where Rona suspects there may be trouble, and while many of the soldiers and even some of the officers are loyal to you, that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be problematic for them if we are discovered.”

She mulled that over in her mind. It hadn’t occurred to her that members of the military might be on her side, but then, if they knew Eli and respected him, it was quite possible they could be faithful to her cause. Not to mention many of them were also likely underpaid and desperate to help their families.

“I’ve been thinking,” Kit began, rolling on her side again to face him, “I wish there was a way to use the strengths of the provinces to help one another, like I always assumed was the case.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean... the farmers in some provinces have overworked the land, so it’s no good for crops anymore, which has left them behind in their taxes and short on food for their families, whereas the land in other provinces has been used primarily for livestock for so long it’s lush and fertile. I wish there was a way we could organize some sort of trade—that the farmers could work the land in the provinces with livestock, and the ranchers could move their herds to the places that need a rest from crops and fertilized.”

Eli stared at her for a few moments before nodding. “I think that’s a fantastic idea, Princess. Surely, it could be arranged. It would take some work, but once the people understood the reasoning, I’m sure they’d be on board.”

“I think having the Representatives from those areas act as spokespersons would be helpful. I’ve considered the same for other situations. The mines in Rockdale are nearly empty of the gems and other precious stones that have been harvested there for centuries. But there could be metals there. Why not switch with the miners who are used to working with those sorts of minerals? There might be precious gems elsewhere, possibly in Iceforge, beneath the snow. If we could get the miners from Rockdale there, to see what the possibilities are, they would be much better equipped to make the most of anything hidden by the ice.”

Again, Eli seemed impressed with her suggestion. “Kit, these are all wonderful ideas. They’re definitely promising, and I think the citizens would rally behind the possibilities. I’m not sure we can do any of those things while your mother is still on the throne.”

“No, I doubt we can. But what I don’t quite understand is, where are all of our resources going now? As much as the provinces pay in taxes, the castle should be lined with solid gold by now. I don’t know what she’s doing with all of it since she’s clearly not giving it back to the people in the form of public works.”

Eli shook his head slightly. “I don’t know either, but I have a few suspicions. I do think she keeps some of it here, that there’s a vault somewhere within the castle where Rona hordes some of the finer jewels and other items she wants to keep. But... perhaps the reason Wrenbrook isn’t cast in solid gold is because she isn’t keeping it.”

“She certainly isn’t building new roads or giving it back to the people in pay.”

“No, I think she might be buying off our enemies.”

“What?” Hearing Eli say that was almost enough to make Kit sit up straight in bed, but she was too caught up in his eyes to completely pull away. “Why would she need to do that? We have one of the strongest armies, and all of our bordering realms are allies.”

“Are they?” he asked. “Remember, not too long ago, one of your great-grandmothers expanded Yewforia’s borders considerably. All that land was taken from those neighbors, and while we have had peace for a while, that doesn’t mean the kings of those realms wouldn’t like to take their previous holdings back.”

Kit knew exactly what he was talking back. She had learned about The War for Peace when she was younger, about how her triumphant four times great-grandmother had sent her armies out into the surrounding realms to lay claim to bordering areas and take them for Yewforia. Kit was taught this was done to establish a secure perimeter, but most of the provinces that were claimed were actually rich in natural resource, like Ironton and Iceforge where much of the timber for Yewforia came from, as well as oil for lamps, coal, and of course, ice. If there really were other natural resources there of great value, as Kit suspected, it would make perfect sense that the Realm of Stratusburg would want their lands back. Astradale, on the other side of the kingdom from Ironton and to the east of Iceforge, was one of the only provinces where the farmland was still rich and the crops never failed from one year to the next. All of those provinces, and several more, hadn’t always been a part of Yewforia. Could it be that the other realms wanted to reclaim them, and Rona was trying to prevent that by paying off the rulers?

“The army isn’t quite as strong as you may think.” Eli’s voice was still a whisper, but he sounded invigorated now. “As you already know, pay isn’t what it should be. Sometimes soldiers go for months without getting the meager amount they’ve been promised. It’s difficult to take orders from a crown that cares very little about whether your children are fed or there’s a roof over their heads.”

It certainly didn’t surprise Kit to hear that the soldiers weren’t receiving enough pay. She’d seen that in the home of her own guard’s family, Tem, who was killed a month earlier in an incident Kit was almost certain would trace back to one of her mother’s ridiculous schemes. Kit had been requesting higher pay for her own guards ever since, and her mother had pacified her, promising to take it up with the council. Kit didn’t think that had happened yet.