Lingering Glance (Patreon)

"He was sent here as a punishment?" you ask, voice laced with surprise. "Isn't Tarragona one of the most prosperous harbors on this side of the Peninsula?"

"You've hit it right on the nose," Mist says. "Its port is its greatest asset. But, around fifteen years ago, when Rowan — no longer a bare-faced youth at that point — arrived in Tarragona, it was barely a shaky dock. King Jaime sent him here as a punishment; to get Rowan as far away from the prince-in-training as he could, but he didn't anticipate the growth the city would undergo."

Mist pauses, seeming to rearrange his thoughts. "All thanks to the last Stone ruler, Lady Jade. She was the one with the vision and the drive to make it true. She made Tarragona's name be written on the maps and considered in court, and Rowan clung to her as effectively as he did to Martí."

*"He got close to her, too?" Hadrian asks.

"He made himself indispensable. And don't get me wrong, *mercenaries, he was. Rowan Theer pulled all the strings his name allowed and helped Jade with the fervor of a loyal servant." Mist smiles once more. "Resources came from his estate and all the others held by his sister and cousins. Men, gold, materials. The Theers flocked to this city — his wife and young son, his cousin, and the twin children of his sister's failed marriage. Alain and Ysabella."

*You exchange looks with Hadrian. So, that's how the twins came into the city.

"Rowan invested heavily in this city," Mist continues. "And was thus rewarded accordingly. His house wrapped itself around the Stones, with key members living in the ruler's castle. They had entire wings to themselves. They held ties with the city guard, and the merchant’s guild, and, once more, Rowan was able to infiltrate the royal court in Saragoça — but, oddly, he chose not to go himself. Instead, he sent his wife."

Mist's brows furrow. "What she's doing there, I have no idea. But here, the Theers became embedded with the Stones. Jade's biggest mistake."

1) "He's a parasite," you spit. 

2) You give a dry chuckle. "The man knows how to play the game," you say. "I have to give him that."

3) "And where was the Church in all of this?" you ask.

4) "Did Alain and Ysabella stay at the castle?" You steer the conversation to the twins. "Or were they not important enough?"

5) You take it all in silence. You can tell Mist isn't done talking.