The Bridge Kingdom (The Bridge Kingdom, #1)

Silas orders his soldiers to murder all servants, musicians, and attendants within the compound. Erik, the sisters’ former Master of Arms and Lara’s father figure, dies by suicide. Serin, or “Magpie,” is the Maridrinian master of secrets. He laments the loss of Marylyn and does not approve of Lara. Lara pretends to be confident and convinces Serin and Silas that she is cunning and ruthless enough to become the future Queen of Ithicana and topple its king, Aren, from power.

The compound is set aflame, and Lara watches, knowing that her sisters will soon recover from the poison she put in their soup. Now that Silas believes them dead, they will be free. As Lara, Silas, and Serin’s caravan journeys through the Red Desert, Serin instructs Lara to be the perfect Maridrinian lady and spy. During their sessions, Silas questions her motivations and declares her the black widow that King Aren, her soon-to-be husband, will never expect. Lara will be required to provide Silas with a way to overcome the Bridge Kingdom; she will use an invisible ink to send secret messages when Aren sends official missives to her father. Silas reminds Lara that the fate of their impoverished, starving kingdom depends on vanquishing the Bridge Kingdom that has oppressed them for so long. When entering Vencia, Maridrina’s capital, Lara witnesses the devastating poverty of her nation for the first time. Her father gifts her with twin ceremonial daggers, and they arrive at the docks, where a ship will carry them to Southwatch in the Bridge Kingdom.

Lara struggles with seasickness on the boat. Countless ships meet them, and Silas reminds Lara that he does not trust her because she killed all her sisters. Silas agrees that if she succeeds in her mission, she will win her freedom. They arrive in Ithicana and are met by Ithicanians wearing steel masks. One man in a lion mask steps forward, and Lara assumes that he is Aren, the king of Ithicana. Silas hands Lara over, and she and Aren go through their wedding ceremony. Silas is sent back with his retinue, and when they are alone, Aren drugs Lara to knock her unconscious.

Ahnna, Aren’s twin sister, reports that Lara is healthy and does not carry a plague to kill them all. Aren believes that Lara might be an innocent girl who has been forced into this marriage, but his spies have little information on her. Aren and Ahnna discuss Lara’s beauty and acknowledge the fact that Ahnna must commit to a political marriage with the heir of the kingdom of Harrendell. They discuss the possibility of keeping Lara at Midwatch, where she will remain ignorant of Ithicana’s greatest secret, Eranahl. As he returns home, Aren believes that Lara is not the kind of queen that Ithicana needs.

When Lara awakens, she finds Ahnna trying on her dresses. Ahnna informs Lara that they are on Midwatch Island. After she leaves, Lara finds a hot spring adjoining her room and overhears Aren and Ahnna speaking of her. Aren also expresses his reluctance to abide by the treaty’s stipulations, which enrages Lara. When Aren enters her rooms, he and Lara bicker. Aren questions Lara’s fighting abilities, but Lara plays her part, feigning incompetence and trying to entice him before sending him away.

Lara goes to the dining area and meets Ahnna and Aren’s pet, Vitex. Lara probes Ahnna for information about Ithicana. She learns that the house is Aren’s private residence and that women and men in Ithicana are valued equally in battle and in command. Lara gives Aren a perfunctory overview of her childhood in the compound. Ahnna is amused by how Lara’s refusal to be intimidated by Aren. During the encounter, Lara secretly drops a sedative into the wine. As they drink, Aren gives Lara permission to write to her father but warns her that all of her messages will be inspected for secret codes. He leaves.

Before long, the sedative takes effect, and Ahnna falls asleep at the table. Lara and a young servant, Eli, drag her to bed, where Eli checks the bed for snakes. When Eli leaves, Lara searches through Ahnna’s room for clues. She then removes her clothing to trick her guards into thinking that she is using the hot springs and moves to search Aren’s room while he sleeps. She finds a mention of “Eranahl,” but Aren wakes before she can search further. Thinking himself in a dream, Aren tries to have sex with Lara, but she slips him more sedative and inadvertently drugs herself as well. She only just manages to return to her room before falling asleep on the floor.

Aren meets with Ahnna in the morning, and both are puzzled by how much they slept. Jor, the captain of Aren’s guard, joins them. Then, they move to the barracks, where Aren must meet with Aster, an older Watch Commander. With the shifting weather, the sharks have returned early to the nearby waters, signaling trouble. When Aster arrives, he counsels Aren to kill Lara and reminds him of the bloody war that Maridrinians and Ithicanians waged. Aren tells Aster that to survive, live, and flourish, Ithicana needs true alliances.

Lara goes to the dining hall to find Aren and Ahnna gone. She explores the house and leaves to walk in the forest nearby, fully aware that she is being followed. When she slips and falls into a body of water, a large snake tries to attack her, but Aren expertly shoots it with an arrow. When he asks if she was trying to escape, she claims that she was trying to see the bridge. Aren brings her to a peak, and when the mist clears, she sees the bridge.

Aren reveals that the bridge means everything to his people and states that his people mean everything to him. Suddenly, a blaring horn notifies Aren that Amaridian raiders are attacking. He tells Lara to stay put and dashes off. She watches the conflict from a spyglass, taking note of Ithicana’s defense and retaliation methods. Needing a better vantage point, she follows Aren to a beach and intentionally shows herself to the soldiers there. Aren berates her for following him, and they argue over his choice to destroy the raiders’ ships and allow the raiders to be eaten by sharks. As a show of mercy, Aren kills the raiders with his bow and orders his soldiers to kill those hanging from the rocks. This incident gives Lara a clue as to how Ithicana and the bridge might be infiltrated.

Aren examines the raiders and realizes that they are all former convicts. Lara has written a letter to Silas, so Aren gives it to Jor to be reviewed for secret codes. Jor teases Aren about his strained marriage. He and Jor mull over Lara’s actions, and Aren is still unsure whether she is a spy. He decides to observe her before deciding and promises to win her over if she should prove to be trustworthy. Lara ignores him for weeks over his decision to kill the raiders.