Renato needed no reminder from Tristana. He was no fool; how could he possibly believe the Nightwind Matron's attempts to sow discord?
Aknath was a genuine Legendary Warrior with extraordinary combat prowess. He was also the eldest daughter Brichidi's biological father, and a crucial guarantor of the Nightwind Family's current standing.
In Sammoril, a city where the strong preyed on the weak, every noble knew exactly what a Legendary Warrior's strength meant. If Quelyn wanted her family to continue to flourish, she could not openly break with the Weapon Master.
In fact, the Nightwind Matron's willingness to go to such lengths to trick Rodi into coming out and getting herself killed might well have had something to do with an agreement she had made with Aknath years ago.
Quelyn needed a "legitimate" reason to dispose of this "mentally warped" daughter without driving the Weapon Master to break with her completely.
Through this scheme, Rodi's death would become something she had brought upon herself. Fleeing the family, forsaking the Goddess, attempting to leave Sammoril without permission... any one of those was a capital offense.
Quelyn's actions would thus be elevated to an act undertaken "so the family could continue to survive in Lolth-worshipping Sammoril."
Once that process was complete, killing her own kin would become an honor killing, in accordance with doctrine and religious law. Even the Weapon Master would likely have little grounds to object.
Renato suspected that the Nightwind Matron's recent actions, even the "favor" she had shown him, were merely political signals aimed at Aknath. Quelyn did not truly think highly of him. She was simply using Renato, her "new favorite," to make the other man feel threatened.
After all, Nightwind's Weapon Master held immense power and prestige, particularly within the army. He had also openly defied the