“Thank you, Cormal.”
Cormal nodded his head, still not quite sure what to make of this man, and watched as he rose to his feet and left the room, as silent as a shadow.
He hadn’t called him Summus, Cormal realized. He’d called him by his name, just as he always did, and it hadn’t sounded likeasshole. He sat back down behind his desk. He really hadn’t meant to upset him—but then, sometimes actions didn’t have the intended effects, did they? Cormal was committed to searching until they came up with a solution… and he’d never admit he was afraid there was no solution to be found.
They weren’t through all the books by any means, either here or at the Great Library. Everyone was looking. Kinan was the heir to the throne, and everyone wanted him to be well.
Cormal hadn’t liked the way the other man had seemed so discouraged. The Queen had spoken of all the accelerated learning and education that he and the Princess would need to have. Was that not progressing? Was there an impediment that Cormal wasn’t aware of? He’d check with the Queen tomorrow.
His discussion with Queen Talira was immensely frustrating.
Cormal frowned at her. “What do you mean, you think it better to proceed with caution?”
“The situation needs to be resolved,” the Queen declared. “Kinan is plenty busy right now catching up on six years of missed education.”
Her children had inherited their gray eyes from her, and she usually wore her hair up in braids even more elaborate than Princess Larenia’s. A little gray was just starting to appear in thedark locks, her square gender beads bright gold with intricate designs painted on them. She tended always to look regal and in control. Tramad had been the Summus for most of her reign, inherited from her parents, and Cormal was pretty sure she’d learned a number of lessons from the man much better than Cormal had.
“We’re doing everything we can to resolve it,” Cormal assured her. “But there’s no guarantee of our success. The Mages and Mage Warriors are reviewing every text we own.”
“With a marked lack of success, it would seem,” the Queen observed.
“We have a great many texts. And more still that were lost in the Great Cataclysm.”
An eyebrow rose. “It would seem that a carnalion has more power than all my Mage Warriors.”
Cormal offered her a bow and quietly lied, “We will increase our efforts, Your Majesty.”
There were no more efforts to make. They couldn’t forgo sleep to read, as they would simply make mistakes. They couldn’t stop patrolling and protecting the castle and the country; that was the backbone of their job. The Prince was in trouble, but he wasn’tin danger.
Not that long ago (or perhaps even now, had he been in a slightly different mood), the Queen’s comment would have sent Cormal into a rage. As he left the Queen’s study, he couldn’t help but reflect on the likelihood that had been a deliberate goad. To what purpose? Did the Queen not feel that he was dedicated enough? Did she truly not realize that he was doing everything in his power to find a solution for the Prince?
They had got him back, after almost seven years of thinking he was dead. Prince Kinan could communicate with everyone now, and they could communicate with him. Yes, having a tangible body would clearly bebetter, but while Cormal wantedthat for the Prince, he didn’t think it was a necessity for the throne.
Wouldn’t it make more sense to begin the intensive training now, as they continued to search for a solution?
Cormal was fairly certain the Queen was not content with half measures, but ignoring all they’d accomplished seemed short-sighted. He smiled bitterly to himself. But it wasn’t like either of them had acknowledged how amazing it was, had they? That had been linked towhohad made it happen, and Cormal and the Queen had done everything in their power to suppress that.
Perhaps the Prince had more of a point than Cormal wanted to acknowledge. Perhaps he had more blind spots than he thought.
He went to the doctor. Elorinn was slim and not terribly tall, but she had a lot of presence. Her dark hair was liberally sprinkled with gray, she was usually doing something with a salve or tonic, and she’d always struck him as someone who didn’t suffer any nonsense.
“Is there anything else you can suggest for the Prince?” he asked. “We’re reviewing all our texts, and I know you’ve been reviewing those that you own as well. But I wanted to ask if you had come across anything or had any suggestions for me.”
She considered him for a long moment. She’d arrived shortly after the attack that had precipitated all these events, after the Queen had dismissed the last doctor following the wraith attack and the death a scarce month later of her husband. Elorinn had come highly recommended, and while she hadn’t been able to make the Princess well, she had kept her alive.
Knowing what they did now, it was impossible to say if any of the things she’d done had actually helped, but they at least hadn’t seemed to hurt. The Princess had lived long enough for Perian to be able to separate the Prince and give him enoughenergy to survive on his own, leaving Princess Larenia’s energy to finally support only her.
Cormal had never had much contact with Elorinn, and she was staring at him with a rather stern expression on her face.
“I don’t think there’s anything that I can tell you, Summus.”
Ah, there was thatassholeagain.
Cormal frowned at her. “I notice you didn’t say you don’t know anything. You understand this is for the Prince’s well-being, don’t you?”
“I turn that question right back at you, Summus,” she said coolly. “Has everything you’ve done been for the well-being of the Prince?”
“Always,” he answered immediately.
