Brannal had long-ago perfected the art of looking impassive in the face of almost anything. Perian looked as uneasy as Cormal felt. Yannoma, who had agreed to represent the carnalions, looked… wary.
The receiving room they were ushered into was much more formal than the Queen’s study, so it was perhaps a bit of a power move. On the other hand, they all fit here easily—and she hadn’t chosen the throne room.
When they entered—Kinan and Cormal at the front, thanks to the Prince’s status—it was to see that the Queen was already seated on her throne (less ostentatious than the one in the throne room but still, unmistakably, a throne), and there were Mage Warriors in attendance. The throne was several steps up a dais to ensure that she was still taller than they were even when they were standing and she was seated.
“Mother,” Kinan said immediately, “are you sure you want anyone else here for this discussion?”
Cormal had to admire how he just leaped right in there. Everyone else was mid-bow to the Queen, though Cormal noted that the depth of Brannal’s bow was the bare minimum to signal politeness.
Apparently, he was still pretty annoyed.
Cormal really hoped this wasn’t going to end in a blood bath.
“Kinan,” the Queen said, her tone mild enough, “not all these people are known to me.”
“And should it come down to it,” Kinan responded, “theseMage Warriors will protect you.”
He gestured at Cormal and Brannal.
She raised an eyebrow. “Will they?”
Calmly, Brannal said, “Your Majesty, I have pledged to protect my companions. None of us here wish for a pitchedbattle. I will not allow any harm to come to them if it is in my power to prevent it. Equally, as long as they are not under threat, I would not allow them to harm anyone else in this room. You have my word.”
The Queen and Brannal stared one another down for a long moment, with the attending Mage Warriors in the room trying not to stare wide-eyed. They weren’t particularly close with Brannal and his friends, which Cormal assumed was deliberate, but Brannal had still been their Summus for more than six years.
Kinan interjected. “It seemed simpler for you to speak to all of us at once since much of what I have to say needs to be corroborated by others, but I can speak to you privately first if you prefer.”
The Queen’s eyes cut to him, and then she said, “That will not be necessary. I prefer to listen to what you have to say once only.” She turned her attention to the Mage Warriors. “You may guard the door and ensure we are not disturbed.
They bowed and went to do as their Queen directed. They didn’t make eye contact on the way out, and Cormal couldn’t really blame them. No Mage Warrior of any sense wanted to go up against Brannal.
The doors closed with a sound that Cormal told himself wasnotominous, and then they were alone with the Queen.
Or, to give her her due, she was alone with all of them. This couldn’t possibly be a comfortable situation for her, but she didn’t look even slightly uneasy. Irreverently, he wondered if she and Brannal had practiced those expressions in the mirror when they were younger.
Cormal had been too busy losing his temper, apparently, and had missed out.
Kinan advanced further into the room, and the rest of them followed.
Her expression softened a little as she looked at her son. “Why don’t you make introductions.”
Kinan introduced not just Yannoma, but also Perian as Brannal’s partner—and he just went straight for it, though they already knew that she knew, and called Cormalhispartner.
“And what mess have you gotten yourself into?”
Shoulders remarkably square and back straight, Kinan said, “Mother, it wasn’t me who got into a mess. We’ve been in a mess for centuries, and this is our chance to rectify that.”
Rather than speaking about how he could be healed, which Cormal had been sure he would start with, Kinan launched into a recitation of what Yannoma had told them about the Great Cataclysm—or the Great Betrayal.
The Queen received this information stoically. When Kinan had finished his passionate recitation, she stared at him for a moment.
“And how do we know that is not simply another story?”
Yannoma’s voice was cold. “I am not a liar, Your Majesty.”
“But history can be inaccurately reported, is that not what you’re trying to tell me?” the Queen said. “Who is to say such tales are not an exaggeration?”
Yannoma’s face was set in hard lines, though she looked no less beautiful. It still made Cormal want to shy away a little.
