That comment made FelandTibby give her baleful looks.
“Princesses aren’t supposed to notice such things,” Tibby said.
“What about engineers?”
“He destroyed one of my tractors.”
“So… you’re not going to admire his physique?”
“Absolutely not.”
Fel sighed, glared over at them, checked the hallway to make sure no enemies were creeping up, then started stretching his hamstrings.
With the door closed, a moon-mark required to open it, Syla didn’t expect anyone to intrude. That was, after all, why she was down here, holding a scroll for her aunt, instead of up in the castle.
The chaos when they’d sailed into the harbor had beenexhausting to look at before they’d even stepped on land. From what she’d eventually gathered, after managing to find troops available to carry the shielder to shore and up to the castle, everyone had assumed Syla was as dead as the rest of her family. It hadn’t occurred to her to send a message back to the military leaders or anyone else at any point after she’d been plucked out of her bedroom by Wreylith. Admittedly, she’d been busy, but it might have been wise. There had been, in her absence, a quick funeral, which had included her as well as her mother and siblings.
In the following days, numerous known and long-lost relatives had been putting themselves forward as candidates to become the heir to the kingdom. A few merchants had suggested replacing the monarchy with an oligarchy, assigning themselves prominent positions. The military had attempted to instate martial law and had forbidden people from leaving their homes. Promptly disobeying, families fearing for their lives had fled into the hills. For good or ill, frequent attacks from dragons, wyverns, cloud strikers, and even a gargoyle that had flown up from the south, had kept anyone from making serious headway into creating a new regime.
Syla did think that Colonel Mosworth had shown some relief when she’d appeared. A few of her mother’s bureaucrats who’d been struggling to hold the castle together had as well. Their expressions had suggested less that they loved and cared about Syla and more that they were eager for someone to foist the mess on.
Now that the barrier was back up, Syla would have to figure out how to take and hold power, at least until all the shielders were restored and the kingdom was safe from stormers and non-human enemies. After that… let someone else more capable rule if they wanted. It was not something she’d ever craved, and the memory of Sergeant Tunnok’s ambition made her weary.
“I don’t know if this is going to be possible.” Tibby had been looking back and forth from the innards of the original shielder to the scroll, and it had been some time since she’d touched anything with her tool. “Not unless the gods themselves return to help.”
“It’s possible to repair it.” Syla nodded at her. “I’m sure of it. And you’re the perfect person to make it happen. Feel free to recruit others to help you. I’ll pay them from the coffers.”
“Have you figured out where the coffers are yet?”
“Somewhere… safe. And cofferly.”
“We’re in trouble,” Tibby told Fel.
He turned from the wall and surprised Syla by shaking his head. “No. She’ll find a way.”
“To fix the shielder?” Tibby asked. “Or find the coffers and keep the kingdom from falling apart?”
“All of that, I think. She befriended adragon.”
“Befriend is an even stronger word thanlikeand probably does not apply to my tempestuous relationship with Wreylith,” Syla said, “who we may never see again.”
“You’ll find a way.” Fel pointed at the hallway. “But you’d best not disappear for too long. You need to be seen by the people and start solidifying relationships with your allies. More allies than your bodyguard and your aunt.”
Syla didn’t disagree, but unless one counted her colleagues that had survived the destruction of Moon Watch Temple, she didn’thaveany other allies. She wished she could claim Vorik and Wreylith, but one was an enemy who’d tried to use her and the other a mercurial wild dragon. It would be safer if neither showed up in her life again.
“Any suggestions on how to do that?” Syla sighed, set the scroll aside, and joined Fel, trusting that her aunt could study the schematics without her.
“One.” Fel eyed her as she used her moon-mark to open thehidden door. “Many,manysoldiers are in the castle infirmary as well as the temples around the capital that weren’t destroyed.”
Syla winced. That was something else she needed to do, recruit and appoint people to help the overwhelmed healers of the city. Right now, there weren’t enough people caring for the wounded.
“I’ll make time to visit as many of them as I can.” Syla wondered if Fel had comrades among the badly injured.
“Especially the officers.” He gave her a significant look as they walked into the tunnel and toward the intersection that would lead them up into the castle.
Maybe it was a testament to her weariness that she didn’t catch his meaning. “Everyone, I should think.”
“Especiallythe officers. Use your magic, and bind them to you. Whether they want it or not.”
