“Had you, you might have uncoveredwhy. Unless you’ve found something hidden in his private library?”
I bit my tongue, forcing myself not to laugh at Ronan’s discomfort. The ex-queensguard always did the questioning. Ronan was practiced in the game of court politics, but I’d spent enough time with him the last few months to note the subtle changes in his composure. And though his face remained calm and in control, his pupils had dilated, and he’d gone still.
“We’re in the process of examining?—”
“Don’t bother,” Pavel cut in, “the creation of the castle, the elimination of the lost arts in the Kingdom of Sultira was all to protect this land.”
“We know,” Ronan cut in, his voice harsher than usual as his temper began to slip.
Pavel narrowed his eyes, but his lips tilted upward. “Good,” Pavel murmured, his head bowing slightly. “The Embodied are coming. The city needs to prepare.”
Ronan’s throat bobbed before he said, “We will prepare, but we need to control the narrative here. There is enoughrestlessness in the city after the death of the king. We don’t need people thinking the gods are coming to destroy us.”
“That isexactlywhat they are doing,” Pavel snapped, leaning forward. “And if Mount Telum has been activated, they might already be here.”
Ronan stilled, and Pavel arched a bristly gray brow at him.
“Theyarealready here…” the lord mused, his hand swiping over his beard in a swift movement. “What else do you know, Merik?”
Ronan’s lips pursed, his eyes cutting to mine, before he divulged all that we’d learned from Vander’s update. Pavel sat back against his seat with a groan after Ronan had finished.
“Lyvia must return. Shemust.” Lines formed above the lord’s brows as they tilted up. His eyes turned glassy as he ran a hand over his beard. The concern on the old soldier’s face mirrored that in my heart.She must…
“The spells built into activating the Larimer stone on this castle were tied to the Vael Lacrima—the gate of the world,” Lord Pavel continued. “If these walls are glowing red, it means the gate is wide open. The Realm of Vael is unguarded and valuable. It is a world full of natural magic, and it is ripe for the taking. More will come.”
My stomach somersaulted, and I looked to Ronan.
“And while this nullifier will stop the force of magic the Embodied bring,” Pavel continued, “it will do nothing against the creatures that slip through along the way.”
Ronan’s throat bobbed.
“How do you know all this?” Ronan asked, his head cocking to the side.
“I’ve been lord of the Khasimir fleet for longer than you’ve been alive. I’ve allied with the right people.”
Ronan shook his head. “This is more than making the right connections. Saros’s inner circle was small, and you weren’t in Aedrialis enough to be part of that. Who told you this?”
Pavel leaned back, surveying Ronan in appreciation. “Helmar.”
The hairs on my arm rose. Lyvia had told me about the high priest and his capture of her and Drystan.
Ronan’s brows raised. “High Priest Helmar died in Stynguard when Nivis attacked the first time.”
Pavel shook his head. His eyes dipped to his hands. “Came close. I don’t know how, but Saros brought him back. My men intercepted his carriage before he made it back safely to Aedrialis.”
My brows narrowed on the lord as a muscle in his jaw feathered. What had Lord Pavel been doing with High Priest Helmar? And how had he gotten this information out of him?
“Where is he now?” Ronan asked.
Pavel’s jaw twitched. “Helmar is a slippery fellow. And a powerful one. We lost him.”
“Then we need to prepare,” Ronan finally said, his voice hardening as the commander took the place of the high steward. He shifted in his seat and pulled out a map of Sultira. As he did so, he paused. His eyes slid to the hall door, and he cocked his head.
“You need?—”
Ronan’s hand flew up in silent commend. His eyes were still pinned on the door, and Pavel’s mouth snapped shut. His gaze followed Ronan’s, and a moment of silence passed before Ronan shook his head, his curls bouncing.
“Continue, Lord Pavel,” he murmured.
