Bria glanced at him and his arm went around her waist.
Lord Oaken met his gaze. “For what comes.”
Kaelan’s expression darkened. “War.”
“Aye,” Marek said. “The signs have been building for months now.”
“Drogath,” Rowan said.
“And unrest within Driochmor itself,” Tavian added.
“The people sent into Scotara carried more than bloodlines,” Wynn said. “They carried hope that when the time came, those touched by magic would stand beside Scotara rather than apart from it.”
Kaelan remained silent. But his thoughts churned. If what they said was true, then Bria’s parents had not hidden her. They had placed her exactly where the council wanted her. And if the king ever learned that families throughout Scotara had secretly preserved the old bloodlines…
His jaw tightened. The king would hunt them and how many innocent people would die because of it? The question lingered unspoken.
Yet Lord Oaken seemed to hear it all the same. “The king need never learn the whole truth.”
Kaelan’s gaze sharpened. “You would keep the news from the king that Tharne of Drogath seeks the remarkable healer as well.”
The room went still and even Fiora stopped moving.
Marek’s expression darkened. “Are you certain?”
“Aye.”
Lord Oaken exchanged a troubled look with Wynn and Tavian. “Neither of you felt an intrusion?”
Both shook their heads.
“A man called Dreth works with Ogga to find the healer and told her that Tharne put a spell on him, so he need not worry while in Driochmor,” Kealan said.
Bria frowned. “Who exactly is this healer?”
The council fell silent until at last Lord Oaken sighed. “A question that has plagued Driochmor for many years.”
“No one knows what is truth and what is tale anymore,” Wynn said.
“We know she exists,” Rowan added.
“Or existed,” Seren corrected.
“We know her mother hid her well,” Lord Oaken said. “So, well that even Driochmor lost sight of them.”
“And that frightened many of us,” Wynn admitted.
Bria looked from one face to another. “Why?”
“Because hidden power is often dangerous power,” Marek said.
A thoughtful silence followed and Bria wished she knew what everyone was thinking.
Then Lord Oaken rose. “Enough.”
Several heads turned his way.
The elder smiled. “For one evening at least, let us set aside talk of war, kings, and danger.”
