Ruvon scowls, setting his mug down rather forcefully. “And he waswrong. I drafted the report myself! My team determined the fountains could run once amonthwithout depleting the spring, and the starlight only fades with time and distance—” He cuts himself off with a bitter laugh before Teophine has to. “All of us on Gaelle’s council were concerned. Gaelle tried to resume her full duties, but the strain only weakened her more. When it was clear she didn’t have much longer, the other councilors and I planned to invoke the Consort Regency, which would limit Enver’s powers to those of a councilor until Verette was old enough to rule. And then Leona’s snake of a brother…”
“Leona Persevault, former Councilor of the West and Master of Seas,” Teophine fills in. “You know her as Solena Vald, Master Fitzherbert.”
Ruvon huffs, “Andmy enchanting wife! Her brother wanted her job for himself. He betrayed us to Enver, and…well, Enver decided to kill two birds with one stone. He granted a council audience to a political organization known for amore radical agenda, such as ending Astera’s isolation entirely, expanding the number of elected councilors…and letting the fountains run once a month.”
“The People’s Dagger,” Cressien guesses.
Sulian leans in, nodding. “Torch—none of us knows her real name—was our leader, and I was a lieutenant. I was ordered to stay behind in case things went sideways, to take care of our people. She went to the meeting with a third of our members, including Marietta Fitz and Andreas Herbert.” His voice turns hoarse. “Torch and Marietta were the only survivors from our ranks.”
Eugene’s gut clenches. It’s one thing to know his mother had to have survived. It’s another to hear how she lost everything.
Verette is staring hard into her tea, silent.
“Enver claimed he was purging the palace of traitors,” Sulian continues. “Torch swears his attack was all planned. That she got him in the belly. He must have had spring water ready to heal himself.”
“Your mother, young Fitzherbert, saved our lives.” All of Ruvon’s bluster has fallen away as he holds Eugene’s gaze with his own. “Mine and Leona’s. Leona was just supposed to take her abroad and get her set up in a new life, but your mother passed a few months after giving birth to you, and Leona wanted to be certain you were cared for.”
“The rest you know,” Verette finally says. “Mostly. My father lied about a poison in the spring, blamed the People’s Dagger, granted himself emergency powers, appointed a new councilwith no power to override him, and keeps delaying the transfer of power to me.” She grips her tea mug. “The surviving councilors and members of the Dagger formed this alliance. We’re now the People’s Council. We’ve built a coalition of supporters at every level of Asteran society who believe it’s time for Father to end his reign, and are ready to side with me if—if Father defers again.”
“How did you recruitHughes?” Eugene asks incredulously. “Most of you I get, but that’s Enver’s right-hand man.”
Teophine sighs. “Hughes has served the king nearly thirty years. The massacre was horrifying enough for him to turn informant for us almost immediately, and then…he fell for his contact in our ranks. Marietta’s brother Eugene—your namesake, I believe.”
“I have an uncle?” Eugene feels sucker punched.
Another blow lands: “I’m sorry,” Ruvon says, “but he passed. He and Hughes were engaged to be married, but tragically, Eugene Fitz was caught trying to infiltrate the Starlight Spring and executed.”
Eugene Fitz. The name sounds too familiar. Cut short.
How bitterly apt.
“Hughes himself brought me into the People’s Council a month later.” Verette drains the last of her tea and rises. “So that’s where things stand. I’m sorry you’ve all been dragged into this mess, and we’ll do our best to get you out safely. We just weren’t sure if we could trust you, since it was Father’s choice to break isolation and bring you here.”
Teophine says, “I’m sure you have some questions, Your Highness.”
Rapunzel looks to Eugene, but he’s still processing, staring at the table planks. She gets to her feet. “You can call me Rapunzel. And the most important question I have is, how do I help?”
The words fall into a room abruptly stifled by the mere idea.
“Help,” repeats Ruvon, as if decoding an ancient rune.
“We don’t know why Enver invited me either, but I’m here now,” Rapunzel elaborates. “So what can I do?”
Verette shifts uncomfortably. “Nothing? At least, not right now. If none of us know what Father wants with you, we could be playing into his hands.Or, as I’ve told the People’s Council”—iron reinforces words that sound like they hearken to a well-trodden debate—“Father may have invited you because he actually means to transition power at my coming of age ceremony this time, and he wants to leave me with new allies. If that’s it, all we have to do is wait.”
“And be ready if he doesn’t,” chimes in a new voice, gravelly and hard. A rangy woman in her late forties lopes into the room and hangs up yet another nondescript gray cloak. (Eugene’s starting to wonder how many of these they have on hand.) A long pink scar runs down the left side of her light brown face, and more dance over her bare forearms. Her white hair is cropped just as short as Eugene’s.
“Yes, Torch, I know,” Verette says a bit testily. “I just want to give him one more chance.”
“You really made it into the Starlight Spring last night?” Sulian is staring at the drawing of the tree. “No one’s ever been able to get close.”
Eugene gives him a dubious look. “No one in Astera knows how to pick a lock?”
“They always get caught, Yappy,” Torch says harshly. “No operative has ever come back from that job. We stopped sending them.”
“Roots line the whole passage to the spring.” Rapunzel picks up her sketchbook again. “When I sang the queen’s lullaby, the roots lit up, and they might for Verette too. We saw them at Third Street Hospital.” She thinks a moment. “Enver probably hears anyone trying to get to the spring through the roots. But maybe sinceIwas using the roots to light the way, I was controlling the ones around us, and theycouldn’talert him.”
“We saw Councilor Persevault using the passage too,” Eugene points out. “He led us right to the missing fleet Solena—sorry, Leona?—was talking about yesterday, before you so rudely chased me and Minister Cressien out of your hideout. Turns out there’s a big old sea cave under the palace with something like a dozen boats inside, and I bet Enver’s not paying attention to foot traffic as long as they stay away from the path to the spring.”
