Page 86 of The Nymph King

Indignant questions erupted. One advisor slammed a fist on the table. “Your Majesty, if this concerns the succession⁠—”

“It concerns information you do not yet need,” Esa interrupted smoothly. “And I will not broadcast magical vulnerabilities to an entire council simply to satisfy your curiosity.”

The objection died on the man’s tongue.

Imani studied her friend. Esa had never invoked her title that way before, but Imani understood the silent plea meant she needed to listen.

“Everyone out,” Imani ordered.

A stunned pause followed. “Your Majesty⁠—”

“You heard the First Witch.” Imani rested both hands on the table. “Leave us.”

Chairs scraped in reluctant obedience. A few muttered under their breath as they filed out, but none dared challenge her. Within moments, only Imani, Esa, and Ellisar remained. Imani waited until the heavy doors clicked shut behind the final councilman. “Now, tell me why you just emptied my council chamber.”

“Because we cannot proceed until we address your sister.” Esa crossed her arms. “You can prepare for war all you like, but if the throne isn’t secure, none of these strategies will matter.”

“I’m aware,” Imani replied. “But we aren’t delaying our defenses for it.”

“Meira is alive. With her still breathing, there isn’t just one queen.” Esa looked between Imani and Ellisar. “There are two, and the bond between you two doesn’t seem merely symbolic. To me, it looks like an active current of shared magic. The throne is divided. Ignoring that complication only gives it time to mutate into a crisis.”

Ellisar’s gaze snapped to Imani. “You knew this?”

“I found out yesterday that the crown had duplicated between my sister and me, but I don’t know what it means.”

“We still don’t entirely know,” Esa said. “But we know enough that we cannot build a war strategy without accounting for it. The old theory states that the king and queen of each realm are ultimately paired through a heartmate bond. The crown, succession, and mate are meant to reinforce the monarchy.”

Ellisar rubbed his chin. “And now there are two queens.”

“Yes, two women carrying authentic monarch magic,” Esa corrected. “If the old theory holds any truth, two queens raise an obvious, terrifying question about the other half of the pairing.”

Imani forgot to breathe.

“If there are two Essenheim queens, there could be two Niflheim kings,” Ellisar murmured.

“Possibly.” Esa rolled her wand again. “Kiran had brothers. He slaughtered most of them to take Niflheim, but royal blood doesn’t vanish just because one brother wears a crown. If another survived, there could be a second legitimate contender.”

“That is a great many ifs,” Imani noted.

“Exactly,” Esa said. “This is a theory built from anomalies, not proof. But there are enough of them now that we would be fools not to investigate.”

Imani leaned back in her chair. She had no intention of treating a legend as fact, but if someone existed with a genuine claim against Kiran’s throne, she wanted to find him before Kiran did. A rival king could be a weapon against Niflheim.

“Since you and Kiran are fated, Meira’s heartmate could be the other king,” Esa continued.

Imani tapped her fingers against the table. If Kiran’s position wasn’t secure, some of his increasingly aggressive attempts to consolidate power made more sense.

Ellisar shifted in his seat, his expression guarded. “The council hears nothing of this development.”

“Agreed,” Imani said instantly.

“Good,” Esa replied. “Because that isn’t all. You’re both acting as if this begins and ends with Kiran. It doesn’t. The Source is in flux.”

Imani reeled back. “Esa. We discussed waiting.”

“I know.” Esa held up a hand. “But the Source is the living heart of all magic across every realm. If that core is unstable, it affects boundaries, states, and transitions. The slips between realms are symptoms. A misaligned Source could cause fractured bonds and unstable crowns. They may be the exact same problem.”

Hearing the theory spoken aloud deepened the icy unease pooling in Imani’s gut, knowing the very Fabric connecting the realms was unraveling.