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“And an emperor needs a coronation, right?” Naia suggested. She hated that idea, but had to find a way to convince him.
King Harold chuckled. “You flatter me, but as I said, these are dark and urgent times. We have no time to plan a gathering, and having all the kings in one place would be too dangerous.”
Naia pretended to be disappointed. “Oh. Your majesty really thinks Ironhold can’t protect us?”
It was a matter of pride now. He had to accept the idea. Even Naia was not sure why she was suggesting this. Perhaps it was a way to gain time, a way to postpone whatever Ironhold wanted to do, maybe even a way to get into that dreadful iron castle.
The Ironhold King glared at the mirror. “The Iron Citadel is the safest place not only in Aluria, but in the world. Still, I wouldn’t want to leave the kingdoms unprotected at a time like this.”
So no gathering then. Great. Now Naia had to find another way to postpone whatever they were going to do.
“I believe the princess is right,” The Wolfmark King said. “We need to sign a treaty about something as serious as that, and come up with strategies to avoid impostors. And we’ll be only sending our kings, not our armies. The kingdoms will still be protected.”
“I wouldn’t mind leaving Greenstone for a short while,” the other king said. “I agree that this matter must be thoroughly discussed and signed.”
Were they also trying to postpone Ironhold’s decision? Did they even believe in those fae attacks? Naia wasn’t sure, but she was grateful.
King Harold sighed. “I’ll consult the other kings. If they agree, and if there’s a gathering, I’ll want it in three days, but there won’t be time for balls, and no place for families.”
“That’s reasonable”, the Greenstone king said, while the other nodded.
King Harold took a deep breath. “Now that it’s been decided, I’d like to inform you of the immediate measures—”
“But we can wait,” Naia interrupted him. “Aren’t we going to decide it all in the gathering?”
“A few days won’t kill us,” the Greenstone King added.
“It very well could,” King Harold snapped. “Flavio was killed in one night.”
The Greenstone King exhaled, seeming annoyed. “Very well. What do you suggest as provisional measures?”
“I’m sending my forces to all the kingdoms in Aluria.”
No. No. This was exactly what Naia wanted to avoid. “We appreciate the support.” She smiled. “But after what happened here, we want safeguards so we know we are dealing with friendly forces. We don’t believe the fae will attack soon, so Umbraar could wait three days.”
King Harold frowned. “Perhaps you arecollaboratingwith the fae?” Finally he was getting where he had probably wanted to take this conversation all along.
“We were attacked,” Naia said. “Each kingdom could send one emissary here to see. We’ll show you. I don’t expect anyone to take me at my word.”
It would be very interesting if representatives from other kingdoms came and saw those bodies. At the same time, they would think Umbraar soldiers were savages, mercilessly killing them all.
“But you won?” Wolfmark asked.
“Yes, we defeated them,” Naia said.
“Seems to me that with the exception of Frostlake, everything is under control,” the Wolfmark king said. “At least for three days. We’ll all remain alert, and then decide it all during the emergency gathering.”
“So be it,” King Harold said. “We’ll communicate again confirming the date and providing you with further instructions.”
The mirror turned blue all of a sudden.
So rude. He didn’t even ask if Umbraar needed anything, and didn’t even inform her that he was severing the connection.
Naia had three days to find a way to prevent Umbraar from falling under Ironhold’s clutches. What could be done in so little time?
She wondered if her father would be furious with her. He wouldn’t have agreed with something like that. But then, it was obvious that King Harold wanted an excuse to further isolate Umbraar, maybe even to accuse them of working with the fae, maybe to invade them with the help of more kingdoms. By appearing willing to bend to Ironhold, Naia prevented its king from making any of those absurd claims. It was a win, not a great one, but the best she could do for now.
Something that nagged her was the other kingdoms’ willingness to have a gathering, as if they also wanted to better discuss it or maybe even postpone theIronhold Empire. And they didn’t seem excited about that prospect.
