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“This time,” one of Ulrich’s men muttered. “Who’s to say they won’t fight against us next time?”
“They are living on the king’s land,” another man said, “paying no taxes, no dues. They must be hunted down.”
“No!” Cora shouted, but her voice was drowned out by sounds of agreement.
“Especially if they taught the princess magic,” Danforth said.
One of Kevan’s men looked at Cora sidelong. “They may have planted her here to claim the dead princess’ identity.”
She rose to her feet, her palms slamming against the edge of the table. “My identity has already been determined.”
Kevan narrowed his eyes. “Perhaps my brother made a mistake. A mistake he still has time to remedy.”
Rage coursed through her, burning through her mental shields. Strains of emotion slammed against her—suspicion, repulsion, amusement, fear. The energies threatened to overwhelm her, to pull her down and override her self-control, but her anger somehow steadied her. That and the feel of the table’s hard edge beneath her curling palms.
She honed her attention on Kevan, the instigator of this sudden chaos, and felt a violent pull toward him. Every inch of her body felt the ease with which she could take a single step—not the twenty or so paces she’d have to travel by foot, but a singular move through time and space—to reach the man and strangle the stubbornness from his bearded neck. Her palms tingled, as if she could already feel his flesh—
“Enough!”
Dimetreus’ voice bellowed through the room, leaving tense silence in its wake. He stood at the opposite end of the table, hands planted on the table much like her own. His chest heaved as he glared from one man to the next. When he spoke, his voice came out with a deadly chill. “What kind of circus has King Verdian appointed to my council table?”
The men had the good sense to keep quiet.
“My sister’s identity is not up for debate. Fail to respect that and I’ll dismiss you from this council at once. Should King Verdian have a godsdamned thing to say about that, he can take it up with me, asIam his equal. I am King of Khero. This is my kingdom, my home, and my council. Don’t you dare forget it.”
Cora’s rage began to melt away, leaving her trembling as she attempted to steady her breathing. Slowly, she lowered herself back into her chair. Thoughts of Kevan’s neck beneath her hands filled her memory. For a moment there…she’d felt like she was about to use her mysterious ability again. Or had that simply been a violent fantasy? Whatever the case, it left her head spinning. Closing her eyes, she touched upon the elements and let her shields wrap around her.
When she opened her eyes, her brother spoke again. “We can try to pretend magic doesn’t exist, and I agree that for the public, it is safer if we do. But not here. Not behind these closed doors where such matters are tantamount to this kingdom’s safety. Six years ago, I ignored the possibility of magic, and I ended up ensnared in its web. Duke Morkai was a sorcerer, and my ignorance allowed me to be controlled by him, my mind invaded, my memories altered. I will not let that happen again. Not to me. Not to anyone else.”
Dimetreus returned to his seat. “Now, we are not here to talk about the people who gave sanctuary to my sister. Yes, they used magic. Yes, they fought on our side. We will do our due diligence to ensure they pose no threat to this kingdom, but we want them as allies, not enemies. So we will not be hunting them down or rounding them up. Once this council has proven itself capable of good sense, then perhaps we’ll send an envoy to open peaceful talks between us and them.”
Cora’s chest warmed. Despite his shortcomings, both recently and in the past, she was growing more and more impressed by him.
Kevan opened his mouth, but Dimetreus continued before he could utter a word. “We will return to the topic Her Highness has brought forth. While she has been considerate of your sensitivities to the subject of magic, I will not be. The North Tower Library is filled with dark magic, poison, and enchanted objects. If Princess Aveline has a way to neutralize the threat, we must hear her out. Sister, please continue.”
Twelve sets of eyes turned toward Cora. She didn’t need to lower her shields to feel the tension in the room or know that the councilmen gave her their attention begrudgingly. It didn’t matter, so long as it allowed her to do what needed to be done.
“My brother is correct,” she said, doing her best to keep her voice calm. Even. “The library is filled with dark magic. It doesn’t matter if you believe that to be true or not. Should you care only for science, then let me tell you that there are violent compounds in that room, ones too dangerous to discard in a lake or pour onto the earth. Additionally, there are secret traps laced with poisons. Ones too small to see with the naked eye but deadly enough to kill. For example, following Lady Lurel’s unfortunate accident, I investigated the room and found a book affixed with a needle hidden in its clasp. The needle had been laced with poison, pricking anyone who opened it and resulting in a quick death.”
She met Kevan’s gaze to see if he understood that she was describing how Lurel had died. The only sign he gave was a slight widening of his eyes. Of course, she still hadn’t told the full truth. She’d left out the part about the blood weaving and replaced it with poison, as that was something Kevan and the other councilmen could accept.
Lord Danforth’s throat bobbed. “How are you able to detect traps and poisons?”
She took a deep breath.A little bit of truth. A little bit of lie. Focus on the things they can easily understand.
“The Faeryn descendants I lived with for the last six years taught me many things. Healing practices. Herbal remedies. Living so deep in the woods required many precautions. I was taught to smell for poisonous herbs and flowers. How to detect hidden traps laid by hunters. I know the signs. I know the scents. Most importantly, I know how to safely discard these things. I know how to navigate a trap without setting it off. I know which compounds can be burned, which can be diluted in water, and which must never be opened under any circumstances. The duke’s poisons bear labels only I can decipher with my knowledge of plant species.”
“It’s too dangerous,” Kevan said, speaking slowly as if any inflection might spark Dimetreus’ wrath again. “You’re the king’s heir. Or you will be once we’ve formalized the peace treaty.” He rushed to say the last part.
Cora blanched. His words reminded her of the marriage alliance she’d agreed to, one that would secure her position as Dimetreus’ heir in the eyes of his council. Now that Larylis had married Mareleau, would she be paired with…no, she couldn’t let herself think of that. Matrimony was the least of her worries.
“I appreciate your concern over my safety,” she said, trying not to sound too mocking, “but this is something Imustdo. Even if we keep the stairwell guarded, the day will come when one of the sentries makes a mistake. Someone will grow too daring. Or a guard will leave his post and let a curious servant slip past. Keeping the room locked and shrouded in mystery will only draw more attention to it. We cannot risk anotheraccidenthappening again. The sooner you agree to support my work, the sooner we’ll truly be free of the last vestiges of Morkai’s influence.”
The councilmen exchanged glances while Cora looked to her brother again. His face had grown wan, which told her his composure was beginning to dissolve.
“If we support this plan,” Ulrich said, “I must insist that the room remains guarded at all times for your safety.”
She pursed her lips to keep from smirking; she knew he cared less about her safety and more about having her under surveillance. It didn’t matter. They could watch all they liked. She’d be using quiet magic. No one would be able to claim she was up to anything sinister.
