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“No,” Conreth said. “I will speak with him at a later date. But you and I have much to discuss.”
In other words, he wanted to talk to me before Lorian knew he was here. Interesting, and not entirely unexpected. I gestured awkwardly at my sweat-soaked tunic, and Conreth’s pale brow winged up. “Believe it or not, but I do train with my people. Your appearance doesn’t offend me.”
My lips twitched, and he seemed to realize how that had sounded, because his eyes thawed. “Forgive me. We traveled quickly. If you’ve finished training, would you meet with me now?”
Oh yeah, he definitely wanted to figure out who and what I was without his brother around. Lorian was going to lose his mind when he found out the fae king was here. I’d bet that was exactly why Conreth had appeared at this exact time—when Lorian was nowhere to be seen.
But Conreth needed to learn that I wasn’t his subject. “Please allow me to freshen up, and I will be right with you. It won’t take long.”
Conreth nodded. “I’ll have one of my guards escort you to my tent.”
“Of course,” I said. While I’d usually climb over the arena railing, I strolled toward the gate instead. Telean met me, wrapping me in her arms. I breathed her in.
“I missed you.”
“I missed you too. Now let’s get you cleaned up.” Knowing my aunt, she also wanted to make sure I was as prepared as possible before my little chat with Conreth.
I glanced back, searching for Demos. He was currently speaking to the fae king, his voice low. He glanced back at me and nodded. He’d keep him occupied and learn whatever he could. Although I had no doubt Conreth was a cagey bastard, given what I’d seen from him so far.
Telean and I walked toward my tent. “Can I take Demos into the meeting with me?” I murmured.
She shook her head. “Demos is acting in the role of the hybrid general. You can only bring him if Conreth’s general will also be in attendance.”
I hated these rules. My stomach fluttered, and Telean took my arm. “We don’t have much time,” she said. “Tell me what you remember from our lessons about Conreth.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Quietly.”
I took a deep breath, reaching for everything she’d somehow managed to stuff into my head. “He rules with Emara, his queen. He’s over one hundred years old and the eldest son of the last fae king and queen, Alaricel and Celandine. While he is exceptionally powerful, he has an affinity for ice magic. On the battlefield, before he became king, he was known for freezing his enemies and shattering them into millions of pieces.” My stomach roiled uneasily at that visual, and I stepped into my tent.
Telean cast her gaze around the small tent as I threw open the trunk of clothes, searching for a clean dress. “Good. And who is in his inner circle?”
My aunt hadn’t been idle while working as the queen’s seamstress. No, she’d kept up-to-date with as much information as she could.
I threw the dress onto my cot and stripped. I couldn’t do anything about my hair, but I could at least wash with the basin next to my cot.
“The two advisers he trusts the most are named Horastir, and Meldoric. Horastir grew up with the king, while Meldoric gained his trust later in life.”
“And his military?”
I dried myself and forced my mind into submission. “The vanguard is trained in combat, including elemental magic, archery, and swordplay. They’re the first line of defense if the borders fail. The enchanters specialize in protective magic, wards, illusions. The rangers patrol the fae lands, gather intelligence, and slip into Gromalia and Eprotha when necessary. Each division reports directly to the high general Hevdrin—Conreth’s highest-ranking military officer. Hevdrin reports directly to Conreth.”
“Very good.”
I pulled on the dress, and Telean sighed. I winced as I took in the wrinkled, slightly threadbare fabric. I’d worn leggings and tunics since I’d arrived and hadn’t exactly expected to be meeting with the fae king. I had no doubt Telean had plans to fix my wardrobe, though.
“Well,” she said after a long moment. “There’s nothing much you can do about it now.”
“Prisca?” a voice called, and Erea poked her head into my tent. It had taken a while for her to stop calling me Setella. “I heard you might need someone to do your hair.” She took in my sweaty braid and winced.
“We don’t have time.”
“We do,” Telean said firmly.
Erea carried a large satchel, and she gestured for me to sit on the cot, reaching in and finding some kind of powder. Unwinding my braid, she shook the powder onto my hair, combed it through, and murmured a word I didn’t recognize.
My scalp tingled, and I jolted.
“That’s better,” she said, and I could hear the smile in her voice. “I’ll just put it up. It won’t take long.”
Telean handed me a mirror when she was done, and my mouth dropped open. My hair was clean. It evensmelledclean. Erea pulled it into a simple bun, leaving a few strands free.
