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“In a way, I’m glad they did that,” I replied. “I don’t want to start a civil war.”
“We are in a civil war, son,” Lord Tynan replied. “We shed blood already. Once our armies clash, more blood will flow.”
“Our armies won’t clash if I can help it,” I replied.
“The wedding is tomorrow,” Lord Trechting said. “And once he marries your sister, we will be considered traitors.”
I looked up to meet his gaze. The last time we had interacted, I was quite rude to the man, but he did not seem to hold it against me.
“She won’t marry him,” I replied. “She does not want to. She was the one who sent me to save the prisoners so that Lugh would not be able to threaten us using them.”
To my surprise, Lord Trechting nodded. “I know. She tried to tell me, but Lugh shut her down.”
“Why didn’t she escape after you freed us, then?” Lord Petret asked.
“She might not know,” I replied. “But once she does, she will tell everyone that she’s being kept prisoner despite her wish. She will reveal to everyone that Lugh tried to force her into this marriage. And then, Lugh will only have his most loyal supporters.”
“We can take care of them,” Lord Trechting said. “There aren’t that many of those.”
I nodded.
“You’re forgetting something, son,” Lord Tynan said. “Lady Queill... From what I hear, she’s been hiding her skills. If she has Fiona’s mind under her control, Fiona might as well order our deaths after decreeing us the real traitors.”
I looked up from the map.
My eyes darted off Lord Tynan and Lord Trechting to hover toward where the others stood. Lord Bracks and Lady Macill were listening intently. Lord Valiar had stopped pacing and was now listening intently to what I was about to say.
Behind them, Lady Yolanda and Lord Rerra sat on comfortable-looking chairs, eating grapes and barely paying attention to the conversation.
Most of the other nobles had sent their advisors in their stead; men and women who took notes to get back to them after the meeting was done. They had stayed behind to gather their soldiers. Those had already pledged their loyalty to our side, but others were still holding reservations.
I had to decide now. Everyone in this room was loyal to the cause. Lady Macill had insisted already that I take all her soldiers, including the best of the units that she had usually reserved to protect her castle and the lands surrounding it. She was grateful for having her daughter back. Lady Yolanda, although she did not seem to pay any attention to the conversation whatsoever, had also pledged her loyalty after reuniting with her elderly father. Lord Rerra and Lord Bracks had similarly offered their support for the cause.
There was no reason to mistrust them. If this was going to work, I needed to trust them.
“Lady Orla is alive,” I told them. “She’s hiding in the castle, in disguise. She will protect Fiona’s mind when the time comes.”
“That’s good,” Lord Petret replied. “Lady Orla is one of the best mind magickers in the realms.”
Lord Tynan’s gaze wandered across the others as though he too worried if it was safe to talk about this secret in front of them. Then, he shrugged. After all, I had already made that decision and there was no going back now.
“It’s also good that Lugh and Queill don’t know that Orla is alive,” Lord Tynan said after he was done considering. “They won’t try to come up with another way to make sure Fiona remains submissive. They will rely on Lady Queill’s ability to control her.”
“But how will we reach queen Fiona to tell her it’s time to refuse the marriage?” Lord Trechting asked.
Fiona being referred to as the queen was a new thing. It reminded me that my father was dead. I tried not to focus on it too much. It wasn’t the proper time for grief.
“We need to get into the castle,” I replied. “You all received invitations for the wedding, did you not?”
Invitations like that would not be addressed to specific individuals. They were sent to the families as a whole, which meant even the prisoners were technically invited.
“We did,” Lord Petret said. “But it’s not like we can just go ahead and attend the wedding. We were his prisoners, what would keep him from claiming we are traitors?”
“He won’t do that,” I said. “There is a reason he imprisoned you in secret. If he reveals it now, everyone will know what he did to you. He wouldn’t want that.”
“He won’t care about that when it comes to you, son,” Lord Tynan said. “He will capture you on sight.”
“That’s why I’ll keep myself hidden until it’s time for Fiona to tell everyone what that bastard did to my father and all of you. I will demand the truth and she will give it. Lugh won’t stand a chance after that. Most of his supporters will turn against him.”
