Page 27 of Oath of Rebellion

Gastone tilted his head. "And the agreement to turn Auckwald back over to them? You said the borders would go back to what they were before the war. I specifically told you we would not give up even a foot of the land we've conquered."

Eirwyn bit her lip. "Yes but be reasonable. Think about—"

"Be reasonable?" he said softly. Too soft. The hair on the back of her neck stood up. "I don't think you understand politics at all. Perhaps we should have more lessons."

She shook her head, her eyes wide. "No, no more lessons. I—"

A knock at the door interrupted, and Gastone said, "Enter."

The Chancellor walked in, his dark blue robes of his office stiff from a fresh pressing. His black pants, white shirt, and blue jacket were muted and in direct contrast to Gastone's brighter, vivid clothing. Perhaps it was the lack of gold thread.

His beady gaze swung to Eirwyn, and his eyes narrowed as a tight lipped smile spread across his bony face. "Ah, welcome back, princess. I'm glad you're here. A runner has just arrived from Auckwald."

Gastone sat straighter, his gaze sharp. "What's the news?"

The Chancellor's smile widened as he shut the door behind him and brought an envelope to her brother. "Auckwald has been reclaimed."

"What?" Eirwyn gasped, her hands going to her lips. She'd just been there for the negotiations. The Buspartans had invaded and quickly overtaken Auckwald a decade ago, but the defending army had set up camp a few miles away on the bank of a river. The lines of war had changed little in the years since.

"Our darling princess here boosted morale while she was there. But as soon as she left, our forces grew despondent, even worse than before. And her formal dinners with the king and queen of Glathen bolstered their resolve to end to the war."

Gastone read the letter, his eyes moving swiftly back and forth as smoke shot out of his nose and grew in intensity. Eirwyn's stomach twisted, and when the letter burst into flames, her heart raced.

He stood up so fast his chair tipped over as he roared. "See what I mean? You can't do anything right. I sent you there to keep you out of trouble and to calm down the nobles who felt slighted. And now you've gone and ruined everything. No matter what you do, it always turns out wrong. This is why you can't be trusted with political matters."

He lifted a flaming hand and a burst of fire flew at her head. She ducked, nearly touching her knees where she sat as the flame hit the back of the chair behind her. It caught on fire, and she jumped up, dancing a few steps away and holding her hands up.

"I didn't mean to. It was an accident. I'm so sorry—"

"You're sorry?" Gastone shouted, throwing another fireball. Eirwyn dodged, and it slammed into the paneling behind her. The Chancellor grinned and crossed his arms as he watched.

"It's time to grow up, Eirwyn. You're not a child who can just say sorry and think that magically fixes things."

Eirwyn swirled the wind to put out the fire behind her, but her air magic only made it grow brighter. She shifted a few more feet away and turned back to the greater threat.

"I know, I know. But—"

"No buts, Eirwyn. You're lucky we have the ball tonight, otherwise you'd be confined to your room. What am I supposed to do now?"

Another burst of fire crashed into the glass window. She covered her head as shards of glass went flying.

Chancellor Howe finally stepped forward. "Just bring our troops home. Announce to the kingdom you recalled them to celebrate your nuptials. Spin it so it's not a defeat but a deliberate move."

Eirwyn stepped away from the window and burning wall, walking a wide arch around the edge of the room as far away from Gastone as possible.

"That's a great idea. Bella has always wanted her father to walk her down the aisle. This will give you a chance to find him among all the troops being recalled."

The Chancellor said, "We've had our best people looking for him but I wasn't able to find him during our time in Auckwald. Perhaps he's deserted."

"Don't tell Bella that," Eirwyn said as she backed up. "She'll be heartbroken. She might even call off the wedding."

Gastone tipped his head back and roared, white hot steam escaping his mouth. Eirwyn threw open the door and raced into the hall, not stopping as he began to cuss and yell for her to get back in there.

****

Eirwyn knocked on Bella's door and waited for her friend to answer, her heart still racing from running up the stairs.

"Enter," Bella said.

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