Page 58 of Their War

“What! That’s amazing!” I exclaimed, my face bursting into a smile for him before it dawned on me what he was saying. “Wait. You mean…” I trailed off, unable to finish that sentence. If I allowed myself to hope for it and then I was wrong, I knew I’d be devastated. Maybe he had another son, an uncle that I hadn’t heard about yet. I needed to manage my expectations before they crushed me.

Taking one of my hands in his gnarled ones, he simply nodded at me. “Yes, you rescued your own father.”

All I could do was stare at him, his words not quite penetrating the shock that had overtaken me. “Are you sure?” I whispered, my eyes starting to water.

“I’m positive,” he said gently. My knees chose that moment to buckle, but two strong arms wrapped around me, depositing me in the chair I had refused just a few minutes ago. Okay, maybe they had been right.

“I need to see him,” I said, moving to push up and rush to wherever they were keeping him.

Another heavy hand landed on my shoulder, holding me in place. “Wait. He’s still unconscious, and we don’t know what kind of mental state he will be in when he wakes.”

“Okay. Well, shouldn’t he be awake by now? Why hasn’t he woken up?” My eyes darted from one guy’s to the next.

“It could be many things, child. The trauma he’s been through could have caused his body to shut his brain down while it repaired itself. Most likely it’s because he knows that he’s safe for the first time in decades. I’m sure he’s only caught brief flashes of sleep while imprisoned, too on guard to fully rest, and now his body is making up for lost time,” Jude explained to me, his eyes watering at the thought of what his son had endured. What my father had endured.

“Holy shit,” I whispered as it all started to fully sink in. “He’s really here?” I asked, not expecting an answer, my question rhetorical. Everyone remained silent while I worked through this new information.

“No wonder he never came back for us,” I whispered. He hadn’t been able to. He’d been in those dungeons for decades, enduring Avalonia knew what at the hands of that sadistic bitch.

“Oh, that cunt is going to pay,” I swore out loud to everyone, my anger rising to replace my sorrow and shock.

Just then, the crystal sprang to life in front of us, an image of the Queen coming into view. Her voice rang out through the room as we watched avidly. “It seems that the traitors, Rhowyn Hunt and her men, have broken into our dungeons and released dangerous criminals and traitors to the Crown. Among them was Master Jude. It appears that the two have been conspiring and twisting the trials to ensure that she wins, hoping to gain the Crown by any means necessary, even at the expense of the people of Avalon.

“I will not stop hunting for the traitors that have assisted her and her men. I will ensure the safety of Avalon’s people once again and make sure that no one else can manipulate the trials in their favor. A reward is being offered for anyone who has information on Rhowyn and her co-conspirators. Please reach out to the Royal Guard, and the information will make its way to me.

“In the meantime, we will be holding the ceremony to pass on the Crown to the rightful ruler as selected by Avalonia herself. Despite their best efforts, Master Jude and Rhowyn Hunt were unable to eliminate Genevieve. She is still recovering, but in five days, we will hold the ceremony and welcome in the new Queen, Genevieve, who will see us all into prosperity. The healers have assured me that she will be fully recovered from the attacks against her by that time. This proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that she is the strong ruler we all will need moving forward. With your help, we can ensure the safety and prosperity of our land once more, and we look forward to seeing everyone at the ceremony to celebrate our new Queen.”

With that announcement, the room darkened again, silence ringing out around us as we stared at the spot that had just held the Queen’s projected image.

Chapter Thirty Four: Rhowyn

All thoughts of my father were pushed aside as I worried about what to do with this new development. It seemed the hits just kept coming. “So, what are we gonna do about this new information?” I asked the guys who’d remained silent up until now.

“Jude, is there any way for Genevieve to actually be crowned?” Arryn asked my grandfather, leaning on his knowledge of magic.

“It shouldn’t be possible since the Queen’s powers are granted by Avalonia. However, I can’t say what the Queen knows about magic. She has access to texts that I’ve never been privy to. One of them very well may contain a way to force a connection to the land.”

“I guess that means we need to form that connection first, right?” I asked, my mind racing through the possibilities. “If I am connected, then theoretically that means Genevieve, and thereby Titania, won’t be able to succeed. It’ll keep them from gaining any more ground.”

“That would be the most ideal scenario. I’ve never heard of more than two connections at one time. Once the connection is formed, it drains the magic from the predecessor until the new Queen holds all the power. This usually happens over several years, with the old Queen holding most of the power in the beginning,” Jude explained, answering so many of the questions I had about the actual transfer of power but hadn’t had the time to ask.

“Okay. Then we’ll form this connection,” I said, slapping my legs with my hands, pushing up to a standing position from my chair, my mind settled on the next step. When no one rose to action with my pronouncement, I turned back.

Jude held out his hands to halt my progress, an amused smile on his face. “It’s not that simple.”

Sinking back down into my chair, I sighed heavily. “Of course it’s not. Why would anything in my life ever be simple?” I could see the apology in his eyes, making me feel like a spoiled brat. So, this is what I had to look forward to with my family. Despite my annoyance, I loved every minute of it.

“Why can’t you just do the ceremony here?” Baer asked before I could. I smiled at him, getting a look of devotion in return.

“The ceremony takes place over several days with only a small part made public for the citizens. We’ll first need access to the waters of Avalonia, the pool I drank from while speaking to her. It’s how we commune with her and know what the trials will entail. It purifies the body and allows the connection.”

“Great. That reservoir is deep within the heart of Cashel Rí,” Lennox grumped. “There’s no way we’re getting in there again. It’s too risky.”

“I may know of an alternative.” Brannoc spoke up for the first time, his eyes meeting everyone’s but mine. I frowned at his obvious avoidance of me.

“Go on,” Callum growled, impatient as ever.

“My people have guarded it and all knowledge of it for centuries. I’ve never been there, but I have heard about it,” Brannoc said, imparting the importance of keeping this secret. He was taking a risk and trusting us with this information, which had the power to ruin his relationship with the others of his kind.

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