Page 65 of The Exile's Curse

As everyone was leaving the dining room, she worked her way to Lucien’s side. "I thought you wanted me to avoid House Elannon?"

"I want you to avoid random encounters with them. This isn't a random encounter. You'll be with me."

Was he being protective of her or using her as bait? There wasn't time to ask any more questions. Lieutenant Plesse and one of the ensigns joined them, cutting off any chance of further discussion. Theo walked with her behind Lucien. If he was surprised at her inclusion, he was too professional to show it and just gave her a quick summary of the discussions the day before. He didn't mention that her name had come up, leaving her unsure if he was being discreet or whether Lucien had already told him she knew.

Based on Theo's briefing, she’d expected the meeting to be crowded. Instead, only Mikvel, Andrej Elannon, who wasn’t much older than the king, and Niel Elannon, Andrej's Wardmeister, waited for them.

"My lord Truth Seeker," Andrej said as Lucien pulled out his chair. "Is there no way to make this process faster? I am willing to submit myself to your magic, if that would help."

Lucien took a moment to reply. "Thank you, my lord. But proving your own intent doesn’t clear your house. It is, of course, a welcome step."

Andrej looked at the king. "Your Majesty, I would like to do this regardless. I don’t want you to doubt me."

Mikvel nodded. "Lord Castaigne, would you indulge us in this? We appreciate that you still need to continue your investigation as agreed, but this would put our mind at ease."

Lucien stilled. For a moment, Chloe thought he would refuse. But then he nodded. "Very well, Your Majesty." He turned to face Andrej, took a breath. His magic swelled around her, the song of it near deafening. Yet still, somehow, calling her in.

Goddess. She’d forgotten what it was like to see him use his true power. It was awe inspiring and somewhat frightening, elevating her pulse even though she wasn’t his target. He’d used it on her once to question her about Charl. She hoped he never had reason to turn it on her again. Everyone in the room was watching him as though an ice-wolf had suddenly appeared in their midst.

"My lord Elannon," he said, his voice rumbling with a power that felt impossible to resist. "Are you loyal to His Imperial Majesty Aristides Delmar de Lucien and your king, Mikvel Surayov?"

Andrej swallowed, as though his mouth was dry. But he met Lucien’s gaze. "Yes. I am."

"Thank you, my lord," Lucien said. His magic disappeared, the absence of it like the silence after a thunderclap.

"Well?" the king asked.

"He is telling the truth, Your Majesty." Lucien smiled. "Which means we should proceed."

The rest of the meeting moved quickly. Andrej and Niel helped Lucien compile a list of their family members, and Mikvel added other suggestions which Chloe and Theo dutifully noted down. Less than an hour had passed before the list was complete and King Mikvel concluded the meeting.

"What happens if you don't allow House Elannon to return?" she asked Lucien as they walked back across the palace.

"Hopefully, sanity prevails and they continue their work to deal with whatever lingering problems they have in their house, as they have for the last thirteen years, and wait another three years to try again."

"And if sanity doesn't prevail?"

"Then the king may have a fight on his hands if the other Ashmeisters or the church presses the point. That's harder to judge. I need to spend some time with the patrarch and the sejerin council to understand whether they are genuine in their religious objections or if it’s all just politics. If they were truly devoted to balance, they would have elevated another house when Elannon was barred from the council."

She didn’t envy him that task. She couldn’t see Silya agreeing to him using his powers on her. "Is that a possibility?"

Lucien shrugged. "The patrarch at the time argued against it. Establishing a new house is a process of some length and expense, not to mention endless rituals. But my understanding is that it has happened a few times in their history. Not all their kings have been as lenient at the end of a rebellion as Aristides was."

"Why was he?" Aristides hadn’t spared Charl. And the Ashmeister Elannon had come close to killing the empress and their unborn child. Charl had been discovered before he’d put anyone in danger. So why spare House Elannon?

Lucien half shrugged. "It wasn't the king who led the Elannon plot. He was trying not to punish the whole country for the crimes of a few. He has an empire to hold together, unlike a king who only has to manage one country. It’s understandable."

"Did you agree with him?"

"It wasn't my place to agree or not," Lucien said. "It is my place to find the truth. But yes, I believe mercy is best, when it can be used. The Ashmeister was executed, as were his conspirators, but the damage after that was contained as much as possible."

She wondered if that was true. Supposedly she’d been spared any direct consequence from Charl’s' crimes, but they had still thrown her life into chaos. How might a whole noble house react to their world being upended? And what might they do to regain that life?

Theo and the ensign had peeled off toward another meeting, leaving the two of them alone as they walked. "Why did you ask for me today?"

"I wanted to see if you recognized anybody in the meeting."

Neither Andrej nor Niel had been the man who'd spoken to her. Not unless they were master illusioners. They were both too tall—though a strong illusion might mask that. But nothing about them had reminded her of the man she’d spoken to. "No. I didn't."

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