Page 29 of Iris of the Crowned Flame

It was my turn to breathe deeply as I take in the gravity of the situation. “There’s one more piece of information to share. Father had instructed Ethan and I to not share it with the Council, because he has suspicions.”

Ethan stood and moved to the window to join me, knowing what was coming would bring up difficult emotions. My hands shook, almost imperceptibly, thinking about Mother. When he reached me, he touched my shoulder, providing a reassuring pat as I tried to compose myself.

I exhaled a deep breath before continuing. “The physician pointed out that Mother had a strange mark on her collarbone at the time of her death. He calls it a char mark. It looked suspiciously like Frederick’s. I’m worried that the two might be connected, and learning about magic being… real, I guess, makes that seem more likely.”

I turned around, nervous to see how the others react. So much fear and uncertainty showed on my friends’ faces. Juniper hid the fears I’m sure she had, and after a beat, she nodded her head once resolutely.

“When the Priestesses get here, we can have them consult with the physician if they agree that it’s related.” Juniper stated quietly.

I nodded, “What about Father? You said he wouldn’t listen before. Do you think he will now?”

Juniper paused for a moment to consider. “I think the best chance we have of getting him to listen would be if you talk to him about it. Your experiences here may be what he needs to change his mind.”

Ethan and I exchanged a look.

“What if he doesn’t? What if he tries to ignore this?” He asked me.

I sharply inhaled. “We can’t follow suit. So, I suppose we would need to face this without his support.”

“Without the King’s support? Is that even possible?” Amyra asked. I didn’t know the answer to the question, and it seemed no one else really does either.

Before we get lost down that train of thought, Juniper added. “I know you’ll make the right choice.”

“I think we make it so he can’t ignore it.” Ethan offered. “I think he’s worked with the Council for decades, and likely can add context that we need.”

I nodded. After waiting to see if anyone else wanted to weigh in, I turned back to Juniper. “Would you come with me to help me tell him about this magic? I don’t know that I could explain it properly.”

She nodded. “Of course. I’m here to support you as the future queen of this country.”

“OK, I already have an appointment with him in the morning. Could you come then?”

Spencer’s jaw dropped. “You need to schedule an appointment to talk to your dad?”

“Not for family stuff, but we agreed to keep official business during appointment hours unless there’s an emergency, just to be sure that we are respecting the difference between family and business.” I assured him.

“On a related note, since we are all here, there doesn’t have to be a meeting in my quarters this evening, but you’re all welcome to come by anyway, Juniper included. It’ll just be for this family, for fun.”

I smiled as the rest start talking, trying to convince Juniper to join us. Once she relented, we ended the meeting. We werecautious about leaving, with Ethan and Spencer leaving together, and then Amyra, Ivy, and I left several minutes later. It might be paranoid, but this ensured that no one saw Spencer with me and reported back to Frederick, Egan, or the Denenbaums.

CHAPTER 19

The next morning, Juniper and I met at her office. She gathered a book and a few other items for my meeting with Father and we walked over. Despite the time we spent together last night in a social setting, we were tense this morning. I supposed that any time you walked in to meet with the King to tell him that there was potentially a disruptive plot occurring within your castle walls using fairytale ideas to undermine us, tension would exist.

We reached his office, and I knock. He called out to allow us permission to enter. Juniper followed behind me, and Father’s eyebrows rose in shock at her sight. I started before he could express his surprise. “Hi Father, I know we had plans for this meeting, but I’m afraid we have to shift focus. Lady Mallard and I have something more pressing to discuss.”

Father’s face showed concern as he invited us in to sit at his conference table. He shuffled in a corner alcove before turning and offered his Vondalon rum to us, which I smiled and accepted. He only pulled this rum out for special guests, and I appreciated the sentiment he shared by doing so. Once we have our glasses, he sat.

“Please, let’s get started. What’s going on?”

I opened by sharing what had been happening with the princes. Father’s eyes widened as anger spread across his facewhen I described the evening with Egan’s lightning strike. He stood up, slamming his glass so hard on the table that I was shocked it didn’t shatter. I placed a hand on his arm and asked him to hold off until Juniper explained what we thought was happening.

She then covered magic and the history, reaching the point where she explained that Egan’s power was not what the Oracles of the Gelid were familiar with. She explained her concerns, and that the Oracles were set to arrive the next day to help with the situation.

We both paused after the explanation and gave him time to take it all in. He looked a bit stunned, staring off into space as he processed the information. After a few minutes, he rubbed his eyes with one hand, then turned to look at me. “Lyla, sweetheart, I am so sorry that all this has been happening. Are you ok? Do you feel comfortable with Egan remaining here? We can make him leave today, if that’s what you wish.”

I smiled, grateful for the offer. “Father, no, please. I don’t want to ask him to leave currently. That doesn’t seem wise to me. I think he’s just a pawn in whatever is happening. I would like to take the time to figure out who he’s working with, if we can. But Father?”

I pause, waiting for him to look at me, knowing I needed to say this but wishing I could leave it unsaid.

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