Page 102 of Enchanted Crown
I only had to wait for Esta to figure things out for a few months and that was bad enough.
Amory sidled up to us. “Who would have thought this trip would turn out to be more love matching than realm saving?”
The queen piped in, “Don’t the two go hand in hand?”
Amory put up a hand and backed up. “Do not. Do not even tell me. I do not wish to know anything about my future.”
The queen smiled. “I do not think you need a vision of ours to figure out what you truly desire, Amory. You know. And it is still your choice. You always have a choice, and that is what makes our visions so complicated. Free will is free will. We may see the visions, but each of our choices is what gets us there.” She gave us a shrug. “We do our best not to throw our visions at people, makethem feel like they do not have a choice in it. Because you always do.”
Avril moved to hug her queen. Amory and I backed up to give the two of them the space to say goodbye. I found that rather than Avril having animosity or jealousy toward her young queen, there was instead immense respect.
Queen Aurelia’s people truly did not take issue with her age. They readily welcomed her power.
As Avril headed to board the ship, the queen of Corsha turned to me, pinning all her attention on me.
I had to admit, knowing the strength of what she could do, I couldn’t help but want to fidget.
She reached out a hand to my arm, which I barely felt through my heavy black coat. “I do know that it is difficult for outsiders to be in Corsha for even brief periods. Our Enchantment is...different. But I am so thankful we no longer have to hide. To no longer have to cast the projection of a deserted Corsha. There will be a great celebration tonight in Corsha. We knew based on all the visions we’d had these years that we had to maintain the ruse until you showed up, so thank you for coming, Keir.”
I gave her a nod, my delegate mask falling back into place like second nature. “Thank you for your hospitality. I am greatly relieved that you were all safe from my father’s evil plans. That there is something to celebrate for you all and one less country to free from the poison.”
“He was no father to you,” she snapped. “And I may have helped save Corsha with my visions, but you and your brother have brought peace to the entire realm. Believe me, I have seen the wars in the possible outcomes.Thisis best. We are all on the best path.” She stepped up and gave me the quickest of hugs. “Thank you, Keir. For being brave enough to take him down. For being brave enough to come.”
I inhaled, knowing I had to ask something or it would eat at methe entire trip home. “I do not fully understand your visions, Relia, how many of them come true, or how many of them fall off as a mere possibility. But is there something you have seen or a way you can gauge our chances against Morana?”
She considered my question for a moment, not looking offended at least. Finally, she said, “It’s best not to comment on chances as I have not seen what she will do next. But that is why I send you Avril in confidence. She is powerful also, she will help. Being closer to Dra Skor will help her. I will not allow anything to prevent the rise of the brother kings.”
“I was more worried about Esta,” I admitted. Her continued use ofthebrother kingsphrase made me uncomfortable. Like I had gone to Dra Skor after the throne to begin with, which couldn’t be farther from the truth. Though I suppose my intentions did not change the end result, which was what Queen Aurelia saw.
She smiled at me. “We make it common practice to not make promises in Corsha, as at any given moment we know they could become empty. We know how quickly the visions can change. What I can say is that things are dark enough that I am sending you Avril. But things are not so dark that I am coming on that boat with more of my people. Does that make sense?”
Oddly enough that did make a bit of sense. “So the next time I see you, I should run?”
“Hopefully not,” she laughed. “Hopefully the next time I see you I am delivering to you the last of your father’s poison for you to burn.”
“You still have it?” When she told us the story last night, I had just assumed they had destroyed it.
“We kept it as a weapon in case your father never fell. Do not fret, it’s safe. Should I die, the location dies with me.”
I wasn’t really sure what to say to that.
“Now go. Corsha is healthy and stands with Dra Skor and Wylan.”
I had to admit there was a huge weight off my shoulders knowing that three, soon-to-be four of the countries were either healed or on the way to being healed. Wylan had already had success in helping heal a Brakken Enchanted. That left just Agria to help. And sooner or later we were going to have to start helping them or there would be hell to pay for leaving them last. Still, it was a huge check mark off my list. Corsha was fine.
“Thank you,” I told Queen Aurelia. “This trip was nothing like I expected, but a welcomed surprise.”
I loaded the ship, and as soon as the anchors were pulled, I told Esta,I’m coming home.
Thank goodness. Hurry home.
How are things with Silas?
Bloody? He’s in a cell. I had to pull Malachi off him. He is taking it quite hard.
I’ll warn Amory.
The two of you are coming home to a mess, I’m afraid. I barely slept with you gone, Malachi is a wreck, and we have a shifter in custody.
