Page 52 of Fate of Echoes and Embers
That, from the king.
“He is poisoning their minds,” Kael said in response.
“King Balthor,” Lyra asked, “or Prince Terran?”
“Both.” Kael crossed his arms over his chest, clearly agitated.
“We’ve another matter to discuss.” Mev looked pointedly at me. Perhaps it was to distract Kael from what was, I agreed, a bad idea. “In joining our mission, it seems we’ve made things complicated for Lady Isolde.”
Though Marek and Kael knew of Draven’s plans already, the others were clearly confused.
“In Valmyr Port, she and Marek learned,” Mev said to her father, “a noble named Lord Draven may be making a play for Hawthorne Manor. He has apparently been lobbying for support to use his status at Hawthorne, and as a border lord, to be named Estmere’s first Lord Protector. And in coming with us, Hawthorne Manor is more vulnerable to his machinations.”
King Galfrid was clearly displeased at such news.
“I take full responsibility,” I added, “for leaving him in command. He was a trusted ally of my father’s, and I had no cause to mistrust him. But it seems, I was naïve to place such trust in him.”
“Draven,” Galfrid murmured. “I’ve heard the name but know little of him.”
“I sensed ill intent,” Mev said, “the first time we met, when Kael took me to Hawthorne before I knew of my abilities.”
“After he kidnapped you.” Lyra’s secret smile nearly made me laugh, despite the seriousness of the situation. It seemed she was not ready to allow Kael to forget the circumstances of his and Mev’s first meeting any time soon.
“Aye, Lyra,” Kael said, his voice making Lyra outright smile. Mev joined her. “Many thanks for reminding the king of the circumstances of his daughter’s arrival in Elydor.”
“I need no reminding,” the king said, making Lyra and Mev burst into laughter at Kael’s expression. I glanced at Marek, and not surprisingly, he smiled too.
After the laughter at Kael’s expense died down, I addressed the king myself. “My fear is that he will use my absence to seize control of Hawthorne.”
“I will not allow it.” The king turned to Commander Eirion. “Send a contingency to secure Hawthorne in Lady Isolde’s absence.”
I worried he might say as much. “I am grateful, your majesty. Though I fear the presence of an Aetherian force so close to the border may agitate the Gyorian raiders, who have increasingly sought reasons to engage with us unlawfully. I would not wish my personal circumstance to push us into a full-scale war.”
The king sat back and glanced around the table. He rested his eyes on Kael, as if to convey something privately to him before speaking. The hairs on my neck stood straight, though I could not give a reason why, if forced to name it, at the look that passed between them.
It was not contention. Nor mistrust, as their past disagreements ran deep.
Something else. A shared resolve, perhaps, that I wanted to be a part of.
“War has been brewing for nearly thirty years,” he said finally. “If it comes now, so be it. We’ve all known this storm was coming. We’ve seen the signs in the shifting tides, felt the tremors beneath our feet. Those around this table who risk all to unite our lands are the echoes of those who came before us, the embers of a fire that has never truly died since I first opened the Aetherian Gate. Those who fight for a just cause, for more than their own personal gain and for those weaker than us,” he said, a clear nod to the humans, “do not yield. We do not bow.”
I understood their look now.
Kael had not just taken a stand with Mev when they partnered. If it came to war, he would be fighting against his people. His family. The king had been asking for Kael’s silent permission and Kael had given it.
I had no wish to be the catalyst for war. And yet, it seemed there was little other choice.
“Thank you, your majesty,” were the only words left I could offer.
He nodded, and stood, an indication the meeting was over.
“I would speak with you,” Marek said before I rose in my seat.
“On the morrow?” I asked, knowing we sailed out in the morn.
“No,” he said, his eyes holding mine.
He was asking permission to seek me out this eve.
