Page 53 of Rise of the Phoenix King (Crown and Crest 4)

“You all have things to do,” Lawrence says suddenly. “Everyone out.” Then he adds, “Everyone except Audra.”

“Lyredon!” Audra protests when her shadow rogue begins walking toward the door.

The elf hides a smile. “Was it a royal command, Your Majesty?”

Too solemnly, Lawrence says, “It was.”

Lyredon looks back at Audra, extending a hand as if asking her what she expects him to do. She narrows her eyes, and magic sparks at her fingertips. I’m not sure Lawrence is wise to antagonize her.

Uncomfortable, Henrik clears his throat. “With your approval, I’m going to meet with your knight commanders and ask them to send more men to search for Camellia’s followers.”

“You have my permission,” Lawrence says. “I want to be done with this.”

We filter out of the room, abandoning Audra to Lawrence. And though I feel some guilt for leaving her, I secretly hope he’ll win her over—sooner rather than later.

14

HENRIK

I’ve dreadedthis first gathering, knowing the men who congratulated me in front of Lawrence will be less than eager to acknowledge my authority today. Naturally, many will feel I cheated the system by allowing the new king to show me favor.

But this is the position I’ve found myself in. There’s no avoiding it now.

All the knight commanders in Cabaranth and the surrounding area responded to my summons, twelve in total. They filter into the meeting hall in small groups, eyeing me with speculation, many bringing bannerets from their retinues. Not all attended last night’s ceremony, and I’m most wary of the ones who didn’t.

Gavriel Flauret enters the room, drawing the attention of several already in attendance. He nods to me as he finds a seat, his greeting neither friendly nor aloof. He’s an exemplary knight, if a bit arrogant, and he’s popular amongst his peers. Considering his father’s position on Lawrence’s council, he would have been a natural choice for duke marshal. He’d be in my place now if Lawrence had taken my advice.

We’re not close, but I know him well enough to guess he resents his father’s decision to champion me yesterday. But he’s also Clover’s brother, and their family is loyal to a fault. If he accepts me, the others will as well.

“I’m a bit nervous,” Bartholomew whispers, sounding just as exhilarated as he is anxious. “Can you believe we’re already having our first command meeting—it feels monumental, doesn’t it?”

I give him a tight nod, wishing I shared his ever-present enthusiasm.

“What if they don’t like us?” he asks.

“You’re Algernon’s nephew,” I mutter. “They’ll like you just fine.”

“Still, I’m glad you’re in charge and not me. My stomach is in knots, and I don’t even have to speak.”

“Thank you for your encouragement,” I say dryly.

Bartholomew winces, laughing a little. “Sorry.”

The man assigned as my new valet joins us. He’s a journeyman scribe, a few years older than I am, with experience in this high-ranking realm which I find mildly foreign. I never studied for this command field. A sealed knight’s mission is focused—protect the king. Now my goal encompasses a much wider range—protect the entire kingdom.

“Everyone has arrived, Your Grace,” Declan says.

“Thank you,” I answer, certain I’ll never grow accustomed to people addressing me like that. “We’ll begin.”

I step to the front of the room, waiting for conversations to die out. Slowly, the men turn their attention to me. I’m younger than most. The majority of the men in the room are my father’s age or older. They’ve served in this field for decades. I scan the faces, looking for defiance and speculation—and find ample amounts of both. Not all the men are bitter, but those who aren’t are in the minority.

“For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Henrik Solbane, and I’m the acting duke marshal until Duke Bartholomew comes of age. I would have liked our first meeting to be a friendly introduction, but we have a situation—”

“Are the rumors true?” Lord Quentin interrupts. “Did Camellia really sell her soul and return from the dead?”

“Ridiculous,” scoffs Lord Birchall, an imposing knight nearing his mid-seventies. “I’ve never heard such foolish gossip passing amongst grown men.”

“We have confirmed Princess Camellia was practicing necromancy before her death,” I say. “We don’t know the details behind her return, or if she’s truly back, but right now, we will err on the side of caution and proceed as if the rumors are true.”

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