We stopped in front of the council-room doors, and I avoided eye contact with the guards. They were everywhere these days. But even the increased security didn’t put me at ease. I took another deep breath.
“Are you ready?”
No.“Ready as I’ll ever be.”
Rhen stepped inside the room and announced me. The guards opened both doors, allowing me to make an entrance, and the council stood up from the central table as I entered. My older brother was at the opposite end of the table from where I would be sitting. In some strange way, it brought me a little comfort to know Lance was there. At the very least I could trust he wanted to keep me on the throne.
Next to him were the dukes of Dalloway and Wells, as well as Brimsey. I’d taken a liking to him from the moment we’d met.He was a sweet man but serious when it mattered. His spectacles always sat very low on his nose, looking like they would fall off at any second. As far as I knew, I could trust all of them.
Levington had also been brought to my side. There were a few trays of sandwiches and desserts on the table, and Levington had already filled his plate more than was appropriate. The grand dukes of Brett and Creston were less eager to have me there. They did little to hide their disapproval of my reign.
On Lance’s right stood Lady Gwen, her hands fisted at her side. I’d asked her to join us today because it was her brother, after all, who had played a big part in this. Not that I believed her to be connected to Thatcher’s treachery in any way. She looked just as traumatised as the rest of us. But she was the only person, beside Cai, who knew Thatcher very well. She could give us some insight into what he might do next.
Alastor was there too. No one verbally confirmed it, but we all knew he’d taken Jack’s place as Cai’s new right-hand man, the head of his guard. It was a daunting task, and I admired him for stepping up to the role. Then again, he probably didn’t have any more of a choice than the rest of us here, all forced into our new circumstances.
I took my seat at the head of the table and everyone else in the council room sat down.
“Good morning, gentlemen.” I nodded towards them. “Lady Gwen.” She hid behind a smile, but I could tell she was just as uncomfortable as I was.
“Your Majesty.” There were a few murmurs of greeting.
The only person not present in the room, and perhaps the one I wanted there more than anyone else, was Cai. He hadn’t left his rooms much since we’d arrived in Everness. He didn’t attend meetings or dinners or really talk to anyone at all.
But he’d been deeper through hell than any of us. His family had been killed. His best friend betrayed him. His throne hadbeen taken, and his enemy was invading his kingdom. I was trying to give him all the space he needed. But I was worried. This couldn’t go on for ever. I wasn’t willing to give up and let Aries win. Not without a fight.
“What’s the latest news?” I asked no one in particular. Everyone seemed to have spies just about everywhere these days, something I’d grown to appreciate to an extent in the past few weeks.
“Lord Thatcher has been working with King Aries these past months, letting his spies into Norrandale and the palace, aiding in multiple assassination attempts on King Cai and eventually murdering the royal family of Norrandale. He was also in charge of the coup, along with Aries’ soldiers, allowing him to take control of the palace in Norrandale and give Aries passage into the kingdom.” Alastor decided to speak up first. He wasn’t a man of many words, so every time I heard him talk, the sound was unfamiliar. His dark hair had grown even longer in the past few months, and he kept it tied up most of the time.
“We know all this,” Wells replied, sounding somewhat bored. He was a tall man, well into his later years, and his long grey hair was tied neatly with a ribbon. His eyes looked similar to those of many of the people in the paintings in the palace. Evidence that his family had been close to the monarchy for a very long time.
“I was just making sure everyone was aware of the current situation.” Alastor was quick to bite back without changing the tone of his voice. “The latest news suggests that Aries has sailed a large number of men to Norrandale. Just short of two thousand.”
“His army, you mean?” Brimsey asked.
“Some are soldiers, yes, but many of them appear to be labourers. Aries plundered a few towns near the coast, but they’ve been moving inland, closer to the mountains.”
The council members frowned at Alastor’s response.
“Why the hell would Aries bring a few thousand labourers to the mountains of Norrandale?” This time, it was the Duke of Brett who asked the question. He always appeared tired, regardless of the time of day, and I wondered what kept him up at night. Based on the rumours circulating at court, it sounded like Brett spent many of his evenings in establishments of ill repute. He had sharp facial features, and I could imagine him being quite handsome in his younger years. I might have liked him had it not been for the fact that he had never truly supported my claim to the throne.
“Maybe he’s looking for something.” It was the first time Lance had spoken. His dark hair looked slightly ruffled. Almost as if he’d just rolled out of bed. My brother’s icy-blue eyes fell on me, his gaze suggesting I knew exactly what he was talking about.
“What could he be looking for? Norrandale’s mines have been abandoned for years. There’s nothing out there.”
“And why would Aries go through all that trouble and invade the kingdom for a few worthless mines?” Creston questioned, the tone of his voice matching his harsh expression. He was a close confidant of Brett, and if any two members of my council were ever to conspire against me, they would be my first suspects.
One of my first orders of business as queen was to restore land to some of the aristocracy, but also to the common folk, who could have their own plots of land to sustain themselves instead of paying the wealthy landowners. Brett and Creston never approved of my order, but it did not surprise me, considering how much tax money they collected from those who lived on their land.
“Maybe he was misinformed. Perhaps he believes there to be a lot of undiscovered gold,” the Duke of Dalloway suggested.
“I thought Aries had some kind of personal vendetta against King Cai for killing his brother. Now, all of a sudden, he wants to mine gold that may or may not be there?” It was Wells’s turn to interject.
“Surely, if there were gold, Norrandale would already have been mining it?” Brett said.
“Gentlemen.” The sound of my voice made them all pipe down and turn to look at me. “Perhaps we are getting a little sidetracked about what exactly Aries is doing in Norrandale and forgetting that he has still invaded the kingdom, broken the peace treaty, and is now posing a potential threat to Everness.” There was a part of me that was relieved that Aries’ first order of business was not coming after me or Cai or taking over the kingdom. But that didn’t ease the worrying idea of the Argonians heading for the mountains. Aries was looking for the Myrgonite mines, and if he didn’t find them, how long until he came after the Myrgonite objects? Three stones forged into objects using ancient magic, now reduced to myth and legend. I didn’t know the extent of Aries’ knowledge about the stones, but he knew enough to break a peace treaty and invade Norrandale.
“Everness isn’t ready for a war.” The Grand Duke of Creston had a disapproving look on his face. “It’s winter and the treasury is near empty because of all the money the Crown owed the aristocracy.” I gave him a slight warning look, and then he added, “Which you so graciously repaid, Your Majesty.” I could tell by his tone that he was not sincere.
