“Good morning, Bard,” Aydra said, crossing her arms over her chest. “To what—”
“The king wishes to see you in his study,” Bard said simply.
Aydra exchanged a look with Lex, and Lex stood from the bed.
“I’ll escort her—”
“I’m fine,” Aydra insisted, pressing her hand to Lex’s chest. Lex’s jaw tightened.
“I am coming with you,” Lex argued.
“No,” Aydra affirmed. “You will find my youngers and make sure they are ready for the meeting.”
“My Queen—”
“Now, Hilexi,” Aydra demanded.
Lex’s eyes softened, but she gave Aydra a bow nonetheless. “Yes ma’am.”
Lex left out the door, and Aydra turned to Bard with a forced smile. “Very well, Bard. Take me to him.”
Rhaif was pacing in front of his great fireplace when she was announced. She stepped inside his study without a word and stood but a few steps from the door as they were shut behind her. Only when he paused and came around the front of his desk did she say anything.
“You needed something?” she asked.
Rhaif fumbled with the ring on his finger and stared downwards in silence a few moments. She didn’t know whether to be weary of his silence or if perhaps he was figuring out the words to speak.
“This week…” he finally began. “This week, you are not to bring up the ships. You are not to bring up becoming allies. You are not to bring up your silly notion of this… thisEchelonyou’ve so spewed about.”
The darkened tone in which he spoke made her ears ring. She crossed her arms over her chest. “You expect me to sit back and speak nothing while you and the Council talk about trading routes and qualities of goods in front of the rest of the races of our land instead of discussing an enemy coming on our shores? Instead of discussing the unity across all our races that we will need to posses to truly strike these people down?”
His eyes traveled over her, and he pushed his shoulders back. “Yes.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“I am,” he affirmed.
Her weight shifted on her feet. “And if I refuse?”
His eyes flashed fire, and she watched his fingertips blacken.
Her jaw tightened at his warning. “If you think you can subdue me in front of people I have gone into battle with, you’re wrong. These people are my friends—”
Rhaif’s low laughter filled her ears. “Friends…” he mocked, shaking his head. “You’re the Sun Queen. You have no friends.”
“Your inability to make people love you is not my problem.”
He grasped her arms in his hands and pushed her against the mantle, her head banging backwards into the bookcase.
“Do not make me subdue you,” he warned.
“You cannot silence me.”
Aydra’s forehead met his nose, and Rhaif dropped her, doubling over and holding his bleeding nose in his hands. Aydra ran for the door.
The floor turned to fire beneath her.
It paralyzed her feet, and she fell to her knees as the pain seized her entire body. Breath stopped in her throat. She pulled in every direction for the crows, the ravens, anything to help her.
