He held up a hand. “A battalion.”
“How is this possible?”
“You are not safe here,” Tyrn went on, ignoring my panic. “We still have not figured out how they got into Elysia, much less the castle. I have questioned guards at the wall, Sarasonet, here at the castle. I’ve sent riders to investigate the Marble Wall. There is more to inspect, but these... assassins seem to move entirely in secret. We had stopped plenty before last night. Yet the worst has happened.”
“But Caspian will be all right?” I asked, even though I’d already been told he would be.
“Yes, he’s recovering. But alive.” His expression evolved from tired to grave. “But that is what we need to talk about.”
Suspicion bled into my own exhaustion. “Caspian?”
“The attack meant for you, Tessana.”
Well, that seemed obvious. But I still didn’t understand. “I’m fine, Uncle,” I reassured him, hoping this was his way of inquiring about my well-being. “I have been in battle before. I am not too delicate for a few misplaced arrows.”
His frown deepened. “Your coronation is still months away. And even then, I am not sure I can keep you safe.”
“But you have,” I rushed to assure him. “You have kept me safe—”
He held up a hand, silencing me. “It’s already been arranged. You and your sister will travel with Queen Ravanna to Blackthorne until your coronation. She will return you in plenty of time to prepare.”
“Queen Ravanna?” I gasped, pulling plenty of attention our way. “You cannot be serious.”
“Of course, I’m serious,” he snapped. “Ravanna was meant to further your education as queen, and thus far, she has not been able to tutor you. This will give you the opportunity to take your duties as future queen seriously, reacquaint yourself with your sister, and see the kingdom. On the journey there, you will visit Barstus. And on the way back, Ravanna will take you through Kasha.”
Now I was conflicted. I wanted to visit the realm and learn of the places I would soon govern with firsthand knowledge. But how could he send me with Ravanna Presydia of all people?
And then it hit me. Ravanna Presydia: RP.
The old way is the true way.
But how could it be?
I knew my uncle and her to be special friends. Had she not been needed back in Blackthorne almost immediately following Conandra, she would have stayed at Extensia and been his special guest. Whilst tutoring me.
Could it be possible that my mother was also her friend?
A strange feeling snaked through me, and it took several moments before I could identify what it was.
Loss.
Fresh grief.
The idea of my mother being friends with Ravanna Presydia made me feel as though I did not know her. Maybe had never known her.
I thought about the spell book hidden away in my bed chambers and knew I was both right and wrong. I knew her as a mother, as a kind and compassionate woman who laughed easily and smiled even quicker. She loved my siblings and me. Would have done anything for us.
But she died when I was only a child. And the adult knowledge of her, who she was, who she knew, what her hopes and dreams were... were not for me to know then.
Would I ever discover them now?
My uncle grunted at my long silence, frustrated with me. “It has already been decided, Tessana. The maids are packing your trunks now. There will be time to bathe and change, but you will leave this morning.”
“And Oliver?” I asked before I could think of a better way to phrase my desperate need to keep my best friend with me.
My uncle’s annoyed glare flicked briefly to Oliver, who stood behind me. “Are you really asking Queen Ravanna to include your monk in her invitation?”
“Oh no, I just thought... I—”
