“She also stands alone,” Eamon reminded him with a sharp smile, his bright tone unwavering.
“So did her counterpart, didn’t he?”
This remark was met with a long silence. Even Eamon quieted, running a hand through his messy, reddish-blond hair, his eyes glazing over in thought.
“For over a century, Lorien Blackvale managed to keep the balance of magic and power shining brightly over Soltaris,” Marius eventually went on. “He had no help in guiding the Aetherstone and its magic. Yet the Above has flourished from that magic while we’ve all wasted away here in the Below.”
“Yes—if the Light Vaelora could do it, then why not our Shadow Vaelora?” Lord Renvar added. “It’s past time for Soltaris to experience the same suffering we’ve endured.”
My heart pounded as whispers of tentative agreement rippled through the room.
My brother shook his head. “If there’s a chance for balance, then that is the better long-term?—”
“Balance!Bah. Isn’t it our turn to thrive?”
More chatter of agreement, growing bolder now.
Eamon cleared his throat. “The situation is not as black and white as some of you want to make it. The magic is changed. The Vaelora have changed. The chances of our realm returning to its former glory are slim. The better hope lies in dealing with Lorien and his corruption, and then forging something new within the rubble he’s left in his wake. It’s no longer a simple back and forth, an exchange of Light versus Dark.”
“We brought you all here to discuss the path forward,” Bastian added calmly. “A path toward stability. Rebirth. One that may mean circling inward, redefining our borders so we can more efficiently allocate resources and protect what remains.”
Several people stiffened at that.
“Redefining borders,” Lord Renvar said, drumming his fingertips against the shiny tabletop. “It sounds like you intend to sacrifice some things in order to shapeyourkingdom into something even more powerful than it already is.”
My brother took a deep breath.
My temper was dangerously close to flaring. “No war has ever been won without sacrifice,” I said, quietly but firmly.
A thick hedge of prickly silence wrapped around us.
My brother broke through it moments later. “…Whatever comes next—however it comes, and whenever it comes—we need to have things in place to endure it. Plans and agreements. Treaties. We need to be civilized about things.”
Marius let out a bitter laugh. “Spoken like someone who has had the benefit ofcivilizedliving for his entire existence.”
“And you speak as though we haven’t had our own challenges to contend with,” I snapped.
“You seem as though you’re managing well enough.” He gestured to the untouched dinner laid out on the table before us, fixing his dark eyes on me. “With your gilded halls and flowing wines and fancy dresses.”
I clenched my fists, too annoyed to speak right away.
It was Thalia who answered him, her voice icy and calm. “The monsters she’s faced would have utterly crushed lesser rulers.” She looked him up and down, not bothering to hide her opinion of him as one of theselesser rulers. “So just be grateful you haven’t had to face such things—that she’s been facing them on your behalf, while wearing fancy dresses and all.”
Several of the gathering snickered. Marius fumed. Bastian gave Thalia a slight frown, but she ignored him and kept her glare on Marius, daring him to reply.
“…I think that’s enough for tonight,” Bastian said, getting to his feet. “We have more to discuss, but some among us are still recovering from their travels into this kingdom. Rest is in order. Tomorrow, a small company and I ride for the camps on the outer edge of the revived circle, and we’ll have clearer notes to share with you regarding how things are progressing.”
With that, most of the gathering dispersed, save for King Marius, Lord Renvar, and a few of the louder naysayers. My brother lingered as well, speaking with this group, trying to further mitigate their grievances.
I started to turn around and go back to help, but Thalia put her hand on my arm. “He’s fine. He’s very experienced at dealing with those assholes.”
Eamon moved closer, blocking my view of the assholes in question.
“You should get some rest,” he said, and Thalia added an encouraging nod toward my room as well. “We’ll help keep things under control here, don’t worry.”
I wasted no time arguing. Iwastired, and I still had one last duty to attend to before I could retire to my private chambers for the evening.
Bidding them goodnight, I steeled myself with a deep breath and turned left instead of right when I reached the top of the stairs outside the meeting chamber, making my way to a quiet, mostly empty hall of the palace.
