“Does that have to do with what the elders said about a Morkaius?”
“Yes. This duke is not the first to have attempted becoming High King of Magic. If he truly is the Blood of Darius, then he will believe he has a right to Lela’s magic.”
“He doesn’t have a right to it,” Cora said, “does he?”
Salinda looked thoughtful for a moment. “That very question is the reason the ancient war began. It’s the reason the fae were destroyed.”
“But where did they go? Why are the unicorns returning? And if unicorns are back then where are all the other fae creatures?”
Salinda released a heavy sigh. “We don’t know, my dear. All we have are our stories.”
“What do the stories say about the Morkaius?”
“The first Morkaius was the illegitimate son of the Elvyn queen and her human witch lover. His full-Elvyn sister was chosen as heir over him, and he sought to overthrow her.”
A chill ran down Cora’s spine. Half Elvyn. Half witch. “You think the duke is this same man?” It should have been impossible. But was it? She already knew Morkai was ageless. When she’d asked him how he hadn’t aged, he’d answeredblood. Had he meant his Elvyn blood kept him from aging? That he’d been alive for hundreds of years? Or had he simply been referring to blood magic?
Salinda shook her head. “No one knows for sure. Our stories claim the Morkaius was destroyed in the final battle. The fight ended at the Elvyn palace in a massive explosion that turned the structure into a ruin. A ruin that stands today. A ruin that our stories claim holds the source of what little fae magic flows out into the land.”
Cora furrowed her brow, wondering what ruin she was talking about. Then it hit her. “Centerpointe Rock.”
She’d never seen the rock before, only knew it was a landmark that stood at the very center of the three kingdoms, a neutral place where all three borders met. Cora had assumed that was the only reason the duke had chosen it for his meeting, but now she was starting to suspect more sinister motives.
“If Centerpointe Rock is the source of fae magic,” Cora said, “and he’s determined to harness the source…”
“You were right to come to us, Cora,” Salinda said. “Not everyone in the commune will agree, but I do. This is a matter of magic. Of a fate greater than any of us can comprehend. Even if the meeting of the royals culminates in peaceful surrender, it will not be peace that follows. It will be the beginning of the return of the Morkaius. The beginning of a reign of darkness.”
Cora’s fingers curled into fists. “We must kill him.”
Salinda nodded. “Thanks to the information you’ve given us, we stand a chance.”
Cora left Salinda’s tent filled with a new sense of burden and hope. This was so much bigger than she’d thought. She returned to her own tent with rest in mind, only to realize she still hadn’t brought up her place in the prophecy or asked what Salinda knew about it. But as she laid down on her cot, their plans for attack buzzing through her mind, she wondered if it might be better that she hadn’t confessed her role as some prophesied girl. A mother who’d been cursed to die childless. She ignored the ache in her chest when she considered what his blood weaving had taken from her and instead focused on hope.
For if all went to plan, Morkai would soon be dead.
And her place in the prophecy would die alongside him.
45
Larylis had figured the third time hearing Lex’s description of the events at Ridine Castle would be easier to bear. He was wrong. It seemed with every new repetition, Larylis heard some new detail that flooded him with an eerie chill. The first time he’d listened to Lex’s story had been in his father’s study. The second time had been later that evening when Larylis had asked Lex to go over all the details yet again. Now, three days later, they sat around the elegant mahogany table in King Verdian’s council room, with Lex relaying everything all over again. The day was early but the tall windows lining the far wall had been drawn shut against the sunlight, giving the meeting an even more daunting feel.
At least Larylis had finally come to accept that his brother was indeed captive, and war was looming on the horizon.
When Lex finished speaking, he was peppered with questions by King Verdian’s council. King Arlous’ councilmen were present too, but they’d already heard most of the tale before they’d departed Dermaine Palace.
“What joke is this?” Lord Ulrich said. He was one of Mareleau’s uncles, and the man Larylis had once served as ward to. He was stout and clean-shaven with a double chin, gray eyes, and a head of brown hair cropped just below his ears. “You expect us to believe King Dimetreus is being puppeteered by a mage who uses blood magic and has a monstrous wolf-boar as a pet?” With a disbelieving scoff, he leaned back in his chair.
Larylis couldn’t blame him for his doubts. He’d shared them at first. It was hard to believe in dark sorcery when no one believed in magic anymore. Magic had died with the fae. It only survived in Larylis’ favorite novels. Then again, the same could have been said for unicorns, months ago.
Lord Kevan, Mareleau’s eldest uncle and the head of King Verdian’s council, rubbed his jaw. Unlike his younger brother, Kevan had a bushy brown beard and gray-brown hair that reached his shoulders. “No, some of the story rings true. When I spotted the unicorn last year, I sent dozens of men after it. One man came back reporting that some monstrous creature had intervened and chased the unicorn beyond the border into Khero. I took the tale as folly, but perhaps it wasn’t.”
“What does that have to do with anything?” Lord Ulrich said. “The rest of Prince Lexington’s story could be fabricated. He could be working with King Dimetreus, weaving tales of sorcery so that we’ll be more inclined to surrender.”
Lex’s mouth fell open. “I am not working with King Dimetreus. I risked my life in coming here. My own kingdom stands in peril because of my deception. If you surrender, Tomas is done for.”
One of Verdian’s other councilmen snorted a laugh. “Remind me how you supposedly got away.”
“Oh, sure,” Lex said. “Right after you remind me why I was in Khero hunting unicorns in the first place.”
