Larylis cursed under his breath.
Cora and Teryn locked eyes across the table. Even though they’d suspected Norun and Syrus were allying to target Khero, this was the first outright confession they’d gotten that it was so. Not only that, but Khero wasn’t the only target. If the warships were landing in Vera, King Darius sought Larylis’ kingdom too.
If Darius had already launched the warships before the spy had been captured, he’d made the decision long before the appearance of dragons.
Before irrefutable proof that the Veil had been torn.
Before proof that the true Morkara was born.
How would Darius proceed once he learned of today’s developments? It would be impossible to keep word of the dragons from spreading. For all they knew, they could have flown over the entire continent of Risa by now, and beyond. Worse was the fact that Darius had already launched his fleet. It didn’t take more than two weeks to cross the channel between the Southern Islands and southwest Vera. The fleet could already have made landfall.
Teryn’s mind reeled. So badly he wanted to say something comforting. Something hopeful?—
“I know nothing about the naval fleet.” The voice came unexpectedly from his side. Teryn bit back a curse, nearly leaping out of his skin as he found Emylia occupying one of the vacant seats at his left. His sudden jolt had Berol launching off his shoulder in favor of his chair’s backrest.
“Don’t do that,” he said to Emylia under his breath. Luckily, his voice didn’t reach the others at the table, for Lord Hardingham had everyone else’s attention now, reading the report of dragon sightings he’d shared at the council meeting.
“Sorry,” Emylia said. “I thought you would have noticed my arrival. Anyhow, like I said, I can’t confirm anything about the naval fleet, but I’ve managed to gather that Darius has been away from Syrus for at least a month, and half his military force is currently out of the kingdom.”
Teryn assessed her information. It gave weight to the spy’s confession about Darius being physically present in Norun, and potentially accounted for the warships too. If half his military force was gone, they had to be on those ships. He pursed his lips, not daring to share what he’d learned with those at the table. Cora was the only one who knew about his strange new ability to see spirits, and he wasn’t in the mood to explain it to anyone else. He’d tell her after the meeting.
Lord Hardingham set down his report and looked to his queen for further discussion.
Cora’s eyes were distant, her countenance falling with every second. She looked so empty. So defeated. Teryn curled his hands over his armrests. It took all his restraint not to run to her. He wanted to soothe her, touch her, but he kept his seat. His wife wasn’t weak. She was stronger than anyone knew, and he’d never undermine that, even at an informal meeting like this. He’d save comforting caresses and calming words for behind closed doors.
“What do we do?” came Mareleau’s voice. Finally, her cool façade cracked. Her voice trembled, with what sounded like fear at first. But as she spoke again, her tone was colored by rage. “What the seven devils do we do? This collar may keep the dragons from Ridine Castle now, but I can’t wear it forever. And it won’t stop the beasts from burning land and crops and devouring livestock. It won’t stop Darius from knowing…” Her throat bobbed and angry tears glazed her eyes. Larylis reached for his wife’s hand, gathering it in his. Mareleau’s jaw shifted side to side before she finished what she’d been trying to say. “It won’t keep him from knowing my son—his prophesied enemy—has been born. What the hell do we do?”
Cora sank deeper into her chair and rubbed her brow. “I…I don’t know. There’s so little we can do right now. I have one idea. I don’t know if it will help, but I think it will be worth trying.”
Teryn leaned forward, propping his elbows on the table and steepling his fingers. “What’s your idea?”
She blew out a heavy breath. “Mareleau, Noah, and I will go to the Forest People.”
21
Cora’s suggestion was followed by dull silence. She didn’t blame those around her for their shock. Even she found the idea she was about to propose daunting. Locating the Forest People might be impossible. They might not welcome her back, even as a visitor. Not all members of the commune had agreed with the elders’ decision to involve themselves with the battle at Centerpointe Rock, and Cora’s very existence defied the Forest People’s primary rule: never get involved with royals or royal matters.
Still, she could think of no better way to find at least some answers. Solutions too, if they were lucky.
Mareleau finally broke the silence. “What do you mean we’ll go to the Forest People?”
“Who…” Lily’s soft voice was barely audible, but she cleared her throat and tried again. “Who are the Forest People, if you don’t mind me asking? Um…Majesty?”
Cora offered Lily a gentle smile. “Don’t worry about calling me Majesty here. To answer your question, the Forest People are a commune of witches and Faeryn descendants. They raised me for six years when I was living in exile from Ridine Castle.”
Cora’s gaze flashed to Alden and Hardingham, who revealed no discomfort at her explanation. They already knew the truth about her past, about Morkai and magic, but she was still getting used to speaking so freely about such subjects with her closest allies. Part of her expected to be condemned for daring to voice the truth, much like Lords Kevan and Ulrich had done, devils take their souls.
“The Forest People know about the prophecy,” Cora said. “I’ve heard them speak about it before, but I didn’t have enough context to understand what they were saying. If anyone could give us a clue about how to deal with the dragons, it’s them.”
She’d been so shocked when the Forest People elders had spoken about the prophecy. It was the first time she realized the elders held vast knowledge they didn’t share with the rest of the commune. If anyone knew the most, it would be Salinda, the commune’s Keeper of Histories and Cora’s former foster mother.
“You’ve lost me,” Lex said. “I don’t know a damn thing about this prophecy.”
“I’ll fill you in before you leave,” Teryn said.
Cora continued. “Furthermore, there’s still the mystery of Ailan. Darius and Ailan were trapped outside the Veil together. If Darius is still alive, Ailan might be too. She might be our key to sorting this all out, and the Forest People might have some clue as to how or where we could find her.”
“I still don’t understand,” Mareleau said, an icy edge to her tone. “Why would Noah and I come with you to find them?”
