Guards saluted her as she passed by. Most of the Three Courts, Ana had learned, had attributed the survival of their government to her and her allies. At the entrance of Godhallem, she found herself face to face with Captain Ronnoc of the King’s Guard. He gave her a deep bow.
Ana inclined her head and stepped into the great halls of Godhallem.
It was impossible not to think of what had happened here, three days earlier. With the bodies removed and the rubble cleared, Godhallem looked restored to some semblance of its former self.
She came to a stop before the dais.
Sunlight filtered in through the back of Godhallem. It swept gold across the various courtiers who were already seated at their respective courts. It pooled at the throne on top of the dais, outlining the figure sitting there.
King Darias sat straight, his crown glinting as he turned his attention from several courtiers to Ana.
In just three days, King Darias seemed to have become a different person. Gone was the child with the flushed cheeks and fever-wet eyes and vacant stare. He sat straight and calm, his hair combed back neatly, dressed in a tailored Bregonian royal uniform. The crown rested on his head, its bronze band cut in the shape of waves and woven through with searock so that it glittered like water and sunlight as it moved. His gaze was bright and intelligent, and Ana suddenly saw a cunning, resourceful boy who had done everything he could to survive the complex politics of a corrupt kingdom. Within days, he’d arrested those involved in his drugging, a scheme that Admiral Farrald and Sorsha had upheld for years. The former Captain Ronnoc had been promoted to Commander of the Royal Guard, tasked with reexamining his personnel and rooting out those who had been loyal to Sorsha Farrald’s orders to the detriment of the King.
King Darias’s eyes turned to Ana, and this time, they were the sharp gray of swordmetal. He stood and descended the steps, crossing over the narrow square of water separating his dais from the rest of the hall. Ana inclined her head, but the next moment, his hands were at her elbows. “There is no need for that between friends,” King Darias said. They stood almost at the same height, and his gaze hovered over her face. Concern creased his brows. “Are you feeling better?”
The words tightened a grasp of panic around her. She’d made sure to layer creams over the dark circles beneath her eyes and brush powders over her face to hide the new pallor to her skin, the sharpness to her cheeks.
“I’m fine,” she said. The words rang hollow to her own ears.
King Darias looked at her with knowing eyes, but he didn’t press for more. “We take it day by day.”
Ana nodded.
“Now,” he said, letting her go and stepping back, “we get on with the formalities. Are you ready?”
“Yes.” She watched as he returned to his throne. At once, a hush fell all around the hall as the remaining members of the Three Courts turned their attention to their king. The Sky and Earth Courts sat in their respective seats, and standing in rows near the entrance, directly facing the throne, soldiers stood in attendance, dressed in navy-blue livery and bearing the bronze seadragon sigil of the Sea Court.
Commander Ronnoc and several members of the King’s Guard stood on either side of the throne, and Ana couldn’t help but look at the empty space in front of the dais, which had been occupied by Admiral Farrald just days ago. On either side of the hall, there were unfilled seats, a reminder of the loss that Bregon had taken. But as King Darias stood atop his dais and looked over his Three Courts, hope seemed to fill the room like winds at a ship’s sails.
“Three Courts of Bregon,” King Darias began. “We have fought and won against foreign invasion and treason within our very own Courts. Today, I am glad to address you as your king.”
A thundering round of applause rose from the Three Courts.
“As you well know, our victory was not easy, and it certainly would not have been possible without certain people.” King Darias nodded at Ana. “The Red Tigress of Cyrilia and her allies have been instrumental to saving Bregon. On behalf of my Three Courts and the entire Kingdom of Bregon, I thank you, Anastacya Mikhailov, Red Tigress, for fighting on our side.”
Red Tigress.She’d almost forgotten that name. Yet as she stood, letting the words soak in, there was a flurry of movement on all sides of Godhallem as the Three Courts rose to their feet. And Ana could only watch in astonishment as King Darias Rennaron of Bregon turned to her and sank into a deep bow.
They’d spoken about this meeting beforehand during her many visits to his chambers in the aftermath of the battle, but he hadn’t mentioned this part of his speech. An ocean breeze stirred through the open-air doorways of Godhallem.
“We have not found Sorsha Farrald’s body,” King Darias continued. “We will continue looking. We need to ensure that Sorsha Farrald—if she is alive—does not reach Empress Morganya with our last siphon.”
There was a somber hush in the room, every single pair of eyes focused on their king.
“Therefore, I would like to declare an alliance with the Red Tigress of Cyrilia.” A grin curled the King’s lips as he turned his gaze to Ana. “I would like to pledge one thousand Bregonian troops to set sail with the Red Tigress to launch a counterattack against the current Cyrilian regime.”
Ana matched his smile and gave a single nod. King Darias had discussed this with her privately in the days past, but it had to be formally voted upon by the Three Courts.
Now, the King’s clear gray eyes swept across the hall. “All those in favor, stand and sayaye.”
At first, there was only silence.
And then, somewhere in the area of the Sky Court, a courtier stood. “Aye.”
“Aye!” another shouted from the Earth Court.
“Aye.” A captain of the Navy spoke from directly behindAna.
Ana stood very still, holding her breath, as all around her, courtiers from the Three Courts of Bregon made their stand, cries of “aye” filling the air. Outside, the wind and the waves seemed to roar in triumph, and above, the bells of Godhallem hummed, as though the gods themselves murmured in agreement.
