It was those relationships, those people, who made me strong, and they would do the same for this alliance. Razel might have magic on her side now, but we had four kingdoms united against her, inside information from Ericen, and a crow whose magic transcended any seen before.
I prayed it would be enough.
Twenty-Five
Rather than meet in the throne room, we’d convened in the war room. A circular table surrounded a round platform in the center that bore an incredibly detailed map of the six kingdoms. The dark wood walls were lined with monks, one beside Kiva at Ericen’s back to my left.
Estrel sat on my other side. After everything I’d learned, I’d expected to feel a rush of emotions. I didn’t. I was just tired and a little hurt and far more unmoored than I’d ever felt. Like all the strings that had once held me fast to this world had been cut, and the place I found myself in now was something altogether new.
My world had changed so much the last few weeks.
When I reached the part in my story about Samra’s crew and Onis’s betrayal, the captain collapsed back into her chair, stunned. Aroch, who perched on her shoulder, nudged her head with his, but she didn’t respond. My throat began to close, and I held back the urge to break down into tears as I explained that the Jin rebels were lost, fighting my way through the rest of the story.
“Res and I closed the doorway, but Razel has six Sellas on her side,” I concluded hoarsely, addressing Queen Luhara.
Her dark eyes were thoughtful, her fingers splayed across her mouth in contemplation.
Samra stood, Aroch clinging to her shoulder. Her good eye was rimmed red, but whatever tears she’d shed were gone. “So what you’re saying is that we’re hopelessly outmatched now?”
I flinched. With the loss of the Jin rebels and the addition of the Sellas to Razel’s ranks, her strength rivaled ours. Even with Res, fighting this war would be a risk. These kingdoms had already lost so much; could they really be asked to lose more?
The captain’s normally stony expression turned wary with doubt, and I knew she was thinking of her family back in Seahalla. She had already lost her crew; she wouldn’t lose her family too.
My eyes unintentionally found Auma, who sat still and silent as a shadow. She’d missed cleaning a few flecks of blood from her jaw, and her dark eyes looked haunted.
“We can still win this fight.” Estrel stood. “Now that Razel knows about the alliance, she’ll have to gather more troops to counter us. It’ll take time, and we can use that time to hone Res’s magic.”
“What good will one crow do us against an army of magical beings?” one of the council members asked.
“One crow with the power of eight,” I said.
Samra crossed her arms like a soldier barring entry. “Even if Razel’s attack is delayed, it won’t be for long. And when it finally comes, one crow isn’t enough, no matter how many abilities he has.”
“You’re underestimating Res’s power,” Ericen cut in, and I felt Res puff up, bolstered. “Illucia has faced the crows before. There’s a reason my mother destroyed them before attacking Rhodaire.”
“Why are you even in here?” Samra snapped back. “He shouldn’t be witness to any of this.”
I looked to Ericen, who hesitated. Would he fully turn against his kingdom?
He stepped forward, the monk stiffening behind him and Kiva’s hand going to Sinvarra. But I moved aside to allow him next to me.
“I’m here to help you,” he said. “I’ll provide you with whatever information I can regarding my mother’s armies and strategy in exchange for amnesty.”
It wasn’t enough. I could see the reluctance on everyone’s faces. They’d spent too long with Illucia as an enemy to crush their desire to lock Ericen in the deepest, darkest cell they could find.
I might not be able to get them to let go of their past, but maybe I could get them to see a different future.
“There’s an additional advantage to granting Ericen’s request.” I paused, looking to him. He hesitated but nodded. “You must remember he’ll inherit the throne after Razel.” A murmur spread through the room, and I spoke over it. “In ensuring his safety and accepting him into this alliance, we ensure that when this war is over, Illucia doesn’t remain our enemy. Razel already disavowed him as a traitor. She was willing to kill him in the wood, and he’s done nothing but help me since before I left Sordell. We can trust him.”
Auma stood as if rising against a heavy burden. “During my time in Illucia, I was always struck by the prince’s sense of honor and morality in a kingdom that tried to strip it from him. Like so many of us, he is not responsible for the sins of his parents. I believe we can trust him.” She met my gaze with a nod. Then whatever surge of emotion had pushed her to her feet deflated, and she collapsed back into her chair.
Kiva was at her side in an instant, abandoning her post behind Ericen in a move that left me staring. Kiva’s mother had trained her to leave no room for love, only duty. Looking at her now as she wrapped her arms around Auma, I had no doubt the princess had broken through that armor. Kiva had learned to bend without breaking, something her mother could never do.
The silence hung like a funeral shroud across the room until at last, Queen Luhara stood. “I’m inclined to withdraw Trendell from this alliance,” she said in a voice of stone.
“And I the Ambriels,” Samra said. A murmur rippled through the gathering.
My throat went dry. I looked at Estrel, who stared back wide-eyed. This couldn’t be happening. Without them, Rhodaire wouldn’t survive.
