“And I’m fighting for the man I love,” Caris bit out. Her eyes watered a bit, several tears trickling down her cheeks. She scrubbed a hand over her face, wiping them away.
Blaine knew, deep down, it was a fight she couldn’t win. But letting her face this horror alone would break her in ways none of them could afford. “I’ll call Raziel. She said she was in town for at least another week before she needed to head back into the poison fields. Perhaps she can provide us some insight into the chances of the wardens aiding us. When Honovi lands, I’ll tell him to take us to the Warden’s Island.”
“Blaine,” Lore protested. “That is insanity.”
“Pray tell how, when you and Meleri lead the Clockwork Brigade and that is your duty, not Caris’?” he asked sharply.
“Nathaniel has proven to be a risk to her life. They shouldn’t be around each other,” Meleri said.
Caris crossed her arms over her chest, mouth twisting as she turned to glare at the duchess. “It could be argued staying here is a risk. We don’t know what secrets Nathaniel gave up, and he knows your bloodline heads the Clockwork Brigade. How many chains are breaking because of that intelligence breach as we speak?”
Meleri flinched, folding her hands together tightly over her knees. “Bringing people in as cogs has always been a risk, but the goal has been worth it.”
“Yes, your goal of putting me on the starfire throne.” Caris’ smile was a rictus, ugly thing that didn’t suit her.
Blaine cleared his throat, catching everyone’s attention. “Caris is right. Nathaniel knew quite a lot of secrets because of his family’s business that the Clockwork Brigade used. He knew the positions of your family, and it would be ludicrous to think that Eimarille will not act on that information.”
“I am aware of the risks that Nathaniel’s position as arionetkaholds at this time,” Meleri said.
“Then what do you plan to do about it?”
“My plans have not changed. We will continue to coordinate with the military and rally the bloodlines in the west.”
“You need a figurehead for that.”
Meleri pursed her lips, glancing at Caris. “I have spent the last few years introducing Caris to many bloodlines that are loyal to the Ashion throne and not Daijal. It has been my hope they will accept her once the truth is known.”
“You’d need to be alive in order to do that. If Eimarille knows you are Fulcrum, you will be a target.”
“That is a risk I’ve always been willing to take.”
“One you’ve been prepared for Caris to face? In which case, there is no difference if she goes to the Warden’s Island or if she stays.” Meleri opened her mouth to argue, but Blaine shook his head. “The North Star warned you about fettering her. Caris has a road. She must walk it.”
“As you’ve walked yours?” Lore bit out.
“I’ve given up time by my husband’s side at the behest of the star gods. I’ve left my home to come here, to a country that birthed me but is no longer mine, because I understand the threat Eimarille presents to Maricol as a whole. Caris could help end that, yes, but you can’t force someone to be queen, no matter their bloodline.”
“I never wanted it. I never even knew the starfire throne could be mine,” Caris said into the silence that followed his words.
“You can cast starfire. Surely that gift made you wonder?” Meleri said.
Caris shrugged stiffly. “Starfire doesn’t make me a queen. I wanted to be an engineer. Now my family’s business has been taken over by the government, and my parents are imprisoned.”
“Being a queen could change that.”
“Would it even be a worthwhile rank if you’re the one pulling my strings?”
Meleri’s expression became saddened, her shoulders slumping. “I never meant for you to think I wanted to control you.”
“Then let me go.”
The two stared at each other, and Blaine shook his head at Lore when she seemed ready to jump into the argument. Thankfully, she subsided, and they waited out the silence until Meleri was the one to break it.
The duchess pushed herself slowly to her feet, coming around the low table to stand on Caris’ other side. She took Caris’ hand in both of hers, patting it gently. “You remind me so much of Queen Ophelia in moments like these. You never knew her, but her passion lives in you, and I am thankful for that.”
Caris said nothing, but she didn’t pull her hand away. “What was she like?”
Meleri’s gaze became distant, her lips curving into a bittersweet smile whose grief had lost all its sharp edges over the years. “Stubborn, but in the best ways. She only ever wanted the best for Ashion and its people. It’s why she tried to banish debt bondage. Her idealism made her a target, and we paid dearly for what she believed in. I am merely trying to ensure we don’t lose you as well.”
