Our future was our own to decide, in the end.
The silence was nerve wracking. I drew in heavy breaths. Ayla squeezed my hand in a familial gesture, and Safiya smiled sympathetically from her place across the room.
“They’ll make the right choice,” Ayla assured me.
“I hope so,” I whispered.
Nearly an hour had passed before the council chamber door finally opened, and we were ushered back inside.
“The council has decided to support your plan. Grudgingly,” Araceli Basa, the air wielder, began. “We feel less than enthusiastic about a wedding between Seren and Harkin, no matter that it is not true. We proposed alternate plans, but after much consideration, we agreed that it was unwise to involve outsiders given the dangerous nature of the circumstances.”
“The council will handle the planning of the event,” Ignatius Imre grunted, fire blazing behind his eyes. “You are not to interfere with the proceedings. The attendees will be guards in disguise, andwewill preside over the events. There will be no room for any deviations.”
Ignatius gave us a stern look which was mirrored by Araceli and the water wielder, Mira Pálinkás. Only Hesperia Farkas appeared neutral.
Everything will be alright, I convinced myself. With the council grudgingly on our side, our plan would work. I would stop Lady Adiran with my family and friends by my side, and I would marry the man I loved.
“Harkin Aranti, we require an audience with you,” Araceli demanded, with little room for objection in her tone. “The rest of you are dismissed.”
Chapter sixty-one
Harkin
The transition from the shadowy depths of a mercenary’s world to the glimmering spotlight, on the arm of a queen, was jarring to say the least. I knew it was vital that I embrace the change for her sake. Seren needed a partner who would step up for her, and I knew I could be that person.
Seren was my beacon in the night, calling me home. Life by her side would be worth the unsurety, the changes, and the rehabilitation my reputation desperately needed. But I was unused to the council speaking to me, and it was a strange feeling sitting under their scrutiny now.
The council members sat around the long table. I thought it odd that Théo had been dismissed alongside Seren and the others.
“We have much to speak about, Aranti,” Ignatius Imre said from the head of the table. There were no leaders among the Royal Council of Acsilla, but Ignatius was the longest serving member and often spoke for the group.
“We have been discussing the issues at hand,” Hesperia Farkas began.
Voices overlapped as different council members added to the conversation.
“There are… concerns about Seren’s ability to rule Acsilla,” Araceli Basa continued, running a sharp, threatening fingernail across the table.
I froze, spine straightening. I maintained a smooth mask of indifference as I waited for them to continue.
“In the case of King Tarquin’s death, the line of succession falls, technically, to Seren Corso as his true heir. This is a delicate situation, as I am sure you are aware, given the public has no knowledge of Seren. She was raised in Ordelés, by our enemies. There are doubts that the public will support her rule.” Mira Pálinkás drove the point home with a casual shrug, as if it didn’t even matter what the citizens of Acsilla wanted.
It was merely a talking point meant to keep Seren from her birthright.
I remained silent, still.
They exchanged looks across the table. “The citizens of Acsilla have been prepared for Ayla to one day reign, but I think we are all aware that Prince Claudian would have had a heavy hand in guiding her decisions. She has never shown herself to be quite capable of the decisiveness needed to be queen. Perhaps her abdication was the right decision.”
“What are you saying?” I finally asked, hands pressed into fists over my thighs. “It sounds as if you do not support SerenorAyla on the throne.”
“We have an alternate proposal. One we would require your assistance to implement.” Araceli smiled, that too wide, too sharp grin of hers.
I felt the slow simmer of rage rising in my gut. Only one other person was eligible for the throne by blood.
“We have not yet informed the people of Prince Claudian’s imprisonment. There is still time to support his bid to the throne. It is not too late to complete the job Claudian assigned to you.” Mira Pálinkás explained their treasonous plan as smoothly as the water she wielded.
“I will never turn her over to Claudian, and she will never walk away from Acsilla. Seren may have been raised in Ordelés, but she is dedicated to fighting for the Acsillan people. She will not subject them to a corrupt leader, and neither will I.” I fought to keep my voice steady.
Ignatius shrugged, a smug expression on his face as if he believed I would fold at any moment. “Do so, and you will be rewarded.”
