Emma ground her teeth. I rushed to speak, before her temper erupted.
“We’ll gather other nobles,” I said. “Power isn’t the only thing that runs Dolinska; it’s also coin. Money will do the talking for us. If we get the richest nobles to back us up, we have a chance.”
“How do you expect them to do that, when Gabby was padding their pockets and giving them tax breaks?” Emma asked.
“Because we’re going to give them something to believe in,” I said firmly. “A greater Malovia.”
Emma rolled her eyes. “The nobles don’t care about anyone but themselves. You’d be hard-pressed to find ones that actually want to better the country.”
“There must be good people we can install on the council,” I insisted. “Nobles who the people will respect, and follow because they want to, not because they have to.”
“You’re assuming we can get the crown back!” Emma shouted. “I still don’t see how it’s possible.”
“There is a way.”
Emma’s look was daunting. “Ethan, no. Don’t tell me we have to go through another Contest.”
My heart hardened. “No. It’s worse.”
Emma huffed. “Of course it is. Why wouldn’t it be?”
“If a contestant loses the King’s Contest, but wishes to make their point to become king, they can make an appeal to the public,” I continued on. “It never works, because the winners of the Contest are always installed, but since Elijah is dead and Gabby has fled Dolinska, it leaves a rare opening for us to make our claim. If we’re to become monarchs, we must prove ourselves to the Arcanea.”
“You’re forgetting about your trial. Elijah eliminated your position as prince. Your name isHasteknow. You are cursed,” Emma replied.
“They will accept me. Despite Elijah’s ruling, he cannot take away my heritage. I am the only son of King Lycus. I have a royal bloodline, and no piece of paper can say otherwise. The fae know it. It’ll help bolster our claim.”
“We used Unseelie magic during the battle. We broke the law. Everyone saw us,” Emma said. “They won’t accept us as king and queen now.”
She was throwing out everything she could to avoid this. It should’ve annoyed me, but it didn’t. I couldn’t complain, for I was the one who had sprung this upon her yet again.
“These are all minor excuses, ones you can get around,” Magdalina snapped. “Emmaline, please stop this childish game. You are better than it.”
“How can we sit here and saywe’rethe best for Malovia? Shouldn’t the people decide? Why do we have the right to demand that Ethan and I should rule?” Emma asked.
“Because there aren’t any other challengers,” Stefan replied. “No one else is brave enough to go up against Gabby, besides you two, and she can’t be allowed to stay on that throne.”
“That’s not enough! It’s time the fae started making decisions forthemselves, instead of allowing the monarchy to make decisions for them,” Emma growled.
“They will, and you will be the ones they will choose,” Magdalina said simply. “You and Ethan are popular. You are heroes many times over to the people of Dolinska, and they all know it. Do not try to convince me that you and Ethan do not care for the fae, because you do. It is plain for the public to see, and that alone will win them over.”
Emma’s cheeks flushed as red as her hair. She didn’t react further, save for her clenched hands on the armrests of the chair. She shook in not shock, but rage.
Emma, I whispered in my head, but she blocked me out and turned her head away.
“The country will be divided. Some will want to support Ethan, and others will continue to back Gabriella,” Magdalina said. “To win the war, we must eliminate the other option. She has lost her mate, and therefore, is more dangerous than ever. Her magic may be weakened, but her resolve will only grow darker. She will tear this nation apart, to seek revenge for Elijah’s death. She will not care who she hurts, or who she will kill. Now that her king is gone, Gabriella will crush this country to the ground, wanting vengeance. And that is something we cannot allow to happen.”
“Why can’t we just storm to the fortress now, and take her out?” Theo asked. “Wouldn’t it be simpler?”
“Breaking into the fortress won’t be easy. You’d need an army, a strong one, to get through those walls, and unless we have crowns and titles, no one will follow us to what they’ll consider a death mission,” I said. “I doubt even as the Phantom I could sneak in and assassinate her. It’s an impenetrable garrison. If we want to take Gabby down, we’ll need soldiers behind us.”
Stefan drummed his fingers on the table. “So we have a clear plan ahead. Gather the people. Summon the nobles that are still in Dolinska, and install them as Circle members. Then ask them to vote Ethan and Emma in as the rightful rulers of Malovia.”
“They will, once we pass our trial,” I said quietly. Emma’s face went paler than before.
Magdalina abruptly stood. “We must go to work at once. Finlay, Amantha, I expect you to start gathering supporters from what’s left of the revolution straight away. Arthur, you must begin investigating the location of those other stones. Vara, we need an article on Ethan and Emma’s proclamation— and quickly. It needs to be published tonight, to let everyone in Malovia know of their intention to earn the crown.”
The four nodded, then stood, leaving the room to complete their tasks.
