“Brother, I never congratulated you on finding your fated mate. That’s incredible—a one-in-a-million chance. I am happy for you.”
“If you had not accepted the lifelong role of General of the Kingdom of Flame, I would be throwing you a feast in your honor. But here we are. You swore an oath of celibacy to this kingdom, and Guardians know we’ve all looked the other way.”
“But asking for your own mate? I just don’t see how it can be done.”
I studied the disappointment on Delilah’s face and decided I would rather swim in Mount Orid than see that expression again.
“There is one council member I can call a friend. The newest one—Antonias. I will run it by him off the record and see what I can do. But it will take time.”
“In the meantime, Calpurnia should get a promotion,” Delilah suggested, but it came out more like a command.
“What?” I asked, caught off guard and unaccustomed to females speaking in royal matters. Cercies even blinked as well.
“Since I relieved her of her handmaid duties to me, she doesn’t know what to do with her time while Cercies is away. Perhaps there is another position she can hold that allows her to travel with the General?”
I shook my head. “A royal position in the army? Sorry, princess, but females do not hold those positions here. Even if they did, there are none open.”
“Actually,” Cercies cut in, “the Nobel who fainted at the SkyGuard incident passed away this morning. He was a spy master. So, there is one position open as of today.”
I scoffed. “A female as a spy? You cannot be serious.” Their eyes told me just how serious they were.
“Spy masters often accompany me when I travel,” Cercies continued. “The position would be perfect. There is no law stating a female cannot hold it—only tradition.”
I stared at them.
We were discussing promoting a handmaid to spy master of the Kingdom of Flame.
“She is not suitable,” I argued. “She has little magic and folds towels for a living. How does that qualify her?”
“Pardon me, My Lord.” I turned.
Calpurnia stood across the room as if she had suddenly appeared!
How long had she been standing there?
“I have spent my entire life going unnoticed as a servant and listening to everything that happens in this castle,” she said respectfully. “Who is better suited to be a spy than someone no one sees?Youdid not even notice I was here.”
I had to swallow my own argument.
She made an excellent point. She could be an asset to be disguised as a servant in an enemy home or as an escort at a party to gather information and no one would ever suspect her. No one would suspect a female to be in the employ of the Kingdom of Flame.
“Calpurnia, how did you enter unnoticed?” I asked. She hesitated. Cercies nodded with encouragement.
“Sometimes,” she admitted quietly, “I can make myself invisible for short periods of time. Sorry I never told you Lila, I didn’t want to frighten you. I didn’t know it was a rare ability.”
Judging by the look on her face, Delilah clearly felt the same shock I did.
My stomach dropped and I looked to Cercies. He nodded in confirmation. If she had the ability to go invisible even for a moment then that meant… there’s no way. I found her starving and homeless on the streets because she had such little magic her own family and community rejected her.
“How can this be?” I asked.
Cercies slid a paper across the table.
“She showed me her invisibility power and I had to know…”
He continued. “I had her blood magic retested. Her level is high enough to be considered half-royal. Higher than Rexius’s. Nearly parallel to mine.”
He met my gaze.
