He nodded, hands hidden in the wide arm openings of his robe.
“I am. The council has been arguing all morning in the Temple on how to respond.”
It wasn’t unusual for the council to have their own meetings. They were their own entity. But when it came to exposing my treachery against the Temple to Antonias… well.
Here goes nothing.
I prodded, “Such a thing would normally be met with violence. An attack on the innocents of their kingdom as a display of power and refusal of demands…”
He nodded again. “Historically, that is correct.”
“And where has that gotten us… historically?” I asked sardonically.
He tilted his head slightly, as though reading me before responding.
“Historically?... Ineffective. And it resulted in more unnecessary casualties on both sides. Why do you ask, My Lord?”
I stood and walked to the large bay window overlooking the city of Embris below. For the first time, I wondered just how many Fire Fae were suffering in my kingdom.
“Antonias, sometimes I dream about ruling a kingdom shaped by my own flame, not my father’s.”
Treading lightly, he placed a fist over his heart. “I see… Lord Nerot was a… fierce leader. May the Creator repurpose his soul.”
I nodded but purposefully did not return the gesture. Instead, I offered him a closed-lip smile. He noticed.
“But fierce doesn’t always mean fair,” he added.
Relief flooded through me. Saying such a thing aloud—slander of a High Lord past or present—was punishable by death. He was taking a huge risk speaking this way.
I formed a new respect for the progressive council member. “If you were seated on the Flaming Throne,” I asked carefully, “how would you handle the ultimatum? Off the record, of course.”
He raised a blond brow. “Off the record?”
I summoned my magic, forming a sound shield around us so he understood just how private this conversation was.
“I would act in the best interest of the Fire Fae…allFire Fae.”
“But would the council support you? Hypothetically?”
“I think the council would need to be reshaped by ‘my own flame,’” he replied darkly, repeating my words.
It was not a metaphor. We both knew that. Antonias was offering me a solution that required no debate and left no room for survivors. His gaze stayed on mine, patient and assessing, as if waiting to see whether I would finally do what needed to be done. I did not bristle at the idea. I weighed it. Fire was a language I understood. One that I was fluent in.
I nodded slowly. “Thank you for your guidance, Council Member Antonias.”
He walked to the door, but before exiting, he pulled up his oversized crimson hood and bent at the waist in a respectable bow.
“I am happy to serve, but being your friend is the honor,” he stated warmly—almost too warmly—before leaving my office.
I forced myself through another stack of papers filled with mundane and tedious information, and before I knew it, the sun was lowering in the sky. I went to my chambers to change into my riding leathers and freshen up because I planned on surprising Delilah and picking her up in Dragon’s Maw. I mind-linked Draxxinar and Cercies and told them to ready themselves for departure as I made my way to the main landing platform outside the castle gates.
I descended the stairs into the main foyer, where I was unexpectedly greeted by the shiny bastard himself and two burly Earth Fae guards.
“Good evening, Lord Titus,” he greeted with false kindness. I guessed I wasn’t done wearing my High Lord mask yet. “Lord Folliade, I wasn’t expecting you to be searching the castle so soon,” I stated as patiently as I could. I had somewhere to be, and I didn’t have time for political games.
He stuck up his nose arrogantly as he replied, “Yes, well, the information I was looking for in the records office in Embris proved to be fruitless.”
“I see. Well, you are welcome to search the entire castle, including the library archives. There is only one restricted vault containing sensitive information that would risk the security of my subjects. All other wards have been modified to allow you to search anywhere else. My staff will show you to your rooms, and let the fire sprites know if you need anything,” I said graciously, straining a smile.
