“For what?” Meena called after him.
“Don’t tell Mum!” Erich disappeared down the hall.
Meena felt her eyes start to roll again, and she blinked away the instinct. Her mother had once told her that her eyes would be permanently stuck in the wrong position if she kept rolling them so frequently. Meena was fairly certain her mother had been jesting, but she didn’t want to find out.
Continuing down the now empty hall, Meena shook the worry from her mind. Perhaps she would show Celesta some of her favorite secret tunnels today. They could pretend they were spies and sneak around the castle, gathering information. She could even hide a treasure in the tunnel below the old ruins ...
Meena stopped.
She slowly turned around, staring in the direction that Ian, Onric, and Erich had all been heading. Was Erich late for a meeting that involved all three of her brothers?
He had to be.
And of course she hadn’t been invited. They were probably trying to protect her from something as though she was still in her twelfth greenreign and not her eighteenth.
Or had they not invited her because she talked too much?
Meena blinked rapidly, inhaling sharply through her nose. They didn’t say it often, but Meena knew Ian and Aden found her constant chatter annoying. She’d seen the restrained patience in their eyes when she’d tried to join important discussions. Her father probably felt the same way, though his expression would never betray it.
Meena retraced her steps. Her stride was as purposeful as Ian’s now, and she wasn’t even forcing it.
As expected this late in the afternoon, the council room was empty.
She entered it regardless and made her way around the long table which ran the length of the hall. The far side of the room split into a low hallway. Her father often worked in a small study near the council room. It was the perfect place for a moment of peace between important meetings—or for holding more private conversations.
Feeling like a cypher, she quietly made her way down the hall. The door to her father’s study was closed.
Meena instinctively reached for the handle but her hand stopped just short of opening it. She had never before hesitated to bother her father while he worked. For all his stern facial expressions, King Frederich always welcomed her presence. If he was having an important conversation, he would merely ask her to leave and return at a better time—which is exactly what he would do if she burst into a private meeting between him and her brothers that she had not been invited to.
Stealthily hunching her shoulders, Meena sidled past the door and crouched low against the wall on the other side. A real cypher would likely have done a better job of hiding than sitting on the floor of a hallway, but no one came through this hall except to speak to her father. And no one would dare do that if he was in a private meeting. At least she hoped they wouldn’t, but she wasn’t sure if anyone else knew about the private meeting because then it wouldn’t be quite so private. The hallway was empty with nothing else to hide behind, so she didn’t have many options.
Breathing soundlessly through her nose, Meena strained her ears to hear what was being said on the other side of the door.
“They would never believe us.” King Frederich’s voice was quiet and measured, but Meena could still hear her father’s frustration through the wall that separated them.
“We have to try.” That was Onric, ever valiant and straightforward.
“What further proof do you need?” Erich’s voice was loud. Meena could imagine her enthusiastic brother throwing his hand to the side as he asked the question. “My wife can personally confirm everything. Gareth’s treachery, the lies about the Majis, the truth about the harmony magic, and how the Quotidian is using chaos magic in secret.”
“It’s not that simple,” King Frederich responded. “We need more ...” His voice trailed off.
“You don’t believe her.” Erich’s voice had dropped to a lower pitch. “This isn’t about them, it’s about you. You don’t believe us.”
“No.” King Frederich’s voice was so loud, Meena startled in surprise. “No.” He dropped his tone back down. “You have my full trust and support—”
“And my wife?” Erich cut in. “Does she have your full trust and support?”
“Yes. I was referring to both of you.”
“And her people?” Erich continued to push. “The Majis. Are they still your enemy?”
Meena bit her lips closed so the sound of her breath would not pierce the silence that followed Erich’s question.Shebelieved the Majis were no longer their enemy. Aizel’s revelation about the Isle of Exile and the way her people had been enslaved there appalled and angered Meena.
“No. They are not.” King Frederich paused again. “You are fixated on the wrong problem, it is not my trust you need to earn. I cannot approach the other kingdoms without more proof.”
Meena stood. She wanted to burst through the door and tell her father to see reason. He was a kind and just king—Meena truly believed there had never been a better. It made sense to her that the other kingdoms would not immediately accept Aizel’s statements, but surely they could still do something?
“They would believe us if we attacked Gareth first.” Onric’s direct approach made Meena nod.
