“I’m glad you caught him,” I said. “The last thing you need is to worry about some traitor in your ranks. Especially as I’m about to ask you to take a step back from your duties with the Hand.”
He frowns. “What do you mean? Why would I do that?”
“Because there’s somewhere I think you’re needed more—a job only you can do,” I say, taking a deep breath. “You once told me to forget about my doubts and focus on the throne. You said Ihadto become queen. Well, now I’m ready to do that, but you have to help me.”
“Okay…” Harman sounds wary. “What did you have in mind?”
“Once we find the seal, we’ll need to move quickly. My powers are back now—I can fight Oclanna and I’m confident I’ll win, but I can’t just go charging into Elmere and challenge my aunt.”
“You need council backing,” Harman says, with dawning understanding.
He knows that anyone with a claim to the throne can legally challenge the existing monarchifthey’re backed by at least one member of the monarch’s council.
“You’re my brother, Harman. You’re the son of the former king and a noblewoman known for her role in politics. I can’t think of anyone better to go to Elmere and find the council member willing to back me.”
“Morgana,” Harman raises his hands, backing away from me. “I’m a criminal, arebel, not some diplomat.”
“Except you’ve spent your whole life forging relationships and making connections. And, criminal or not, let’s face it, you know that world. They’ll recognize you as one of them. You’re already known to some of our father’s old friends at court. That should get your foot in the door. Then you can start quietly laying the groundwork for my challenge against Oclanna.”
Harman stares at me. “There’s something different about you,” he says. “You’re more…I don’t know. A month ago, I think you would’ve felt too guilty to ask me for this.”
I shift uncomfortably, recalling my conversation with Leon about my lack of guilt in other areas. Is Harman seeing the darkness within me?
“We’ll never bring Caledon down without control over Trova’s armies,” I point out. “I must be recognized as queen, and to dothat,I need a legitimate challenge. This is more important than anything, barring our search for the tokens. Am I wrong?”
Harman shakes his head. “No, you’re not wrong. I’m just admiring your newfound ruthlessness.” His tone says he’s joking, but the words hit home anyway.
“I saw my soul mate get ripped from this world,” I say, as calmly as I can manage. “And then I had to break the rules of life and death to bring him back. I’m done playing nice.”
Harman shrugs. “Fine by me. I left any notion of fairness behind when I watched the Temple burn my mentor alive.”
We look at each other for a moment, letting our matching desire for revenge sit between us.
“So you’ll go?” I ask eventually.
“It’s time we built up our network in the capital,” he admits. “And I do seem to have a knack for feeling out where people’s sympathies lie.”
“We need two things,” I explain. “The first is some evidence of how Oclanna organized my parents’ murder. My guess is the assassin was human—probably the same person Leon caught trying to killme. But they managed to frame the fae for their deaths. It’s not that hard to imagine how they could have gotten a Filusian knife, but I’m still not sure how they faked the traces of fae magic Oclanna said were in the room where they were murdered.”
“That would mean organizing help from someone outside the palace,” Harman says, nodding. “I’m guessing the second thing is finding some nobles unhappy with the current state of politics—particularly someone with the ear of anyone on the council?”
“Yes,” I say. “It’s not safe to approach the council members directly, but Corrin and Damia gave me a few names of nobles they reckon might not feel so warmly toward my aunt.”
“Or so negatively about the rogue princess,” Harman finishes. He looks resigned. He knows we need this, but he’s obviouslyunhappy at the prospect of swapping his rebel cap for that of a political schemer.
“But I haven’t told you the best bit yet,” I say.
He raises an eyebrow. “Isthere a best bit?”
“Of course. If you’re going to be trying to root out Oclanna’s collaborators and witnesses to her crimes, then you’re going to need someone who’s good at getting the truth out of people.”
Harman breaks into a smile that lights up the room. “You’re saying I can take Alastor with me?”
I return his smile. “I’m saying once he got wind of where I wanted to send you, Ralus himself couldn’t stop him coming along.”
Chapter 16
Damia
