Pyrenee was whom they’d expected, yes? Basilica had the elderly king—Geneva’s grandfather. Domingu—the man who stabbed his brother on their father’s deathbed to claim his crown.
“Yes, Domingu’s seal, and addressed to the Crown, not to you specifically. It must have been sent before your coronation.” The QueenMother’s agitation was clear. “No news is ever good news from that man. Well? Open it, open it!”
Ferdinand accepted the scroll and examined it. He broke the seal, surprised that his mother had not already done so. Perhaps she was trying to uphold appearances before the Royal Council. The king unfurled the parchment and began to read.
“The sovereign Kingdom of Basilica is saddened to announce the death of Queen Nania.”
A gasp from Garbine. “She was but a child!”
The Queen Mother shook her head, grave. “Given my grandfather’s predilections, I assure you it was not anaturaldeath.” To Ferdinand she asked, “Is there more?”
Satordi pinched the bridge of his nose. “Likely there is the rest of his plan, Your Highness.”
That there was. Ferdinand continued.
“Though we mourn, the Kingdom is honored and delighted to announce the joyful nuptials of our esteemed King Domingu and Dowager Queen Inés, regent to the Kingdom of Pyrenee, long may they both reign. The ceremony will take place on the twelfth day of summer at the chapel on the grounds of the Aragonesti.”
As Ferdinand’s voice died into the afternoon air, silence hung for a long moment while the shadows crept in from the corners. Ferdinand’s mind rang with Amarande’s words from the night she returned to the Itspi, covered in Renard’s blood.
Renard believed his mother to be making moves in a concerted effort to steal his ascension to the throne.
The plan was clear now:
Remove the heir—Renard.
Marry a king—Domingu.
Join two thrones—Pyrenee and Basilica—for control of two of the four standing kingdoms in the Sand and Sky.
Ferdinand’s mind raced. Poison a king and destabilize a rival kingdom? Could that have been part of the plan? With the Warrior King dead and Ardenia headless unless Amarande married, Ardenia would have been easy pickings. Until he arrived.
“The twelfth day of summer… is tonight,” Joseba confirmed, squinting across the grounds as if he could see Basilica, in the distance, though it was more than a hundred miles to the south.
Geneva drew in a long breath and began pacing across an open section of the balcony. As she passed him, Ferdinand caught the words she muttered under her breath. “Pure Domingu. And, it appears Inés has finally made her move.”
Satordi reached for the letter and Ferdinand let him have it. “Is Ardenia not invited to the wedding? That is most unusual.”
The king shook his head. “This isn’t an invitation, it’s an announcement.”
“It is clear Renard was correct about his mother’s ambitions—Inés and Domingu likely struck this deal within our walls as her sons dove into the Torrent after Amarande’s disappearance,” Satordi said, his dark eyes skimming the lines of text as if he could see what had happened between them while the whole of the Itspi was distracted.
Geneva nodded. “Her ambitions are one thing but Domingu does not do anything for love, and none of his wives have died by chance. Everything is calculated. Inés is simply his latest avenue to his lifelong aim: to unite the continent under one rule—his.”
Ferdinand had heard his mother’s speculations more than once—but… “But if Taillefer lives—and gains the crown by forcing Amarande into marriage as Renard tried to—Domingu has no claim over Pyrenee, married to Inés or not.”
“Domingu will find another way—by blood or conquest. And once he claims Pyrenee, Ardenia will be next.” Geneva’s eyes flashed to Ferdinand. “Our first priority is keeping you safe. General Koldo did not agree to draw in our troops from the borders, but there’s no time to waste. We must recall them.”
It was a clear order from the Queen Mother, bypassing the king himself. Satordi did not question it, only clarified. “I agree with the Queen Mother. The moment Inés and Domingu marry, it means the end of the balance of the Sand and Sky as we know it. It is the Torrent all over again. We must prepare.”
“It is likely best to draw from the border of Myrcell,” Joseba added. “We should leave men at the borders of immediate concern—Basilica and Pyrenee.”
“Fine. Yes. War is no longer a question. Primary or secondary target, it matters not—we are a target.” At Geneva’s words, Ferdinand’s objections shriveled in his throat—his mother’s voice was as firm as it had been in their previous life, when she ruled with an iron fistforged in fear and flame. “Fortify the the castle with a mile’s worth of men and do it quickly.”
With that, the other councilors turned for the door. As Geneva made to leave as well, Ferdinand caught her arm.
“Mother, wait.” He gazed down into her fierce blue eyes and saw the woman who, night after night, presided over the blaze of the fire pit, never once showing mercy to those who were marched to the ashes as kindling. He would not question her order for soldiers, though he sided with Koldo’s reasoning on leaving them at the border, but he could not leave his sister unaddressed. “What about Amarande? If we leave her out there, she is a pawn.”
“She was always a pawn, a shield, a threat—depending on whose side you were on. I cannot change what Amarande is. And now it does not matter.”
