Page 211 of Burn of the Everflame

That, at least, I could give her. And if she wanted me to spend more time pursuing my own goals, as she’d admitted in Fortos, I could give her that, too.

“Is it ready?” Auralie asked, eyeing the paper I held as I approached the healers’ center.

“Not yet. Preparations for the battle yesterday slowed things down.” I took another look at the paper, then folded it up. Besides the men I’d hired, Auralie was the only person I’d told about this secret. “They said they need another month. I offered to pay them double to finish it tomorrow.” I glowered. “They just laughed.”

Auralie covered her mouth to hide her smile. “Money can’t solve every problem, Prince. Some things simply take time.”

I tucked the paper into my pocket. “How is your plan coming along?”

Her smile faded. “The situation is worse than I thought. I went to speak with the other mortals on the governing council about replacing Brant since he left to join Vance. Apparently, they wish to resign, as well.”

I frowned. “All three?”

“I suspect the other two feel guilty for the bribes they took, but Bruno Albanon . . . I can’t tell if he’s resigning out of shame for what Henri did or anger with Diem for how she responded. Henri left Lumnos without telling anyone where he was going, not even Lana. Bruno’s not sure he’ll ever see his son again.”

I glared. “Bruno’s lucky he still has a son at all. Diem could have killed Henri for what he did. She should have.”

Auralie winced. We fell in step beside each other as we walked back to the palace, and I forced my temper to cool.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “Diem told me Henri was close to you, as well. I can only imagine the betrayal you must feel.”

A troubled look passed over her face. “Henri once asked me how I could be married to a man whose values were so different from mine. I told him I couldn’t—I never would have married Andrei if he was the Descended disciple people believed him to be. Andrei cared deeply about protecting the mortals.”

“Did he know you were a Guardian?” I asked.

“We never discussed it. But sometimes . . .” She looked off into the distance. “Andrei occasionally received letters from Fortos asking for advice on coming attacks. He would spread them out on our kitchen table, along with a map of the continent, and draft his response. Then he would yawn and go to bed early, claiming he needed to sleep on the matter before sending his letter back.”

“You think he wanted you to see it?”

Her solemn gaze returned to me. “My Andrei was a disciplined man. He didn’t leave a mess untidied, not even for a night.”

I stopped short of asking whether she ever read them. Auralie Bellator was a woman of immensely strong values, but they did not include respecting anyone’s privacy, including her family’s.

“Did you tell this to Henri?” I asked instead.

“No. Perhaps I should have.” Her expression turned pained. “Perhaps, if I had . . .”

“Don’t,” I interrupted. “It’s bad enough that Diem and Teller blame themselves. You Bellators are too quick to carry the weight of others’ evils on your hearts.”

She threw me a wistful smile. “Well, at least you’ll fit right in.”

My chest clenched. My eyes rose to the distant palace, and I said a silent prayer to the Blessed Mother that my heart would be waiting there when I returned.

“So what are we to do about the council?” I asked.

“I told the others to reconsider their resignations. If they don’t, we’re going to need more votes.”

“The mortals have my vote. Zalaric’s, too. Nidara is less certain. I suspect she would vote how Diem commands, but Diem won’t want to pressure her unless she has no choice.”

I thought for a moment. At the first meeting, the Unhoused Descended had voted with the Twenty Houses, but now that Marthe and Garath had been ousted from the council, there might be a chance to win them back.

I stopped. “Go back to Mortal City. Find every vendor you know who sells their goods to the palace, and tell them the Crown will no longer purchase from anyone who refuses to trade with the Unhoused Descended.”

Her eyes lit up as she worked out my plan. “I’ll send hawks to the mortal farmers near the outer coast, as well. You’ll have Eleanor tell the same to the Descended vendors in Lumnos City?”

“I’ll do it myself, first thing tomorrow. As for today . . .” My gaze turned west. “I think it’s time to take a trip.”

“Faster,” I hissed.