“I used to meet Laidir in his study,” I said to break the silence. “It was filled with books and contraptions so that there was hardly any room.”
Erendella must have caught something in my expression. “Of late, clutter distracts my father, Lord Dura.”
The doors to the side opened and the king shuffled in with the aid of two of his guards. The alchemist and her assistant came behind him, bearing the polished brazier, but once the king was seated they made no move to light it.
I looked to Erendella. “Why are we here, Your Highness?”
Her eyes flared, and a heartbeat later I realized my affront. I bowed to the king. “Your pardon, Your Majesty. As I’m sure you’re aware, the ways of the nobility are unfamiliar to me.”
Somehow, whether by palsied wave or glance, Boclar communicated his assent to Erendella to answer on his behalf. Her gaze was still hostile when she faced me. “You are here to place your petition before the rest of the kings and queens, Lord Dura,” she said, gesturing to seats around the table. “Please sit. It’s almost time to begin.” She reached into the folds of her dress and pulled out a pink-tinged scrying stone that she placed on a base in the middle of the table. “If all goes well, all seven of the monarchs will be in attendance.”
I bowed without saying the presence of Queen Phidias of Elania was unnecessary. Of the seven rulers, she governed the only country that didn’t border the Darkwater, and while she held a gift and numerous talents, she was also the only monarch who didn’t hold the gift of kings.
We waited, and the time dragged by until I became uncomfortable. “Your Majesty?”
Boclar tried to smile, and a gesture that might have been meant to be placating sent tremors along his arm. Erendella spoke in his stead. “Rymark and Ellias begin the meetings since they hold command of our forces along the Darkwater.”
A hum came from the scrying stone, a vibration that prefaced a voice. “Are we all here?” Rymark’s voice came from the center of the table, diminished by distance.
At a nod from Erendella, the king’s alchemist stepped forward to summon light that filled the room with the sun’s radiance. Once again, I watched the king transform from a man trapped within the eroding confines of his own body to a confident, assured monarch. The fact that all of this seemed to be solely due to the burning of solas powder—the same concoction Myle had given me to fight Cesla’s soldiers—sent my stomach into contortions. I could only come up with one explanation. Sweat beaded and trickled down my back, and I prayed that I was wrong.
One by one, beginning with Ulrezia of Frayel, the kings and queens of the north offered perfunctory greetings. Herregina, on Gael’s left, leaned forward but demurred at the last moment, her gaze calculating. Clever girl. She would wait and take the measure of her fellows before she revealed herself.
Cailin of Collum spoke last. “I am here as regent for my son and rightful heir, Brod.”
“I’ll skip the usual pleasantries and obfuscations,” Rymark said. “We’ve been out maneuvered, Your Majesties. We’ve lost the inner cordon.” Gasps came from the facets of the stone.
Boclar nodded to Erendella, and she came to stand close to me and explained. “King Rymark split his forces to create an inner and outer cordon to shut off the flow of people attempting to gain access to the forest.”
“The forest erupted,” Rymark said. “In a single night, the entire inner ring surrounding it was wiped out almost to a man.”
“The battle is lost, then?” Ulrezia asked.
“Not yet,” King Ellias said, “but anyone who makes it past the outer cordon will have unfettered access to the forest. Cesla will have his reinforcements and he had more under his command than we expected.”
“Why did this attack happen now?” Boclar asked.
“We don’t know,” Rymark said, “but we noticed a change a few days ago in the tenor of our fight, when our main camp was attacked.”
Boclar nodded to his daughter who leaned in to speak to me. “Those who had been turned by the forest concentrated their attack on Kings Rymark and Ellias,” she said, “ignoring Toria Deel and Fess of the Vigil, even though they stood close by.”
Now I understood why Boclar had entertained my story. He already knew Cesla was concentrating his attack on the monarchs. He just hadn’t known why.
“For weeks, Cesla has been practicing a deception, gathering his forces in the forest until he could strike,” Rymark said. “The question becomes what has he been doing all this time? And why has he chosen this time to attack?”
Chapter 51
King Boclar leaned forward. “Perhaps Lord Dura will be able to shed some light on this.”
Rymark’s voice crackled from the stone. “Dura! What is he doing there?”
Boclar smiled. “He was kind enough to accompany Queen Herregina of Aille here to make my acquaintance.”
Voices erupted, each trying to shout over the other, and Boclar gave Herregina a wink. “You’ll discover being queen of Aille entails many duties and few pleasures. On rare occasions, I’ve been able to surprise my brother and sister rulers. I have to admit, I’m probably enjoying this more than I should.”
“What proof do you have that this is the true queen?” Rymark said.
“Lord Dura told me.”
“He told you?” Rymark asked. “That’s it?”
“I have no reason to doubt him, Your Majesty,” Boclar said. “I can guarantee that the unique requirements of his petition preclude deception in this regard.”
“Petition?” Suspicion filled Rymark’s voice.
Before Boclar could speak again, I leaned toward the stone. If the king of Caisel took offense, I would have to offer my humble apologies and hope for the best. “I believe I know why the enemy focused on you and Ellias during the attacks.”
“Of course you do,” Rymark said. “I
