I left Labu to heal and dashed over to the pillars while I hurled thorns at the final angler. They were just enough to catch the beast’s attention, and it turned to face my charge. The move was too slow to save it. I brought the Sundered Heart around in a swing that split the angler along its jaw. Without fire surrounding the blade, the death-dealing blow didn’t cauterize, and blood streamed out of the monster as it slumped onto the tiles.
The room was still. All the enemies were dead.
My comrades caught their breath as I rinsed the Sundered Heart and sheathed it. King Beqai sat on his throne, as unmoving as he’d been while his people fought for him.
I had to wonder: what sort of leader did that?
I picked up the body of the last angler, hauled it across the room, and dumped it at Beqai’s feet.
“Your Majesty,” I said in a clear voice. “My name is Ethan Murphy lo Pashat, and I respectfully request an audience with you.”
Beqai stirred at last. I was still thrown by a man who looked human, but from the waist-down, was some kind of tentacled monster. Except he didn’t look terrifying. He looked old, sick, and despondent.
One tentacle tapped idly in the water as he lowered his gaze to stare at the body and then me. His expression was one of bemusement, but he didn’t speak.
Labu marched over to me, and his knuckles whitened around his spear. “How dare you, outsider?” he hissed. “I could have felled these anglers without your meddling. You have dishonored me in front of my father.”
I pointed at the golden glow on his chest and the wounds as they healed beneath it. “I saved your life, esteemed Prince.”
“You dishonor yourself and your clan by stepping into the palace,” Labu spat. “You are just as much an invader as these vampiric anglers.”
“Would you rather I hadn’t?”
Labu seethed at me as his mouth worked for an answer.
While he was busy overworking his brain and the king still sat silently on his throne, I turned to Vesma. She stood at the edge of the hall so that she could look out across the city from the palace stairs.
“How is it down there?” I asked.
“Over,” she replied. “We won.”
Kumi approached the throne and bowed her head before speaking. “Father,” she said, her voice edged with concern. “The monsters are vanquished. I believe the guild sent them here. I don’t know how they managed to control the creatures, but I’m sure it was them.”
Labu snorted. “You blame the guild for everything, Sister.”
Still, the king was silent. I’d only ever visited a nursing home on a school field trip, but I was getting similar vibes from old Beqai.
I faced him again and bowed as deeply as I could while still encased in ice armor. “Your Majesty, will you hear a message from the Radiant Dragon Guild? I offer my respects and bring the greetings of my master, Xilarion.”
The mention of Xilarion seemed to break through the haze, and Beqai’s face moved for the first time, nodding slowly. His hand reached up to his face, and his fingers curled through his beard.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Ethan Murphy lo Pashat.” His voice was deep but cracked with age. “And to hear from my old friend Xilarion. But someone please tell me, what has happened here?”
“Father, the city has been attacked by a horde of water beasts,” Kumi said, her father obviously oblivious to the first time she’d mentioned it. “The Resplendent Tears Guild has clearly driven them out of the Vigorous Zones to attack us. First our farms, and now, this. And there is the matter of the Wild Isles. I believe they are also responsible for causing problems there.”
Beqai’s already wrinkled face crumpled further as he frowned and slowly shook his head. His hair and beard rustled against his skin. “The member of the guild are our friends and neighbors. They would never do such a thing.”
“The old guild might not have,” Kumi said. “The guild you knew when you came to the throne. But things have changed. Horix would not flinch from any act that might increase his power, or that of the guild.”
Beqai’s frown deepened. “Horix is an old friend. For all that the currents of life had swept us apart, I struggle to believe that he would do this.” He turned his attention to Labu. “My son, the stream of your life flows through the waters of Resplendent Tears. Do you believe that they did this thing?”
Labu stood in proud silence before his father and showed no weakness despite his injuries.
I continued to listen as I knelt beside a fallen soldier and gently pulled his eyes closed.
“The guild would not commit a crime like this,” the prince said finally. “The Vigorous Zones must have grown stronger after the last reaping. We are killing too many monsters. The sea’s magical heart is becoming stronger at too rapid a rate. It’s unsustainable. We must hold back on farming for cores to prevent this from happening again.”
Kumi threw her hands in the air. “Even if core farming is the problem, that still comes back to the guild! They’re the ones grasping for more and more power, scouring the Vigorous Zones for every scrap of magic they can take. Either they’re gaining the power to launch attacks on us, or they’re driving the zones into a frenzy and letting us suffer the consequences. Brother, why aren’t you doing your job at the guild and reeling in these power-hungry Augmenters? You are our emissary!”
Labu didn’t even look at his sister. He remained stiff-backed and formal, his attention focused on his father. “My sister forgets the vital role that trained Augmenters
