“Thanks to Gylvain,” Michael said. “We are in debt to him for rescuing us from the goblins.”
“Then you are in debt to me, for it was I who sent him,” Fhileraene replied with a smile. Seeing their confused expressions, he went on to explain. “Little goes on within my realm of which I am unaware,” he said. “Intelligence had reached me that goblin raiders out of Thurazor had been spotted traveling through the Aelvinnwode, heading south.
They were taking a great risk going through my lands. I wondered what could justify such a risk. Now I know. They had captured quite a prize.”
“Well, we are very grateful to you, Your Highness,” Aedan said.
“Thanks to you, that prize has been denied them. And as soon as we return to Seaharrow, we shall make certain-“
“You shall not be going back to Seaharrow,” Fhileraene said, cutting him off. “At the moment, I do not think that would be prudent.”
Aedan simply stared at him. Had they been rescued from the goblins only to be held for ransom by the elves? “Forgive me, Your Highness,” Aedan said, “I … I fear I do not understand.”
Michael was more direct. “Are we your prisoners?”
“Why, not at all,” the elven prince replied with genuine surprise.
“You are honored guests, free to move about Tuarhievel as you please.
However, I
feel myself responsible for your safety, as you are now in my domain.
And if you were to return to Seaharrow right now, chances are that you would almost certainly be killed.”
“Killed!” Michael said in a tone of outrage. “By whom?”
“By the man who even now is in the process of seizing the Iron Throne,”
Fhileraene replied calmly.
“Lord Arwyn, the Archduke of Boeruine.”
**chapter five**
“You lie!” Michael shouted angrily before Aedan could stop him. “Lord Arwyn would never dare attempt such treason, not while my father lives!”
Aedan grabbed him by the arm and squeezed hard, causing Michael to gasp with surprise and pain. Fhileraene’s face clouded over, but he kept his calm.
“You would do well, Your Highness, to remember that you are not in your own empire here. In fact, at this point, it does not even appear as if you may even have an empire. However, thus far, you have been treated with the respect due to your rank and station. If you wish that to continue, I expect you to return the courtesy.”
Aedan held on to Michael’s arm and gave him a warning look, then turned to Fhileraene and said, “Please forgive the outburst, Your Highness.
It is just that you have given us some shocking news, if indeed your information is accurate.”
Fhileraene nodded. “You may rest assured it is,” he said. “Emperor Hadrian has died, and the Archduke of Boeruine has not wasted any time putting his plans in motion.”
Michael looked stricken at the news. He shook his head and softly murmured, “No … It cannot be!”
“I am sorry for your loss, Your Highness,” said Fhileraene, “but surely, you must have been prepared for this eventuality. After all, your father was very old, by human standards, and has long been in poor health. You see, I make it my business to know which way the wind blows in the Aelvinnwode and the surrounding territories. This move by Arwyn of Boeruine does not really come as a surprise. There have long been rumors of his intriguing with Thurazor, and there are other forces at work in these events, powerful forces of which you are not yet aware.
You are at the heart of a situation not of your own making, but it shall be up to you to make the best of it.”
“Meaning no disrespect, Your Highness, but why should you care what happens to the throne of Anuire?” asked Aedan. ‘Or to us, for that matter?”
“A fair question,” Prince Fhileraene replied, nodding. “It is true I have little reason to love your human empire, but of necessity, I have had to learn to live with it. With Hadrian on the Iron Throne, elf and human were able to regard one another with some tolerance. The peace between us has not
always been an easy one, but with the exception of isolated incidents, it has been kept. I labor under no misapprehensions that this would continue with Arwyn of Boeruine in power.”
Those “incidents” to which he was referring so disingenuously, Aedan thought, involved none other than his own great-grandfather, Rhuobhe Manslayer, whose bitter hatred of humans ensured he would never tolerate them, much less keep peace with the empire.
“The Archduke of Boeruine’s ambition is boundless,” Fhileraene continued, “and that makes him dangerous to us. He treats with our enemies and conspires against us. We have no desire to see his bid for power succeed.”
“So then you help us merely to bring down Lord Arwyn?” Aedan said.
“That alone would be no mere thing,” Fhileraene replied. “However, there are still other factors that would serve my interests in this situation.”
It all suddenly became clear to Aedan. If what he said were true, and Aedan could think of no reason Fhileraene would lie, Arwyn of Boeruine had committed himself, and now there could be no turning back. He probably would never have dared go so far if he had not already mustered up support for his claim to the throne. Apparently, Lord Arwyn had been intriguing with more than just the goblins of T’hurazor.
How many secret alliances had he already forged among the nobles of the empire? How long had this been going on? He must have been planning it for years, waiting only for the
