I knew what he was saying was right. It was my duty to hold the kingdom for my father. He would never have wanted Morgana to destroy the kingdom like this. But why was this king helping me? Couldn’t he take over the kingdom himself? I thought all kings were power hungry.
“Your father was a dear friend of mine, Aurora,” said the king, obviously sensing my confusion. “I do not want his legacy to fall to ruins. When my own kingdom was in strife, Azaren was the one who brought troops into Eldoren to quiet the rebels. He was a kind and just man and would have made a wonderful king. I owe it to him to see his daughter restored to her rightful place on the throne of Illiador.”
Hearing the King of Eldoren say all these things really drove the point home. And even though I had decided a while ago not to run from my destiny and to accept my role as queen, I still had doubts as to whether I would be able to succeed in this monumental task. Morgana would not give up her throne easily, and there were no guarantees that I would even survive long enough to sit on the throne. But I was willing to try. I owed my parents that much.
I sat up straighter. “What do I have to do?”
“At the moment, you need to advance your training and strengthen your powers. No one will follow a weak queen. Being a fae-mage will rally many to your cause, but only if you learn to control your magic.”
“If and when Morgana attacks us, I intend to be ready,” I said, now resigned to the idea but sounding more sure than I really was.
Serena got up, came over to me, and hugged me fiercely. “I knew you would soon come to understand your responsibilities.”
“Azaren’s name itself will rally most of the nobles to follow your banner,” said the king, standing up and indicating this meeting was over. “In the meantime, I want you to enjoy yourself here. Just stay within the walls of the palace, and you will be safe for now. I will leave you to meet your uncle. Now that everyone knows your true identity, it is futile to try to hide it.”
Serena stood too and curtsied, and I did the same.
“Know this: you have the support of Eldoren, should you choose to stand against Morgana. After the ball, we can meet with the council.”
“Thank you,” I said simply. What else does one say when someone gives them an army?
The king nodded and opened the door. “We shall see you on the morrow,” he said and left the room.
We followed him, curtsied again, and were led out of the throne room.
People whispered and gave me strange looks. A group of ladies in ostentatious dresses, heavily adorned with jewels, were whispering something about the Duke of Silverthorne.
I followed Aunt Serena to Uncle Gabriel’s rooms to meet him. As we entered, I rushed in and immediately went and hugged my granduncle. I had genuinely missed him, and his big, gruff presence was comforting.
“So!” said Uncle Gabriel, after he hugged me back and sat down next to me. “It seems you have been extremely busy since I have been gone, young lady.” His tone was affectionate.
I smiled. “It was a tough few months, but I’m still here.” I tried to sound flippant. I was relieved. At least he wasn’t shouting at me.
“Yes, you are,” Uncle Gabriel said, narrowing his eyes, “but that does not mean that I approve of your behavior. You showed the extent of your powers to everyone. People have already started talking about you.”
I nodded. I didn’t want to argue; what I had done was stupid. I had revealed myself when I had been told not to. Now I had to deal with the consequences.
“I also heard about your other escapade at the academy,” Uncle Gabriel went on. “Sneaking out of school at night, and with the Blackwaters . . . what were you thinking? I should have warned you about them.” He had an exasperated expression on his face.
“That’s what Rafe said.”
Uncle Gabriel’s lips quirked to one side. “And what else did Rafe say?”
“Nothing.” I flushed and looked down at my feet.
“Well, it was a good thing that he was there to help you,” Uncle Gabriel said with a twinkle in his eye. He raised one bushy eyebrow. “Serena also told me that you were the one who discovered the Blackwaters’ plans.”
I nodded. Now I was really going to get it.
“That was very resourceful of you,” he said, to my utter surprise. “And I am glad that while you were at school you did not forget your responsibilities as a queen. This shows me that you have the potential to recognize a threat and act on your suspicions. Due to your information, we are now aware of Morgana’s plans to collect all four keys. I have alerted the other Guardians. Three keys, including Elial Dekela’s and mine, are secure and hidden in secret locations. Unfortunately, the mage who was entrusted with the fourth key was killed before I could get to him.”
“So Morgana now has one key?”
“Yes,” he said. “I had the Blackwaters’ house searched, but we found nothing. They must have already given it to Lucian. We have spies in Illiador keeping an eye out for that fourth key.”
At least I had done something right, and three of the keys were safe. But one question was still bothering me. “So where is the Book of Abraxas now?”
“In the safest place it could possibly be,” said Uncle Gabriel.
“Which is?”
“It is better you
