Varian shook his turbaned head. “No, Your Excellency. I will make inquiries.”
“You must make sure those mines are closed down,” said Penelope. “I don’t need to remind you of the conditions of the treaty between Brandor and Elfi.”
Varian made a snorting noise. “These are probably just rumors. The emirs of Brandor have always adhered to the treaty. Even though not all the fae have done the same.” He stole a quick look at Tristan.
“I will speak with the other emirs,” said Roderigo Valasis, tapping his bejeweled fingers on the arm of his silver throne. “We have all heard the stories whispered around the campfires at night; fantastic tales of the legendary Dawnstar who will rid Avalonia of darkness. And now that the warriors of Elfi follow you—” he shot a quick glance at Tristan, “—I am prepared to support you in your quest to restore your throne. If the other emirs agree, of course.” He paused. “If the Detoris have broken the treaty and opened the mines, I will make sure they are punished. I have called a meeting in a few days, so you can address them yourself, and we can make our preparations.”
But the little chancellor’s eyes narrowed as he stepped forward. His dark, beady glare flashed as he looked down his bulbous nose at me and addressed the emir. “I am inclined to believe these stories are exactly that—mere stories, Your Excellency. No one can be so powerful. You know how stories spread and distort into something they are not.” Varian flashed me a sly smile. “Morgana has proven time and time again how much power she has, and we have seen that she has the resources to follow up on her threats.”
Penelope clasped her hands in front of her and addressed the emir, ignoring the chancellor. She got straight to the heart of the matter. “Izadora was betrayed, and that’s how Morgana found a way into Elfi. Now the Book of Abraxas is gone. Once she opens it, she will free the Dark Lord from his prison.” She paused, and Varian’s eyes darkened considerably as they stared each other down. Penelope did not flinch. “When Dragath is free your only hope will be to stand with us. The High Fae follow Aurora, and so should Brandor.”
Varian tore his gaze from Penelope and smiled at his emir, but the expression did not reach his eyes. For a second, he reminded me of Lucian, with a dangerous darkness lurking beneath the surface. I would have to be careful of Varian.
“Dragath is a myth,” the chancellor replied. “Everybody knows that. You come to us with stories of mythical weapons and demon lords and expect us to blindly follow you into battle?”
Emir Valasis rubbed his bearded chin as he glanced at Varian. His eyes were wary and distrustful as always, and a shrewd grin emerged as he chose to keep quiet and let his chancellor speak.
“The last time you were in Brandor, the Drakaar nearly destroyed the whole citadel. If it weren’t for the fae queen’s warriors, they would have.” Varian stole a wary glance at Tristan. “Now you are back with nothing more than empty promises. Where is your fae army? Where is your dragon? All I have seen so far is one High Fae warrior. Formidable as he may be, he is not an army.”
My eyes narrowed as I flicked a glance at Tristan. “That’s what you think.”
My ring glowed faintly as Abraxas spoke in my head. “Do you need me?”
“Not yet,” I said through our bond. “But thank you. It’s good to know you are around.”
“Now, now, Varian,” said the emir placatingly. “I’m quite confident that the Drakaar will not be foolish enough to attack the fortress while Prince Tristan is in residence.”
Varian walked slowly down the steps toward us, his big green-and-gold turban perched precariously on top of his head, and stopped before me. “Morgana promised to leave the citizens of Brandor alone, and she has kept her promise.”
Santino stepped up to stand beside me. “She did not keep her promise, Varian.” He snarled the name. “Three villages were completely destroyed along their route.”
Varian paused and his dark eyes narrowed. “An unfortunate occurrence,” he said finally. “But those were small outlying villages, and most of those who died were commoners and slaves, so it doesn’t affect us much. That is the cost of war.”
I pushed my shoulders back as he mentioned slaves. “That is another issue that needs to be addressed.”
Penelope came closer and whispered in my ear, “Not now.”
I brushed her off and stepped closer to the throne. “The practice of slavery in your kingdom is barbaric.” I glanced at Santino, who kept quiet and let me continue. “Something must be done to stop this.”
“And what do you want us to do?” said Varian with a sneer. “Send all the slaves home and tend to the work ourselves?”
“You could pay servants to work for you, like in the other kingdoms,” I said, crossing my arms. I wouldn’t let him faze me. “There are other ways to tend your needs. Business and otherwise.”
“Half our livelihood and trade depends on the work slaves do. If we were to abolish slavery now and ask the merchants to pay them—” Varian spat out the word as if it were dirty, “—the people would revolt. You would reduce our economy to nothing.”
“Varian,” said the emir sharply, ending the topic and getting up from his throne. “I’m sure we can discuss this another time. The princess and her companions are our guests. I think we should consider what she has to say.” He looked at me. “I will investigate the issue of the mines further, and I assure you if the Detoris are working against the Council, they will be punished. The matter of slaves is more complicated, but we can have a meeting to discuss it further. Until then, Varian—” he looked at his chancellor, “—they are our guests here at the citadel. Make sure they are treated as such.”
Varian
