“What about the fae army?” said Varian. “If the Firedrake princess calls them, we will be destroyed.”
Darius Detori shook his head and leaned back in his chair. “Varian, Varian, haven’t you heard the latest news? The Drakaar have taken the dwarven fortress at Greygate. The dwarves have already started forging weapons from blackened iron from our earliest shipments and mining efforts. Those weapons will equip Morgana’s army and our own. We have no need to fear the fae anymore.”
Varian’s eyes narrowed. “Greygate is still only one fortress. There are not enough dwarven smiths or forges to make the required weapons. We will need the forges at Stonegate. And Stonegate is impenetrable. King Ranthor will never surrender to the Drakaar. He has always been allied with Silverthorne.”
Darius Detori leaned forward, his voice soft but laced with steel. “Silverthorne is dead,” he spat. “Morgana will make his supporters see the folly in their resistance. Once the fae are defeated, there will be no one to stand in our way. The Detoris will rule the east without fear of Izadora and her army. Soon all kingdoms will be under Morgana’s rule. It is useless to fight her, and the other emirs must be made to see it is a useless proposition to support the Firedrake girl instead of a real queen.”
He pushed back his chair and got up, his jeweled fingers, long and slender, resting lightly on the rough wooden table. “You just make sure I have enough slaves to finish the work, Varian. Remember who you really work for. Once we get rid of that bastard Santino and his father, the Detori family will rule Brandor once more.”
Marcus gestured for us to move. They would be leaving soon, and it was best we were far away when they did. We slipped out the way we came, barely slipping past the guards who stood at the entrance to the tent.
“We have to warn Santino,” I whispered as we headed out of the Black Bazaar through the magical wall and hurried through the brightly colored stalls of the main market square.
“We will,” said Marcus, turning down an alleyway leading back to the citadel.
“Do you think it’s true? That Morgana has attacked the dwarven cities, and Greygate has fallen?”
Marcus shook his head. “I don’t know, but I have a bad feeling about this. Greygate is the southernmost fortress of the dwarves, guarding entrances to their mines and forges. But Stonegate is the capital, where the king resides, with over a hundred forges. If Greygate is already in Morgana’s hands, it is only a matter of time before they go after Stonegate as well. If they get access to those forges, they will be able to create enough weapons to equip their whole army.”
We hurried back to the citadel, entering through the barracks. “Go to Penelope’s room and stay there. Tell her what has happened. We have no idea how many people Varian has working for him in the palace. I will find Santino and let him know.”
“Come,” Penelope said to me after I recounted everything that had just happened. “We must speak with Santino at once.”
I followed Penelope through the mosaic corridors to Santino’s private rooms.
The suite was massive, light, and airy, done up in the Brandorian style with carved ceilings and beautiful mosaic and marble flooring. The reception room contained huge marble pillars creating arches that led out to a private courtyard through white muslin curtains, which fluttered in the summer breeze. A large lotus pond and a marble fountain adorned the center and dispensed water in graceful arcs. Marcus was already there, speaking to Santino in hushed tones.
“Find Tristan and bring him here,” Penelope ordered Marcus.
He nodded and was out the door before she finished.
“You need to take charge of the situation in your kingdom, Santino,” Penelope said, turning to face the pirate prince. “It is imperative you convince your father to close the mines and support Aurora. You cannot let the Detoris come to power.”
Aunt Serena came out of her room. She studied our faces and her eyebrows shot up. “What’s going on here? What is she talking about, Santino?”
“Varian suspects Santino is involved in the recent attacks on his ships,” I elaborated, “and Darius Detori wants him killed.”
Santino’s amber eyes blazed with fury. “Yes, Marcus has informed me of the threat.”
Aunt Serena’s hand went to her throat. “They want to kill Santino?” She moved closer to her husband.
Santino’s anger waned as he beheld his wife and put his arm around her. “I’m glad to see you are feeling better, my love,” he spoke softly.
“You need to strike before they do,” Penelope stated.
Santino started pacing the floor. “The Detoris have been trying to kill my family for decades. It’s nothing new.”
“But they succeeded with your brother, Santino,” said Serena. Fear for her husband’s life showed clearly in her eyes. Santino had told me himself about the bloody civil war that plagued Brandor for decades, and the assassination of his brother Alfonso that caused Santino to return and take up the mantle of his father’s heir, uniting the Brandorian council.
Marcus and Tristan entered with Cade. “The problem is much worse than we thought,” said Marcus as Tristan swiftly shut the door behind him.
Santino’s eyes darkened. “Has there been more news?”
“It is too dangerous to talk here,” said Marcus, looking around. “Varian’s spies are everywhere. And we still have to ascertain who we can trust. For now, that is only the people in this room.”
“I can create a barrier so no one can hear us.” Penelope gathered her magic and hardened the air around the room and courtyard. The sounds from the palace stopped as we were cocooned in a bubble of air.
Marcus wrung his hands. “We have another problem.” He turned to look at me. “I have just received word from
