Aunt Serena got up. “Is Erien all right?”
Marcus glanced at her and nodded. “For now.” He looked like he wanted to say something more but didn’t.
“What happened?” I asked.
“After Silverthorne’s execution . . .” said Marcus.
Aunt Serena made a small distressed sound.
Marcus hesitated a moment and looked at Santino, who nodded. “Go on.” He put his arm around his wife.
“The archmage has moved the whole court to Caeleron Castle because it is better fortified, and the children are now being held in the castle dungeons.”
I started to pace in front of him. “There must be something we can do for those children. We can’t let them remain there. What if they’re hurt?”
“There is nothing we can do for them from here,” said Penelope.
“There is more,” Marcus said.
I stopped pacing.
“Brandon Delacourt has already married Calisto in a private ceremony, and now he intends to have a coronation and crown himself king.”
My eyes widened. “Already?”
“And the best place to do it is Caeleron Castle,” Penelope interrupted. “Eldoren’s true seat of power. Every King of Eldoren has been crowned there.”
Marcus nodded. “Exactly.”
“Clever bastard,” said Santino, his face hard as stone.
“Yes, he is even more diabolical than we thought,” said Marcus, his face grim. “Delacourt has given Prince Rafael an ultimatum: surrender himself before the coronation and voluntarily give up his crown, or the archmage will have the children executed. One every day, from the day of the coronation until Rafael gives in.”
I paled, dread pooling in my stomach. “When is the coronation?”
“Three days from now,” Marcus answered.
“We have to do something. We must help them. Help Rafe. We can’t let Delacourt take his crown, and we cannot stand idly by and let him hurt innocent children.”
“You will never get there in time,” said Marcus, defeated. “If Prince Rafael gives up his crown voluntarily, no one can dispute Brandon’s claim to the throne.”
Penelope strode over to me and put her hand on my arm. “There is nothing you can do, Aurora. Rafe will not let anything happen to those children. He will have no choice but to surrender.”
“That is hardly reassuring,” I snapped.
“Delacourt has promised to let the children go back to their families once Rafael is in custody,” Marcus offered.
“How do you know Delacourt will keep to the bargain?” I inquired, my hands on my hips. “He will have Rafe killed once he gets his hands on him. Delacourt is never going to let him live.”
“Your grandmother has forbidden you from interfering in the affairs of Eldoren, Aurora,” said Tristan pointedly. “Our first priority has to be finding Andromeda, getting the book out of her clutches, and retrieving the Dagger.”
I glared at Tristan. “I don’t care what my grandmother said. I have to do something.” My mind was made up, and I would not let them sway me to the road of caution again. Sometimes the only answer was to take a risk. I could not turn my back on those children. I might not be able to help the slaves in Brandor, but I knew I could help the children of Eldoren if I could find a way into the castle without getting caught.
It was easier said than done, but I had to try. I gathered my courage and pushed my shoulders back as I faced Tristan, staring him down. “I can’t go with you to find Andromeda.”
Tristan’s sapphire eyes narrowed, swirling with silver sparks. “What do you mean?”
I held his gaze and hoped he understood why I had to do this. “Cade, Penelope, and you are far more capable of tracking and finding Andromeda and the book. But who is going to help the poor children that have been taken hostage by Delacourt? I cannot allow Rafe to lose his crown. I owe it to him to make things right. I’m sorry, Tristan. I have to go to Eldoren first.”
“Of course you do,” Tristan sneered, his lips curling up in a snarl I hadn’t seen in a long time. “You need to help your precious Prince Rafael.”
“That’s not why I am doing this.” My hands balled into fists. I wasn’t entirely sure he was wrong. I hated being in this position, and I didn’t like what it was doing to our friendship, but there was nothing I could do about it right now.
Tristan crossed his arms. “And how do you plan on getting there? The skies around Eldoren will be swarming with gorgoths. Your pegasus might be able to outrun them, but she isn’t even here. It takes just one to catch you off guard, and you will be dead.”
“Better dead than a coward,” I said tartly.
Tristan stalked up to me, so close that our noses were almost touching. “You think I’m a coward?” he growled softly.
My heartbeat sped up, but my voice was a whisper. “I never said that.”
Penelope held up her hand and stepped between us. “Stop it, you two.” Her eyes flashed dangerously as she looked from Tristan to me, and he moved away.
“Izadora has forbidden any of us to help Rafael. But I agree with you, Aurora. Delacourt has gone too far—he must be stopped. I think we should speak to Izadora together and see what we can do to rescue the children,” Penelope suggested to my surprise. She turned to Serena. “Do you have a mirror I can use?”
Serena led us to her room, where a large gilded mirror lay along one wall.
Penelope warded Serena’s room with magic as well, so we couldn’t be overheard, and opened a mirror portal. My grandmother came into view.
“So,” said the fae queen. Her eyebrows rose. “We have an audience.”
Santino bowed. “You honor us, Your Majesty.”
Izadora’s eyes flashed, flickering like golden flames as she surveyed the group. Her gaze settled on Penelope. “Do we have a problem, sister?”
Penelope nodded and quickly recounted what we had learned so far.
Izadora listened patiently until Penelope finished. “And of course my dear granddaughter wants to run off to Eldoren to rescue the children.”
Penelope gave me a slash of a smile.
“A fine sentiment,” said the fae queen.
