Considering the grandeur of the city and the palace we strode toward, it also seemed like the Sirrushi were no longer as numerous as they had been. A settlement this large could house tens of thousands of them, maybe more.
The palace was not the tall, spired castle that I had grown used to seeing in movies and games. Rather, it was a broad and powerful thing. Each of the three main towers was perhaps fifty feet tall and a few hundred feet wide. The central tower was even larger still.
The stones that made up the structures looked to be as big as wagons, and dozens of arched windows lit the facade with lamps of various colors.
Inside, staircases stretched up to either side of the building, but we continued on and through the antechamber. In the heart of the palace, we came to a room that was so large it must have taken up most of the central tower.
No piles of gold and treasure greeted us, just a few terse guards. At the very end, lounging on a wide tablet of marble, lay a wyvern so grand and powerful it could only be the matriarch.
Harnoth urged us forward. “These are the invaders, Mother. They have been healed by Chiani and await your sentence.”
Pachi said to me mentally, He speaks lies. We did not invade but were invited. And we wish them no ill.
I looked over to her and walked forward at her side. I know. We are in their hands, though. Let’s just hope for the best, okay?
Behind us, a file of aging wyverns followed, each draped with velvet blankets that must’ve passed for a cloak to the Sirrushi. I marveled at their varying sizes. The queen was perhaps fifty feet long in body, and her curled tail was beyond my guess. But many of these ancient beings were barely bigger than Pachi.
One of the elders came forward beside Pachi and I, passing a cold eye over us, and said, “Queen Matriarch. The council has been informed and will respect your decision on this matter. We wish only to tell you that we are… hesitant to overlook such an intrusion.”
The queen looked at us, her eyes glittering like enormous gemstones, “Thank you, Sethrius. I have heard the council. Now, I have been told many things. My advisers told me that our timeless sanctuary has been invaded, that the elves have come to spy on our horde only to report back and send their armies to steal the gems we so cherish.”
I opened my mouth to speak, yet the queen was not yet finished. She continued after regarding our reactions, saying, “I have also been told that the two of your saved one of my sons from the torments of a shestoni beast. Why are you here and what are your intentions?”
A hush fell over those assembled and even Pachi looked back to me. I was the one who would speak, but I didn’t have to enjoy it.
I stepped forward and opened my mouth. Remember how to address her, Pachi reminded me a second before I ruined the moment.
Snapping my mouth shut again, I coughed, then tried again. “Queen Matriarch of the Sirrushi wyverns. Thank you for meeting with us. I have never spoken with a queen before, so please excuse my nerves.”
The creature before me nodded her head gravely and waited for me to continue.
I told the queen about the ranger’s council, the Rat King’s many incursions, our camp in the glade to the north, and the finding of the shattered altar near the heated pool. Ending with the cave troll fight, I argued that Quelten be forgiven for inviting us here. “Please do not be angry with him. It was noble that he offered to help us. Would it not be wrong to accept aid when needed, then refuse to help those who came in a time of need?”
The elder who had spoken for the council hissed at me as I ended my speech. “Do not question the Queen Matriarch. If you do so again, I will eat you myself.”
Pachi growled, the thick ruff on her back rising.
“All is well,” the queen said, and the murmuring that had begun ceased. Pachi fidgeted a moment but went still as well. “We know of the betrayal of our cousins, the Fafniri. It is terrible news. Their leader, Anwar, has left his halls and their horde is scattered and abroad.”
I swallowed hard, hoping what I was about to reveal wouldn’t get Pachi and I skinned and thrown into the lake as fish food. “Anwar Flamestar is dead.”
A cascade of hissing and a few roars filled the chamber with noise. The queen’s eyes went wide and she bared her teeth. “Silence!” Again, those in attendance stilled their talons and their tongues. “How could one so old and mighty fall? Surely this Rat King could not wield such power.”
I tried to explain, “No, Queen Matriarch. Alysand Deschaney slew Anwar when he admitted his alliance with the Rat King. He is a gunsinger, a bullet bard.”
“We know of Sir Alysand. If he killed Anwar then I trust there was no other option. I had hoped that only a few of the Fafniri tribes had betrayed the rest. That Anwar knew and approved is dire news.” The queen paused and her great eyes flicked about the room as she thought. Then she spoke again, her head leaning close enough to me that I felt my hair stir from her breath. “I assume, then, that the Doondane seek our aid in this coming war?”
I just nodded, confirming her suspicions.
The elder raised a paw and the queen looked to him. “The council does not feel we should expend our strength to aid those who haven’t been allies in over a century. Why should we send our warriors to die? Why not let the Doondane fight on their own?”
The queen snapped back, “They were allies once, long ago.” Then she turned to me and said, “The ruins
