I barely kept my mouth from popping open. “But I only received the invitation this morning! Are you telling me the message has already passed from Wardell to his family and from them to your mother and grandfather? And the queen and General Haddon considered the issue of enough import to use communication compositions to complain to you? All because I agreed to spend Midwinter at Ashlyn’s home?”
Darius shook his head, his impatience clear. “Not because you agreed to spend Midwinter with Ashlyn. You agreed to attend a large Midwinter celebration hosted by one of my father’s greatest supporters—no doubt with your retinue of energy mages trailing behind. Apparently my father has suggested he may now attend himself.”
I swallowed. After a lifetime of court politics, I could read a great many of the unspoken nuances behind his words.
I had guessed correctly that Ashlyn’s invitation had come from her family rather than her, but I had obviously missed some underlying subtlety. Perhaps one relating to why I had been previously ignored for so long.
How much of this had to do with what Darius referred to as my retinue? I hadn’t realized that in the general perception the energy mages were allied behind me. But I could see how such an impression had arisen.
Energy mages were scarce in Kallorway. Having two choose to attend their Academy this year must have been something of a coup. But their apparent allegiance to me put that decision in a different light. And, at least in the case of Bryony, it was true that her attendance had been because of my own.
As long as the energy mages remained in the Empire, they stood apart from the politics between the two southern kingdoms. But I could see why Kallorway might be starting to grow concerned as some of their number drifted south—almost exclusively into Ardann. My kingdom already had my family to bolster their strength, and I could only imagine how the threat of us increasing our power might overset whatever delicate balances had been achieved in the Kallorwegian court.
In Ardann, the crown always hosted a Midwinter event at the palace, and invitations were a sign of honor and prestige. I had heard it was the same in Kallorway. For the king himself not to attend the event—choosing instead to honor a private ball which would no doubt include only his supporters…
The various ramifications ran through my mind at a headlong pace. No wonder the queen was furious.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I was caught off guard by Ashlyn’s invitation and didn’t think it through.” I shook my head. “I should have known better.”
A strange look crossed Darius’s face. It was almost like a softening, as if my apology had been unexpected enough to catch him off guard.
“I don’t know why I came here.” He surged to his feet. “The damage is done, and it will be left to me to try to fix it—as always.”
He strode across the room, nearly making it through the open doorway before I managed to intercept him. I did so with a hand on his arm, and the touch made him freeze, his eyes dropping to where my fingers curled over his forearm.
For a moment we stood locked in place, and I could feel the tension in his muscles beneath my touch. Then I remembered who he was and dropped my hand. He released his breath.
“Wait,” I said. “This was my mistake. Let me fix it.”
He laughed, a harsh and mocking sound. “How could you fix it?”
“Give me a chance,” I said. “Just one day, if you like.”
He hesitated, his gaze on my face.
I put my chin up. “I am a princess, remember. I grew up in a court, just like you.”
He barked out another laugh that held no hint of humor. “Just like me? I think not, Verene. What do you know of pressure with your pretty, united court and your strong queen? The court in Corrin is child’s play compared to the court in Kallmon—thanks to your family.”
I bristled. “Thanks to my family? Thanks to your father and his father before him, you mean. They are the ones who brought war to the south for thirty long years.”
“Indeed,” Darius said, the ice back in his voice. “And we are never to be allowed to forget it.”
I raised a haughty eyebrow. “Never? No one has sealed your power, Crown Prince, or that of our year mates. A new generation is coming.”
“Yes.” The word came out low and fierce. “And I am never to be allowed to forget that either. I repeat that you know nothing of pressure, Princess.”
I fought back the sympathy that rose in me, anger and frustration helping push it back down.
“You think I know nothing of pressure? What do you know of my life? You think it’s hard to have too much strength compared to those around you? Imagine what it’s like to have none! Imagine, if you can, what it is like to have the greatest mage who ever lived as your mother, and to know every day of your life that you are nothing but a disappointment. There are many types of pressure, Prince.”
I deflated, as if pricked by a pin, my swirling emotions draining away and leaving ice of my own in their wake.
“But then, of course, you don’t believe I am powerless, do you? And so you could never understand.”
He looked at me in silence for a moment, too many emotions chasing through his eyes for me to identify them. How had we come to be standing so close again? When had I lost control of this meeting?
Because I didn’t feel in control anymore. My racing pulse was far too aware of the coiled energy bound within him and the intensity of his gaze as it seemed to weigh me. Why did I care so much if he found me wanting?
“Give me one day,” I said. “I can fix this.”
“Very well, Verene.” His words were barely above a whisper. “I will give you a day and no more.”
And then he was gone.
Chapter 16
I slept badly that night, something I determinedly blamed on my nap during the day, ignoring the frequency with which a certain pair of brown eyes intruded on my restless nighttime thoughts. I had given myself a day to find a way around the problems I had created, and I was determined not to fail.
For once I was up well before the morning bell. I had decided on my first course of action, but only when I emerged from my suite did it occur to me that I didn’t actually know where to go to pursue it. Where did the instructors eat their meals?
I hesitated only for a moment, though. I didn’t want to be caught by any of my year mates—and most especially Darius—before I had at least worked out a plan of action. If I wanted to speak to the library head, I would have to start in the library—the only place I had seen him since the day of my arrival.
I descended a single floor and hurried to the library. The doors did not yet stand open, but when I tried them, they were unlocked. I had never been here at this time of the morning before, and I found it utterly still and quiet.
I let myself stand inside the room for a moment, breathing in the smell of the books and the peaceful solitude. My troubles seemed to shrink a little beside the immense weight of history and wisdom that resided between the pages around me. I was not the first person to make a mistake, and I would not be the last, and yet the kingdoms rolled on.
“Princess Verene! This is an unexpected surprise.” The librarian’s voice sent a jolt of urgency back through me again.
“Oh good, you’re here,” I said. “I wasn’t sure where to find you at this hour.”
Hugh smiled. “I’m a creature of habit, I’m afraid. I can usually be found here. My poor wife has given up on luring me out and has resigned herself to joining me.”
As if on cue, Raelynn emerged beside him.
“Your Highness! It’s lovely to see you back on your feet. I heard you took yesterday to rest which was most wise.” She must have seen a flash of alarm on my face because she chuckled. “You may rest easy, Your Highness. I did not reveal your secrets to anyone.”
She and her husband exchanged an amused look, still clearly thinking I was motivated by some sort of youthful pride. But my concerns over the sabotage of the training yard had been overtaken by more urgent cons
iderations, and I paid their amusement no mind.
“Are you here for something related to your healing?” Hugh asked.
I shook my head. “Is there perhaps somewhere we could sit? I have some questions, and I’m afraid the answers may not be short.” I hesitated. “Assuming you have time for a conversation now?”
“I run a library,” he said with a wide smile. “I am always happy to help those who come seeking knowledge and wisdom.”
He gestured for me to follow him, leading me into a back corner where he opened a door and ushered me into an office. Raelynn followed behind us, curiosity on her face.
Large windows lit the spacious room, revealing nothing but ordered cleanliness. I couldn’t help suspecting Raelynn was the cause of such tidiness—Hugh seemed too much the picture of the absentminded librarian to care about such things. I had been expecting his office to be littered with piles of books and abandoned scrolls.
Instead of going to the vast desk that dominated the room, he led us to a corner that held a small sofa and a puffy armchair. I took the chair while the two of them squeezed onto the sofa and looked at me with expectant faces.
I drew a deep breath. “While I believe I have some understanding of the factions that divide the Kallorwegian court, it has been made clear to me that there are subtleties I am yet to grasp.”
They exchanged a knowing look, and I hurried to add, “As an outsider, I cannot hope to grasp the intricacies of these matters in the same way my year mates do. I wish only to understand what is obvious to those who grew up in this world.”
I could see in their faces that they, too, had heard of my misstep. But I ruthlessly suppressed the embarrassment. I had decided they were my best hope of getting clear answers, and I didn’t intend to back down.
“Acknowledging our own weaknesses is half the battle,” Hugh said.
“And seeking help goes a long way toward the other half,” his wife added. “We will help you, if we can.”
“Of course.” Hugh nodded. “You are young, despite your rank, while we are old. We came to this Academy with the duke, too many years ago for me to have any desire to count them. We have seen much in that time, though we watch from afar.”
“Ah, but every mage, from the least to the greatest, attends the Academy,” I said. “So you do not merely view from afar. You have had the chance to observe those of power and influence while they were still young and less guarded.” I smiled. “And foolish, like me.”
“I am sorry to say that some never outgrow their foolishness.” Hugh gave a weary sigh.
“And some are never as young as they should be.” Raelynn sounded sad.
Was she thinking of the same guarded face that filled my mind at her words?
“I think, to properly answer your question, I have to go back to a time long before you were born,” Hugh said. “I know that in Ardann, all is governed by your system of families—the great families and the minor families. It was always a little different here.”
I nodded. That much I knew, but I didn’t interrupt him. I would listen to everything he thought important enough to tell. It was the only way to be sure I didn’t miss hearing something of value that I didn’t yet know.
“Family is important to us, of course, as are the strengths of various bloodlines, but we don’t keep track of sprawling extended families in the same way you do. Perhaps it has something to do with the way we approach training here at the Academy, but the loyalties of most mages have always aligned with their disciplines.”
I nodded. It explained why Wardell and Armand, cousins, had both chosen the discipline of their uncle. And it even explained why Frida and Ashlyn had aligned their choices, although I still wondered about them not selecting the wind workers.
“It makes sense that with such a system there would be pressure from families to choose certain disciplines. I have to confess I’ve been curious about Ashlyn not choosing to follow in her mother’s footsteps as Head of the Wind Workers.”
“I cannot speak to what pressures young Ashlyn may or may not experience at home,” Hugh said. “But times are not what they once were.”
“The war,” I said.
He nodded. “The war. At first many were lured with the promise of the riches and power that would flow once King Osborne had crowned himself emperor of the south. But Ardann proved less easy to conquer than many had hoped. And while the wealthiest and most powerful of the families were able to guard their children from conscription, not all were so fortunate. Factions formed, and over time, the fault lines of the court grew deeper.”
This part of their history was familiar to me—it was these fractures my family had exploited when they allowed a sealed Cassius to ascend the throne.
“The old king is long dead,” Hugh said, “but King Cassius stands in his stead. And many still stand behind him. The crown still has power—and will one day grow strong again. And those who look to the crown see old General Haddon as a traitor to the kingdom. He was the one who struck the treaty that led to the mass sealings, and he was the one who chose those sealed.”
“And Frida’s and Ashlyn’s families support the king,” I said slowly. “Which would suggest their parents are sealed. But surely Ashlyn’s mother cannot be if she leads the wind workers.” I frowned. “I’m sure none of the discipline heads are sealed.”
Hugh chuckled. “If only it were so simple. It has been twenty years and more since the end of the war. Times change, and allegiances shift.”
“Ashlyn’s family were canny enough to keep away from the politics of the war,” Raelynn said. “They focused mainly on their business as merchants before the peace was signed and the sealings were conducted.”
“But they were swift to pounce afterward, and her mother rose to prominence quickly,” Hugh said, with a significant look at his wife. She nodded her agreement.
“And what of the two of you?” I asked, unable to be sure of their own allegiance given the slightly derogatory way they spoke of both the general and the king.
“We follow the duke,” Raelynn said firmly. “As we always have.”
“The duke believes the Academy is a place of learning not of politics,” Hugh said, a note of pride in his voice. “We maintain true neutrality that doesn’t shift when it sees the way ripe for advancement.”
“And I’m sure the Academy prospers for his stance,” I said. “It’s an honorable one.”
“Isabelle comes from another such family,” Raelynn said, a note of affection in her voice. “Although in their case I think it’s more disinterest than principle. They live in the remote north east, far from the capital. I believe her choice of the wind workers is motivated by nothing but her own interests and inclination.”
Much of Isabelle’s aloof manner made sense in the light of that information. She not only had few connections at the Academy, but she likely had little desire to cultivate them. She had said her family owned farming land near the coast—her skills as a future wind worker would be of value to them.
“So Dellion, Wardell, and Armand all come from families that favor the queen and her father, the general,” I said, mostly to myself. “While Frida, Ashlyn, and Royce are aligned with the king. And the disciplines play a lesser role than they once did.” Perhaps I had been placing too much significance on my year mates’ connections to various discipline heads.
“I don’t know that I would say that,” Hugh said slowly. “It is more that now the greater factor is whether you side with the king or the general. The disciplines still take the lead in those matters. It is why I imagine Ashlyn was free to choose the growers. They are allied with the wind workers behind the king.”
I nodded. It was only natural the growers and wind workers would have stuck together. The two disciplines had always worked closely in their efforts to secure the kingdom’s crops. I could imagine their support was a vital element of the king’s grasp on power. How had he secured it? Perhaps with displays of favor such as the proposed attendance at their Mid
winter celebrations.
I frowned, nibbling at my lower lip. Offending the wind workers—and potentially through them the growers and the king himself—by withdrawing my acceptance of Ashlyn’s invitation didn’t seem likely to win me any thanks from Darius.
“What is Darius’s role in all of this?” I murmured.
“Poor boy.” Raelynn clucked sympathetically, startling me out of my thoughts. I hadn’t even realized I spoke aloud.
“The king promises those who follow him that when the prince is trained and mature enough, he will step aside and let his son take the throne,” Hugh said, confirming what we had heard in Ardann. “No one can question the power of Prince Darius, and those who follow the crown expect great favor under his strengthened regime.”
I found it hard to imagine King Cassius willingly stepping aside from his only remaining power and authority.
“Strangely,” Raelynn said, a wry note in her voice, “he hasn’t seemed overly eager to see his eldest son complete his training.”
I swallowed a snort. I clearly wasn’t the only one skeptical of Cassius’s intentions. And it aligned with one of the rumors we had heard at home in Corrin about the prince’s delayed start at the Academy. The Kallorwegian king was a great deal more interested in a son who promised strength than a son who possessed such strength.
“So the prince is aligned with his father.” I spoke slowly, trying to understand how such a reality matched his anger at my actions.
“The prince shows no such partiality,” Hugh said. “He does not refute support for those who support the king—both the current and future one—but he shows equal favor for his father and his mother. Most consider it only natural for any child.”
“And each side believes his true preference lies with them,” Raelynn said.
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