Chapter 20 #3
When will this day end? Every additional problem feels like a blow to my mental state.
It grows fragile with each new hurdle, and I fear it’s only a matter of time before it snaps in two.
I can’t let that happen right now. Not when so many are depending on me.
I take this new dilemma and pile it on top of the others.
I’ll carry them all. I do it for my family, my kingdom, Kyron, but I mostly do it for myself.
Despite the pressure, I’m still standing and proving I’m stronger than I thought.
Minutes later, I’m pacing Kyron’s office.
Tall bookshelves line one wall, packed with military strategy guides and history books.
Two chairs face each other before the cobblestone fireplace, and a map of Pliris hangs above the mantle.
Everything is dark, rich woods and soft leather.
It’s not surprising that his workspace reminds me of my father’s.
My father, Borin, Greer, and two of Kyron’s top military experts file into the room.
Kyron sinks into the high-back chair behind his desk, and says, “I apologize for calling this meeting when so many of us here are mourning the loss of your king. If I could put this issue off, I would.” He explains that the Allaji made their way into the city in human form, posing as Stigians going to the sanctuary for a power amplification ceremony.
As the attendees made their way up the dais to the waters infused with the Posseda, the Allaji attacked.
They shifted into their animal forms and took the queen from her throne.
The news doesn’t surprise my father and the others who were here when the Allaji struck. In fact, I can’t help but notice that he shows little remorse for what happened to the queen. I’m sure he feels the same way I do. She deserved it.
“Do you have any word on whether Esmeray is alive?” Greer asks from the chair across from Kyron.
“There’s no evidence to lead us to believe she is dead,” says the general Kyron first spoke with when we arrived.
He is a lean man with deep lines in his cheeks and forehead and golden hair with patches of gray above his ears.
“The prince has deployed scouts to find the trail the Allaji took. We will work day and night until we locate her.”
Kyron shifts in his chair, clasping hands on his desk.
“I believe the Allaji are looking for leverage. Perhaps they wish to trade the queen and the others for a plot of land. It will place them closer to us, make it easy for us to learn to trust them. And when our guard is down, they will take both of our kingdoms.”
I stop in my tracks and pivot around to face the room.
This news couldn’t come at a worse time.
What happened to Micah is too fresh and my anger sears through my bloodstream like a wicked living thing.
“You said it yourself at the beginning of all this, the Allaji are not looking to negotiate. They want war.”
Kyron releases a long breath and nods. “I did say that. But—”
“I’m not negotiating with them. They will get nothing from Lucent!”
The room falls quiet and embarrassment creeps through me. I don’t want to do this. I don’t want to use my status to get my way. But I can’t consider giving in. They have taken enough, and I’ll be damned if they get so much as a square inch of our land.
Borin speaks up from the chair next to the fire. “This is bigger than just Micah, Raelle. The Allaji are holding your soldiers captive, your friend, your personal guard.”
“I know, and I’m asking you to find another way. Don’t make me join in a civil conversation with the people who murdered Micah. I can’t do it when I want them all dead.”
Borin rubs his temples like he’s trying to gain even the smallest reprieve from this torturous day.
“You and Kyron are young leaders. They will view you as weak and look for an opportunity to take advantage. You need to do whatever it takes to have Esmeray safely returned home. They know Stigian is strong because of her. She is a force to be reckoned with.”
“Then I hope the scouts locate her, and she can quickly resume her royal duties,” I say with an unwavering resolve.
“If that is your stance, Your Majesty,” Borin says, dipping his head. He doesn’t appear angered by my choice. I doubt he wants to hand his husband’s murderers our land, but he will always advise on the side of our people and the route that bears the safest results.
“It is my stance,” I say to everyone in the room.
Kyron nods and turns to his general and the other Stigian officer. “You have two days to locate her. If the queen isn’t found by then, we’ll reconvene and plan our next steps.”
“As you wish, Your Grace.” They say with a bow and exit the room.
My parah’s gaze softens as he meets mine. “We’ll do all we can to not bend to their will, but you need to prepare yourself that negotiations may be the only way to end this for now. I can’t go in on this alone. They will want the word of a queen, not a prince.”
“I understand. Thank you for buying me a couple of days.”
This is just another blow to the most terrible day of my life.
No one in this room is ignorant to the disadvantage we already hold against the Allaji.
Every minute that passes pushes us further away from winning this war.
I pray that my request for time doesn’t put us at more of a disadvantage.
I hope it gives me the clarity I need to beat our enemy in the same fashion they have attacked us—swiftly and with an element of surprise.