CHAPTER 44 COMPILING CONCERNS
Fin, Kat, and Eric stood in front of the king’s office, waiting for Brendan’s previous appointment with Faucher to conclude in order to relay to him what had been discovered in Vessa from the blacksmith.
The house witch turned to his daughter, murmuring something that had her nodding along sternly, and Eric opened his mouth to add something …
However, the trio was distracted from the conversation when none other than Annika Ashowan turned down the corridor and headed straight toward them.
As he regarded his wife’s expression, Fin turned slowly and placed his hands on his hips.
He had known she was meeting with her niece, and despite the fact that anyone else who looked at the duchess would have thought nothing was amiss, Fin knew his wife was feeling a mixture of hurt and anger.
Once Annika had reached them, she gave a bow of her head toward Eric before looking at Fin.
“I take it that the meeting with Caroline didn’t go well?” Fin guessed softly.
Annika took in a sharp breath and briefly glanced at Eric as though debating whether to share what had transpired in his presence. However, when she observed her daughter’s perplexed and worried face, she conceded that Kat would most likely want to know any information about Likon.
“Mr. Levin and his wife seem to be embroiled with the tunnels and Likon’s disappearance.”
“What?” Kat’s eyes flashed dangerously.
Fin frowned. “How did you find out so quickly?”
“I’ll explain everything to the king. I’ve already alerted the guards to keep an eye on them, though whether they will obey my orders as I am a woman of foreign nobility, remains to be seen.”
Fin nodded sternly. “We have news as well. Depending how close the rebel group is to coordinating an attack, everything might be breaking out a lot sooner than we’d like.”
As if on cue, the door to the king’s office opened, revealing Leader Faucher and Brendan.
“Did I just overhear you saying something about the timing of the rebellion attack?” Brendan asked somberly.
“Yes.” Eric squared himself with the king. “We have reason to believe that everything is coming to a head with the devil and ancient beasts, and the only notice we’ll receive is when those forces arrive.”
Brendan and Faucher shared a look before sidling back inside the office.
“Then we must do everything we can to prepare,” the king explained stonily.
Dread brewed in everyone’s stomachs as they filed into the privacy of the office.
Once the door was closed, Brendan and Faucher exchanged one final knowing look while everyone gathered around.
“Leader Faucher has received reports today that Duke Icarus’s own knights along with several units consisting of mercenaries are headed for Vessa, and they are expected to be here in three days.”
No one could say anything at first, the shock and gravity of the situation temporarily overwhelming their minds.
The king continued, “Your Highness, Mr. Levin informed me that you and Lady Katarina had important information to share with me?”
“On the note of your assistant, I’m afraid I have more bad news,” Annika interjected, though her eyes remained downturned.
Brendan hesitated, his hands briefly twitching as though he wanted to make a fist. “One thing at a time. Your Highness, what is it you and Lady Katarina discovered?”
The Daxarian prince shared a look with his wife, then proceeded to relay exactly what they had learned from Dimitri Phendor.
By the end of their story, Fin was staring at his daughter in open panic, and Annika Ashowan had reached out and grasped her daughter’s forearm.
Even Brendan’s eyebrows shifted upward in a show of rare surprise at the news.
“Lady Kezia may be the first witch …” Leader Faucher repeated, his gruff tone gentling as he understood the news had weighty consequences for the Devark family.
The king said nothing, his black eyes lost in thought as he processed what he’d just heard.
“Kat, have you experimented purposefully absorbing people’s intentions or magic before?” Fin wondered aloud while looking at his daughter.
Kat shook her head. “Every time Mr. Kraft and I practiced, we worked on not doing that. Why?”
“Well … Similar to how I grow power from feeding off the collective sentiment of home, you grow more powerful by absorbing abilities and intentions. If you openly absorb these things, instead of hanging on to them and overwhelming yourself, what if you were able to magically enhance others around you like you are saying you have been doing subconsciously? Only this time it would be for larger groups of people?”
Kat frowned thoughtfully. “It’s … an interesting idea, but we don’t have a lot of time to experiment with it, and someone could get hurt.”
“Indeed,” Brendan added while lifting his face to the group before him. “However, it may be worth working on during whatever time we have left. Tonight you rest, and tomorrow you practice this with some of the men staying behind to protect the keep.”
“Pardon me, Your Majesty,” Annika called everyone’s attention to her. “This attack from the rebels may be a trap, and we still do not know whether it is the devil or the first witch who is commanding them. On this, I’d like to now offer you my own discovery from this afternoon …”
And so the duchess recounted the startling encounter that had taken place moments before. At first, Faucher had seemed surprised that the imperious duchess would be so bold as to address the monarch first, however, as she spoke, he recalled how Katarina had insinuated long ago that there was a reason she wasn’t scared of much for a reason. Though any mention of a certain underground lord named Dragon was omitted from the story, the duchess’s interrogation of her niece was executed ruthlessly enough to be noted.
Brendan was starting to look a mite sick as he discovered that yet another person close to him may be betraying him …
When Annika had finished repeating the details calmly, Brendan looked to Faucher, and the two men shared a very telling moment as the military leader gave him a pained yet understanding look, while Brendan found strength in his dear friend’s steadiness.
“Faucher … please bring both Mr. Levin and his wife here.”
Faucher bowed and without another word moved to carry out the order.
“Once I am able to speak sense into my assistant, then we can get to the bottom of—”
The king didn’t get to finish his thought, as Faucher had opened the door to the study and found Clara, Annika’s maid, standing there with her fist held in the air.
Brendan stopped talking and stared at the woman, prompting everyone else to look at the newcomer as well.
Clara dipped into a hasty curtsy.
While she didn’t betray any sign of stress, her movements were quick …
“Mr. and Mrs. Levin have disappeared.”
Annika turned fully at the news while releasing her daughter’s arm.
Brendan drew himself perfectly straight.
“They were in the solar and as you ordered, Your Grace, I stood outside to see if they would go anywhere. They didn’t. However, after a while, I could not hear them inside, and so I checked and discovered they were gone.”
“The tunnels must be under the castle …” Annika breathed while turning toward Brendan. “Maybe the tunnels connected to Baron Souros’s keep used to reach all the way to these grounds.”
“I can go with Kraken to the solar right away to see if he can smell where the entrance to any sort of secret passage may be,” Fin offered instantly.
Brendan nodded, his throat bobbing as he did so. “Please do, Your Grace. I also now plan on interrogating Duke Icarus to learn more about his men that are allegedly about to attack us.” The king addressed Kat next, and she was more than a little alarmed to see a pleading light in his eyes. “Lady Katarina, please stay with Alina. She was feeling unwell this morning, and with everything happening, I want her protected.”
Kat bowed formally. “Of course, Your Majesty.”
“Your Highness, I need you to share with me your findings on every powerful person connected to Duke Icarus to see if any of them had the financial means to take over funding the army,” the king added to his brother-in-law.
Eric bowed in response.
“Excuse me, Your Majesty. I understand this is a difficult time but, what is this rebellion’s objective? Is it solely to dethrone Her Majesty? If it is being backed by the first witch or the devil, that means that there may be another motive,” Annika proposed urgently.
Brendan considered her words and nodded to himself.
“Your Highness, the devil never did get back in touch with you after his initial offer, and you say that this blacksmith indicated he was not doing well. Is there a way you can ask to meet with the devil directly?”
Eric folded his arms. “I was considering this after the meeting today … but I think if we ask Mr. Kraft to speak to the imps or half fey that his magic gives him the ability to see, they should be able to deliver a message. Or at the very least they should be able to let him know we’re looking for him.”
Brendan tilted his head in agreement. “Very well. Leader Faucher, you will start organizing the knights, I will go speak with my brother, Henry, to see if we can isolate Lady Kezia from the queen, and then I will speak with Duke Icarus. His Highness will get the information he has on Duke Icarus’s allies; Duke Ashowan, you will take your familiar to inspect the solar; and Lady Katarina, you will guard Her Majesty.”
Everyone bobbed their heads save for Annika, who lowered her chin and said, “Would Your Majesty permit me to also join the queen’s side?”
Brendan hesitated, but after a moment of quiet appraisal, acquiesced. “I believe Her Majesty would appreciate that. She has spoken very fondly of you from her time in Daxaria.”
“I am very fond of Her Majesty as well,” Annika returned without hiding the warmth in her voice.
That was all Brendan needed to hear to affirm it was safe to permit the duchess’s presence near his wife, and so they all departed from the office.
Though Kat and Eric hung back to say their final farewells, the group hadn’t gotten very far when Rebecca Devark came rushing up the hall, her normal ceremonial walk closer to a stomp, and her face revealing her to be in a soured mood …
She stopped in front of the group, curtsied, and then her gaze cut to Finlay.
Rebecca opened her mouth to say something, however, was cut off when the fluffy black familiar, Kraken, ran over to his witch.
“Duke Ashowan. I am here to insist that you mind your familiar.” Rebecca’s voice was pure acid.
Fin blinked in surprise. “Has Kraken done something … ?”
Rebecca’s glittering glare turned downward to the cat. “He defecated in my shoes.”
A long, drawn out snort coming from Katarina Ashowan as she struggled not to outwardly howl was the only noise in the silence. Even Eric was biting his tongue.
Rebecca Devark glared.
Fin looked down at his familiar he had just summoned. “Kraken, why in the world would you poop in her shoes?!” There was a pause as Kraken chirped up at the house witch.
Fin’s face fell. “What do you mean Pina did it?”
Kat couldn’t contain herself.
She turned around and clamped her hand down over her mouth.
“Kraken, that isn’t something you should compliment her on! Kat!” Fin turned to look angrily at his daughter.
Kat held up a finger, her back still turned, having sensed her father’s attention.
Eric lowered his chin as he, too, hid a tight smile that held back a laugh.
“Lady Katarina, you will mind your familiar in my castle,” Brendan called with a rumble toward the woman whose shoulders still trembled.
Kraken mewed again.
“I don’t care if this improves your opinion of Pina! She shouldn’t have done such a thing!” Fin lectured his familiar sternly.
By then Kat was finally turning around, though her eyes were suspiciously wet, and she hadn’t fully eradicated her smile.
“L-Lady Rebecca.” She cleared her throat. “My … regards … to your soiled footwear … I … will … speak. To Pina. About that.”
Lady Rebecca did not look in any way placated.
When Fin peered back at his daughter during her response, he shot her the most subtle of winks that only she and Eric might see, his previous disapproval vanishing during the brief exchange.
“P-Pardon me … Lady Rebecca … I will go talk to my familiar right … now …” Kat turned in the opposite direction everyone else was heading and moved away swiftly … A short way down the hall, the sound of loud hysterical laughter rang back up to them, making Brendan stare ahead of himself flatly, willing himself not to scowl or stare after the woman who had just agreed to guard his wife …
Fin glanced back at Rebecca and shrugged.
There was nothing he could do about it.
The former queen eyed the group of people in front of the king’s office more pointedly, but when no one had anything else to say to her, she rounded back the way she came and took her leave after issuing a curtsy to her son.
With the former queen gone, Fin risked a quick look to his wife while casting a cheeky grin her way with a partial shrug.
As dire and serious as everything was … having a good laugh wasn’t the worst thing in the world in that moment.
A corner of the duchess’s lips twitched.
That was the extent of her humor over the situation, however, as the group once again resumed executing their designated tasks, all hoping that they could properly prepare …
They also made mental notes to check their shoes before putting them on in the future.