29. Family Meeting
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
FAMILY MEETING
“What’s going on?” Riel demanded as soon as Avery was out of sight. Behind him, Oyanni pawed the ground and snorted as if to show that she had his back.
“We’re having a family meeting,” Solois drawled. “I realize you’re barely part of the family these days, but you might like to know that certain things have come to light while you’ve been entertaining the human spy. Thoroughly entertaining, judging by the smell of her.”
“We’ve been over this,” Riel said through gritted teeth. “She’s not a spy.”
“Yes, yes. Trust me when I say that I hate having to say ‘I told you so.’” Solois angled his body back toward the building. “You’d best not keep us waiting any longer. Mother and Father were displeased to learn that you’d left without warning.”
“I can’t imagine why, when my presence never mattered much before,” Riel retorted, turning back to give Oyanni an abrupt pat before joining his brother. They headed inside together, walking briskly.
“The situation is serious,” Solois revealed. “Neyes has betrayed us.”
Riel’s steps faltered. “Neyes?—? ”
“As such,” Solois continued, “our family needs everyone we can get. Mother has been praying nonstop, and our army is standing by. I’m sure they’ll manage to find a use for you, given the severity of the situation.”
“The army?” Alarmed, Riel rushed to keep up with his brother’s long, rapid strides. “Solois, please, explain. What did Neyes do? Are we going to war?”
“I’ll let Father explain,” Solois answered, apparently savoring Riel’s panic.
They stopped in front of the master suite, and Solois raised a hand to knock. No sooner had he done so than the door swung open to reveal their mother. Although no less stunning, Elokima was visibly frazzled, with a tightness to her features that hadn’t been there before. She wore a simple dress and her hair fell around her shoulders in stark contrast to how she usually appeared in public.
“Finally!” she exclaimed as her eyes landed on Riel. “Come in, quickly. We have much to discuss.”
The boys obeyed, and the door shut behind them. Elokima began pacing with a fluidity that suggested she had been doing it for days. Riel surveyed the room until he spotted his father, who sat at his desk and drummed his fingers against the wood. Their eyes met, and the tension in Riel’s body conveyed his many questions without words.
“Two days ago,” Ralif began without delay, “we received a message from our cousin in the west. The news was… not good. He intercepted correspondence from House Leimor that was headed for us. Headed for our seer, more specifically.”
“Filthy traitor,” Elokima spat as she paced, her face a mask of fury. “To think that we took them in when they had nowhere to go, treated them like a beloved member of this household, and all this time they have been feeding me , the Right Hand of the Goddess, the enemy’s lies?—”
“Yes, well, that has been dealt with,” Ralif cut her off. “The issue now is that there’s an army on its way. I don’t know what Neyes has told them, but House Leimor believes that now is the opportunity they’ve been waiting for. Given the timing and the contents of the letter, it appears likely that they are working with the humans. When they requested our aid with the girl, I didn’t want to think that it was a trick, but to have twenty years of relative peace end now… we should be expecting a multi-pronged attack, from both sides of The Rift.”
“That won’t happen,” Riel interjected. “Aver—the humans aren’t involved in this.”
“We’re not asking for your advice, thank the Goddess.” Solois rolled his eyes. “That girl could kill us all in our sleep and be standing over you with a knife when you woke, and you’d still be surprised when she slit your throat.”
Riel ignored him. “How long do we have?”
“They will be here by tomorrow morning, if not before then.” Ralif’s words rang heavy with weariness. “Leimor has the benefit of advance notice on their side. They even recruited mercenaries for the occasion. Our cousin will arrive this afternoon with their men, but there’s no time to call on other allies. We’re at a disadvantage.”
“So we send a messenger to the humans now, let them know what’s going on,” Riel proposed. “The Lieutenant Governor can have additional soldiers gathered in?—”
“Astonriel,” the king interrupted. “You’ve done well, and we are grateful. But the humans have never been friends. They fear that which they do not know, and they have long been envious of the Goddess’s blessing. It was only a matter of time before we became enemies.”
“They are wary of us,” Riel agreed, “but they don’t understand because we have not taught them. They knew nothing of magic; Avery knew nothing of magic.” He looked to his mother imploringly. “What could she be, if not the Goddess blessing the humans as well? Her and the others like her, it’s a sign that we are meant to be allies.”
“Neyes has suggested the same,” the queen admitted reluctantly. “But obviously, if they have been working with the enemy, we cannot trust…” She trailed off, wringing her hands in frustration. “I pray for guidance, but there is no answer. Either the Goddess has forsaken us in our foolishness, or this is Her punishment, and we must accept it with grace.”
“We know that Neyes was a traitor,” Solois stated. “It makes sense that they lied to protect their allies, House Leimor and the humans. The letter is proof enough that the humans are conspiring against us. It was a daring move on their part, to send a spy masquerading as a healer, but clearly, it worked. They might have gotten everything they wanted already.”
“She is a healer,” Riel argued, his voice rising, “and no danger to us.”
“You took her to Neyes, and now war is upon us,” Solois insisted. “Can you honestly say that you’ve been taking your task seriously? I’ve seen you two together, and she’s got you wrapped around her finger. How much do you truly know about her? She may have passed along the order herself. Your denial of the situation doesn’t look very good for you, brother.”
A tense silence fell. Riel saw nothing good on the faces of his brother or parents.
“You can’t be serious,” he growled, whirling on Solois. “We have not been close in a long time, but I’m still your brother and a proud son of House Wysalar. To suggest that I…” His voice wavered. “That I would cast aside our name and my own honor…”
“I do not question your loyalty,” Ralif said when Riel trailed off. “This is a difficult time for our House, and strong feelings are understandable, but Solois oversteps.”
He gave the first prince a meaningful look before turning his attention back to Riel. “However, there is no denying that you are too closely involved in this matter. I think it would be best if you helped prepare for our cousin’s arrival while we figure things out.”
Knowing that the question of Avery’s safety still hung in the balance, Riel hesitated to leave things there. “I will help out where I can,” he conceded. “Avery may be valuable as well, both as another set of hands and in her capacity as a healer. I’ll take her with me.”
“So be it.” The king waved a hand in approval. “We will keep you informed.”
Riel inclined his head toward his father, then his mother. He leveled a glare on his brother before sweeping past him and making for the door.
Once Riel had gone, Ralif addressed Solois.
“We must prepare for the worst,” he said. “Keep an eye on them. Regardless of whether or not she is a spy, Avery Nelson may still be a useful bargaining chip. However, she can’t be allowed to return across The Rift. If she tries to escape…”
He trailed off, leaving rather valuable information unspoken.
“Of course,” Solois replied, having gotten the gist of it. “Shall I prepare our soldiers?”
“They know what needs to be done, and the rest I can handle.” Ralif resumed drumming his fingers against the top of his desk. “This takes precedence. If Avery is a spy, she may have information that the humans want. Hopefully, she hasn’t had the chance to pass it along yet. And her abilities will prove useful in the case of an attack. It’s best that she remain where she is.”
“Of course.” After a moment’s silence, Solois inclined his head. “Then, I will take my leave. I’ll inform you when our cousin arrives.”
At Ralif’s nod, he left the room.
Elokima collapsed into an armchair by the window and loosed a defeated sigh. “This is a miserable situation,” she lamented. “Enemies on all sides, our family fracturing, the Goddess deserting us. I fail to see how this can end in anything but utter ruin.”
Ralif chuckled and got to his feet. “We’re not dead yet, my love,” he said as he crossed the room to her. “So long as we still breathe, there is a chance for us.”
Elokima reached out to him as he approached. When he bent over, she took his face in her hands and they shared a kiss. It was a beautiful moment of calm before the storm, a moment of peace before all hell broke loose.
Riel did not immediately go to Avery, but that didn’t mean that she wasn’t his priority. The situation was becoming dire. As such, he had to do everything he could to ensure her safety. At the same time, though, he had to tread carefully—and that meant he needed help. There weren’t many people he could trust, but one came to mind. Luckily, she was easily accessible.
He found Luenki in her suite. She was not unaffected by the events of the day, but she opened the door to him without complaint. After checking the hallway for prying eyes, she waved him inside.
“Welcome back,” she murmured, inviting him to take one of the armchairs by the window. As he sat, he noted the tired slump to her shoulders, unusual for the family friend and diplomat who always had a smile on her face. Indeed, she wasn’t able to hide her concern, likely for Avery and the situation with the U.S. given her proximity to the issue.
“I just spoke with my parents,” Riel revealed, steepling his fingers.
“I’m sure that went wonderfully,” Luenki responded with a touch of sarcasm, sinking into the chair opposite him. “They told you, then, of Neyes and House Leimor?” She waited for his nod of confirmation before continuing. “I’d na?vely hoped they would have given up their foolish pursuit of our territories. Then again, honor only goes so far these days.”
“Leimor has always been a threat. This outcome is not unexpected.” Riel paused to consider his next words. “But… I am here to discuss a threat of a different kind.”
Luenki was astute—it was a necessary trait to have in her line of work. Although the second prince’s expression didn’t change, she saw everything she needed to know.
“Avery,” she guessed. Riel gave a curt nod in response.
“She’s not the threat,” he clarified. “But I believe… with the way things stand, my family is a threat to her. I am under the impression that we have a mutual interest in keeping her safe. I would not ask you to go against my family, but their attention is divided, and they are failing to consider the repercussions of starting a war with America.”
Luenki worried her bottom lip.
“You are like a sister to me,” Riel said quietly. “You can speak freely.”
“I don’t want to see her harmed,” Luenki admitted. “If I am being honest, I also have my reservations about doing anything that may harm our relationship with the Americans. But you know that my loyalty is to House Wysalar.”
“Of course,” Riel agreed. His spirits fell a bit at that, but as important as this was, he wasn’t about to force someone close to him to abandon their principles.
Slowly at first, then all at once, a mischievous smile spread across Luenki’s face.
“Well, then,” she remarked, “it’s a good thing that you’re a son of House Wysalar. What do you need from me?”