Chapter 20 #2
“Alright,” I said. “Pack whatever you think I need.”
The three of them bustled around the kitchen, assembling provisions while Fletcher supervised from his spot by the counter, offering unsolicited commentary about portion sizes.
More meat, he said, and I relayed his message. Definitely more meat. And those pastries. At least a dozen.
“We’re not taking a dozen pastries,” I said.
“Two dozen, then,” Chef Breard said, already wrapping them. “His Majesty will need his strength too.”
By the time they’d finished, I had a pack holding enough food to feed a small army. Or one dragon king and his hungry wife.
“Thank you,” I said, smiling at them all. “I really appreciate it.”
Flora hugged me, smelling like flour and spices. “Bring those babies relief and come back safe.”
“We will.” I waved to Fletcher, gathering my notes and the provision pack.
While you and Raoul solve this mystery, he said. I’ll take a very long nap where it’s warm. Demi can bring me back to the kitchens later for my three meals and snacks. Lots of snacks.
I sighed and shook my head.
After leaving Fletcher in a sunny parlor to snooze, I ran through the corridors, my mind already racing ahead to what we’d need to do next.
If ancient ice was the problem, we needed to either cover it or accelerate its sublimation in a controlled way.
My weather magic could help with the latter.
I could raise the temperature enough to speed the process, then contain the particle release to prevent it from spreading to the two courts.
But I’d need help. Dragon shifters to locate the exact formations. Cooperation from both courts to coordinate the effort. And I’d need Raoul’s diplomatic skills to make it happen without making the problem worse.
I found him in the council chamber, surrounded by advisors who were arguing about Summit seating arrangements.
He looked tired, the shadows under his eyes suggesting he’d stayed up late managing preparations. But when he saw me burst through the door, his expression softened.
“Adele.” He stood, cutting off an advisor mid-sentence. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s. Everything’s right.” I clutched my notes to my chest. “I found the answer. I believe I know what’s causing the babies to suffer.”
The room went silent. Every advisor turned to stare.
“You’re certain?” Raoul asked, his voice carefully neutral, but I read hope in his voice.
“I need to explain, and it’s complicated, and—” I glanced at the advisors, suddenly aware that I’d crashed into a formal council meeting. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“You didn’t interrupt anything important,” Raoul said, which earned him affronted looks from the advisors. He ignored them, moving toward me. “Everyone out. Now.”
“But Your Majesty, the seating arrangements—”
“Can wait.” He didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t need to. “My wife may have solved a crisis that threatened to start a war. That takes precedence over where people sit at dinner.”
The advisors filed out, shutting the door behind them.
Raoul’s attention never left my face. “Tell me everything.”
I spread my notes on the council table. “I’m almost certain we’re dealing with ice sublimation. Ancient ice formations exposed by that tremor two months ago.”
“Ancient ice?” He frowned, studying my diagrams. “In the peaks?”
“Deep in the peaks. Formations that have been there for a very long time, buried under rock and ice. The tremor cracked the stone, exposing them to warm air for the first time in who knows how long.”
I traced the diagram with my finger, showing him the sublimation cycle I’d outlined on paper.
“When temperature fluctuates, such as a warming day, the ice transitions directly from solid to gas. But it’s not pure ice.
It contains centuries of accumulated mineral deposits.
Dust, volcanic ash, trace metals, all concentrated over time. ”
“And when it sublimates…”
“It releases those particles into the air. They’re small and light enough to stay airborne for hours, traveling on wind currents until atmospheric pressure changes force them to settle.”
Raoul studied the notes, working through the implications. “The timing matches. That’s when the babies are the worst.”
“Exactly. And babies, with their tiny developing airways, are the most vulnerable.”
“What about the geographic differences? Why is Goldwing’s situation worse?”
I pulled out my maps, showing him the orientation of both courts relative to the area where I believed the ice had been exposed.
“Prevailing winds. Goldwing’s dwellings face southwest, directly in the path of the primary air currents.
Silvervale faces more eastward, so they’re getting a lower concentration.
That’s why Goldwing’s hatchlings are coughing in addition to sneezing. ”
“Fates.” He ran a hand through his hair. “All this tension, the accusations, and the threats of war could be over melting ice.”
“Ice no one knew was there.” I touched his arm. “It’s not anyone’s fault, Raoul. How could they have known?”
“They couldn’t have.” His jaw remained tight. “Which is why they should’ve trusted each other instead of immediately assuming malice.”
He had a point. The situation had escalated quickly because both courts had jumped to accusations instead of working together to find answers.
“Can we fix it?” he asked, turning to face me fully. “Is there a solution?”
“Yes.” My certainty must’ve shown in my voice because his expression shifted, hope blooming.
“We need to accelerate the sublimation process in a controlled environment. I can use my weather magic to raise the temperature around the ice formations, speed up the transition from solid to gas. But we need to contain the particle release, prevent it from spreading to populated areas.”
“How?”
I’d been thinking about that since I left the archives. “Create a thermal barrier. Use heat to form rising air currents that carry the particles straight up, above the inhabited elevations, where they’ll disperse harmlessly.”
“That sounds complicated and potentially dangerous.”
“It is. But it’ll work.” I met his eyes, needing him to believe me. “I can do this, Raoul. I’ve manipulated larger weather systems. This is just more focused, more controlled.”
He studied me for a long moment, and I sensed he was weighing options. Risk versus reward. Immediate action versus waiting for a safer approach.
“What do you need?” he finally asked.
The trust in those words made my throat tighten. He wasn’t questioning my expertise or suggesting caution. He was asking how he could help.
“People who know the peaks,” I said. “We need to locate every exposed ice formation. Both courts will have to cooperate. That means sharing maps and coordinating search efforts.”
“I can make that happen.”
“We need to do it before the Summit. If we solve this now, show both courts that working together produces results, tensions will ease.”
“It’ll set the tone for everything else.” He nodded slowly. “It’ll prove that cooperation is possible. That trust can be rebuilt.”
“Exactly.”
He turned to the maps, studying them. “If we leave soon, we can reach Silvervale before dawn. We’ll locate formations tomorrow and start the sublimation process as soon as possible after that.”
“Then move to Goldwing and repeat the process.”
“We’d be cutting it close. The Summit starts in five days.”
“Then we better not waste time.”
A smile tugged at his mouth. “My determined wife. Always ready to attempt the impossible.”
“Only when the impossible is actually just the improbable dressed up in scary clothes.”
He laughed, pulling me close. “I love how you think.”
“You mentioned that already.”
“Doesn’t make it less true.” He kissed my forehead, and warmth flooded through me. “Let me send messages to both courts. We’ll need their cooperation, their best scouts, and their trust that we’re not making this up.”
“Will they believe us?”
“They’ll believe the science, and they’ll trust that neither of us has any reason to lie.” He was already moving toward the door, his mind shifting into diplomatic mode. “Start gathering what you need. Supplies, equipment, anything that’ll help with the weather working.”
He left to send messages, and I returned to our rooms to pack. Fletcher followed, making worried sounds.
“I know,” I told him, gathering my weather instruments and warm clothing. “It’s risky. But those babies need help, and we’re the only ones who can provide it. Demi will take care of you.”
By the time I’d finished packing, Raoul had arrived with confirmation from both courts. They’d agreed to share information and provide whatever assistance we needed.
“Trevare sounded relieved,” Raoul said, helping me carry bags to the courtyard. “Queen Mortiven was more cautious, but willing.”
“Because they both want this problem solved.”
“And because they both trust you.” He set down the bags, turning to face me. “They might not trust each other yet, but they trust the witch queen who’s willing to risk herself to help their hatchlings.”
“I’m not risking myself. I’m just doing weather magic.”
“On ancient ice formations in unstable peaks while trying to control particle dispersion across multiple elevations.” His hands found my waist. “That counts as risky, Adele.”
“But necessary.”
“Which is why we’ll be as careful as possible while still moving fast enough to matter.”
I leaned into him, borrowing his strength. What we were about to attempt was starting to settle on my shoulders. This wasn’t theoretical anymore. This was real magic, real consequences, real babies depending on me getting it right.
All we could do was try and hope that science and my magic could fix it.