He freezes.
I hesitate.
Slowly, he reaches up and pulls back his hood. Revealing the sandy-brown hair and young, tired face of King Sedric.
He raises a brow at me but hurriedly directs his words to King Odion. “I need more time to consider. An hour, if I may, for such a decision,” he adds, as I retreat into shadow.
King Odion clears his throat and, after a moment, clicks his heels together. “I will hold off my forces one hour. If your signature is not on this treaty by then, the blood of your people is on your head.”
Without waiting for a response, he turns, and one of the knights follows him out the door.
“You may go as well, Rolf,” King Sedric says to the other knight, whom I now recognize from Adora’s parties as his captain of the guard. The door has hardly shut behind him before the king’s voice rings louder. Sharper. “Come here, both of you.”
We obey, bowing when we draw near, my gaze meeting his scrutiny of me even as I take in the wrinkles and exhaustion sunk into his skin. How did he get here? And when?
“Have a seat.” He holds my stare before moving on to eye my hair. “I must admit that I’ve heard rumor a female Elemental existed. However, I wasn’t aware she’d been in my presence quite regularly.”
I dip my head. “My king, I apologize for the deception.”
“Are you a Uathúil as well?” he asks Colin without moving his eyes from me.
“Yes, Your Majesty. I’m Terrene.”
He nods. “Of course. I should’ve known Adora would reach beyond the bounds of normal assassins.” He walks toward the fireplace, then back. “And what are you both doing here?”
I swallow. “We were told Bron’s generals were holed up in this Keep, directing the war, Your Highness.”
“I see. And you were thinking to . . . ?”
“Destroy it.”
He stops pacing. “Who gave this order?”
“Adora.”
“I see,” he says again, and this time his face pales. “I assume she didn’t inform you I would be here?”
“She indicated it was only Bron’s generals inside this Keep, sire. We were to destroy it from the ridge.”
“And do you often disobey your authorities?”
“Nym wanted to be sure,” Colin says, and there’s a measure of pride in his tone.
“Defiance is not normally a desired trait,” the king says evenly. “However . . . in this case, I see it is one that clearly benefited me. Although . . . now that you’re here, the question is what to do with you. Which I think will greatly depend upon whether your plans have changed.”
“Of course they have, Your Highness,” I say quickly. “I swear we didn’t know. We would never—but Adora, did she . . . ?”
“If you’re wondering whether Adora knew I was meeting Odion here, she did. As well as my three war generals and the knights who accompanied me. If you’re wondering why Adora betrayed me, you could probably guess better than I.”
A knock on the door makes me jump. The king glances over, indicating we should stay seated. “Come in.”
Rolf draws his sword the moment he sees Colin and me.
“Stay your hand, they’re with me. What is it?”
The knight’s glare remains suspicious. “Your Highness, you asked me to inform you when Bron’s airships were heading into position. They are. As is their army. But seeing as you’ve not yet eaten this day, I had Sir James prepare you a bit of bread and wine. May I beg upon you to take it in your rooms as you consider Bron’s proposal?”
“I’m not hungry, but thank you, Rolf. Please see the food is brought for these two though.”
A hesitation. Then, “Very good, sire.”
With a last wary glance, the knight backs out the door, and King Sedric turns to us. “I’ll have more to speak to you about when this is over, but for now, I have one question.” He looks squarely at Colin, then at me. “I assume Adora’s had her man Eogan, who I’m now aware to be King Odion’s brother, and who—”
“He knew nothing of this, Your Majesty,” Colin interrupts. “I swear it.”
“Who I’d assume to be a traitor,” the king continues warningly, “had I not spent enough time with him in the war room to reserve judgment. Has he been training you in your abilities?”
He hardly waits for us to nod. “From what you have told me, Adora believed your powers great enough to take down this Keep, which suggests they are quite advanced. My question is, are your abilities vast enough that you would be capable of halting this war, should it come to that?”
“My powers will mainly be of use with the ground troops, Your Majesty,” Colin says. “But Nym’s . . . Nym could do it.”
I glance at him and raise a brow.
King Sedric’s attention settles on me. His voice softens. “Then the question goes to Nym. Will you fight for your people?”
I peek at my hands. At my booted feet. At my leg that is thrumming dull pain. “Even if I could, you’re asking an Elemental slave to rescue the people whose laws would see her dead, Your Majesty.”