Phaedon fixed him with eyes filled with malice and then signaled to Seersha. “Proceed.”
In simple, straightforward terms, she described what she had witnessed at Arishaig—a city in ruins, walls breached, gates thrown open, buildings on fire, and thousands dead. Some, she said, must have escaped, but clearly not many. The army garrisoned there, one of the most powerful in all of the Federation, was destroyed. The demon army had surmounted all the defenses and weaponry brought to bear against it through sheer weight of numbers and unmatched savagery and prevailed.
Now that army marched north, spilling across the Tirfing as it came, hundreds of thousands of predatory creatures intent on continuing their destruction of the Four Lands and its people, making their way now toward Arborlon and the Elves.
“They will arrive at the Valley of Rhenn in two days’ time if I have measured their speed of travel and their course correctly. If you wish to stop them before they reach Arborlon, that seems to be the place to do it.” She paused. “I offer my services in defense of the city.”
“Do you now?” Phaedon said, cocking an inquisitive eyebrow. “You make this offer for no other purpose than to help us? With nothing to gain but our undying gratitude? Such generosity sounds too good to refuse, and yet I must.”
“Because you don’t trust the Druids.”
“Because I don’t trust the Druids. Your information is appreciated, and I will take it under advisement. Of course, I will need to verify that what you have told me is accurate.”
“I have already dispatched aircraft to do exactly that,” Sian Aresh interrupted. “We should know by tomorrow.”
“Yes, be that as it may. You, Captain, are relieved of your command and will step down when this meeting is over. I will speak with your scouts personally and decide what must be done. Other choices are available to us, and I need to consider them.”
“I have summoned the Dwarves and the Border Legion to come to your aid,” Seersha added, deciding abruptly to hold nothing back. “They should begin to arrive in the next three days.”
The King turned scarlet. “Who gave you permission to speak in my name? Who told you to ask for their help—these outlanders and miscreants who have never been there for us? The Elves need no help from them! The Elves need no help from anyone!”
Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the Home Guards exchanging worried looks. They had heard her account of the number of attackers coming for them. They had heard her describe what had happened to Arishaig. Unlike their King, they were not so confident.
Phaedon was on his feet now, his eyes hard and his mouth set in an ugly, furious line. “I think I will lock you up with my uncle, Lady Druid!” he hissed at her. “You are no better than he is. You presume when it is not your place to do so. You insult me with your very presence!”
“High Lord,” she said quickly. She gestured as if to emphasize what she was saying. “I would give you warning.”
He stared at her. “You would threaten me?”
“Not I. I am not the one who threatens you. It is another.”
“I care nothing for the threats of others!” he snapped. “Besides, you are lying. You would say anything to save yourself.”
She looked away, shrugging. “As you wish.”
“Wait!” he called out sharply, bringing her back around. “What warning would you give?”
She leaned toward him. “That you are in danger, High Lord.”
He went still, unable for a moment to respond. Then, regaining his composure, he said, “From what?”
She shook her head. “What I would tell you is for your ears only. No other must hear. The danger is closer at hand than you realize.”
She waited. Phaedon continued to stare at her, as if unable to make a decision on what to do. “May I approach?” she asked. She gestured to the guards clustered just behind her. “You are safe enough. But you should hear what I have to say.”
She said it with such urgency that she knew he took the bait. He hesitated a moment longer, then he beckoned her forward.
“But watch yourself, Lady Druid. Be mindful of what will happen if this is a trick.”
She advanced until she was standing right in front of him. She was shorter and wider and very much the stronger of the two. But he was taller, and his superior height gave him a sense of security it shouldn’t have. In a less debilitated state of mind, he might have recognized this. But here he did not.
She slumped slightly at the shoulders to add to his confidence. “There are those who would replace you as King. One of them is in this very room.”
His eyes went immediately to Sian Aresh. “Which one?”