The sight filled Aerity with sadness. What was going on in her strong mother’s mind? Was all hope lost? She refused to believe it.
Queen Leighlane seemed to come back to herself. She reclined into a lean and pulled her knees up, repositioning her feet with a glide of the cloth. Her body wound and slid into position with the silks around her waist. Aerity recognized the position of a drop roll. Her mother began to soar downward, and the princess quickly saw that her mother was not stopping the roll soon enough. Queen Leighlane reached up wildly to grab at the silks, but tumbled to the ground with a thump.
“Mama!” Aerity ran into the hall, the guard at her heels, and fell to her mother’s side.
The queen sat up, pressing a hand against her hip.
“Your majesty!” The guard crouched beside her.
“I’m fine,” she whispered, closing her eyes.
“Shall I fetch Mrs. Rathbrook?” he asked.
“No. It’s only bruising. You may leave us.”
He hesitated before standing. “I’ll be just outside the door if you need anything, Your Highness.”
The queen reached for Aerity’s hand and they clasped, moving closer.
Aerity helped her sit up. “Are you certain you’re okay?”
“I’ve had worse falls.” She managed a small smile, which quickly faltered as the queen met her daughter’s eyes. The woman’s chin trembled.
“What is it, Mama? What happened last night?”
“Your father . . .” She sniffed and composed herself. “He’s at his wit’s end, love. The men refused to hunt last night. Hundreds of them. Even after your father instated a larger reward. We cannot stretch the kingdom’s finances further. They’re asking for higher powered weapons, more versatile versions of the cannons they use at sea, but it could take months, years, to develop and produce something like that.”
“Seas alive,” Aerity whispered.
Her mother’s eyes cleared as she looked at her. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t put this burden on your shoulders—”
“No.” Aerity’s voice was resolute. “I need to know what is going on. The kingdom’s burdens are mine as well as yours.”
The queen’s eyes watered. “This beast. It’s too strong—too vicious. The men say their war cries only taunt it. My girl . . . I’m frightened for what’s to come.”
Aerity shivered and pulled her mother against her. She needed her mother to stay strong, for all of them. She’d never seen her like this. “Everything will be all right, Mama. Father will figure something out.”
She hoped if she kept saying it, it would become truth.
Aerity held hands with her mother as news was issued in the king’s office.
“Three fishermen were reported missing. Traces of their remains were found at daybreak at the sea’s edge. They were . . .” The adviser swallowed hard. “Their bodies were spread over a vast area, as if the beast had dragged them about.”
A bout of nausea filled Aerity.
Lady Ashley clung to her husband’s elbow and leaned her face against his arm. “It has to stop,” she whispered.
Aerity agreed. The tales were unbearable. Everything around her felt fragile and weak.
The king leaned his knuckles against his desk, his eyes shut tightly.
“Your Majesty.” One of his commanders stepped forward. “The numbers of men willing to enter the forest to fight the beast have dwindled to nearly nothing. Wives of soldiers are lined at the castle walls during daylight hours, begging for mercy for their husbands, pleading for them not to be forced into the woods.” The man sounded desperate, almost frantic. “The kingdom is petrified with fear. Businesses are shutting down because some fear leaving their homes, even during daylight. Some have taken the opportunity to loot. Many are fleeing to the coldlands of Ascomanni or mountains of Toresta.”
“Enough,” the king said in a growl. “Everyone leave me. I need to think.” He pushed up and went to the window-lined wall, staring out as the others filed away in silence. Aerity’s mother squeezed her hand before taking her leave. When the room cleared, Princess Aerity walked to her father’s side and placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Father . . .”
He continued to stare out the window, his anxiety obvious. Without looking at her he reached up and gave her hand a single pat.
“While I’ve been busy, you’ve grown into a young woman. You call me father now, not papa.”
Aerity’s heart softened. How long had it been since they’d spoken one-on-one?
“I thought I was prepared for anything. I prided myself on defending this kingdom against rebels and uprisings and foreign invasion. To be bested by a single creature . . . to see my people in despair . . .”
Her grip tightened on his shoulder. “You’ve not been bested. There is hope. You’re doing all you can, Father.”
“Am I?” He looked at her now, his watery eyes scanning her face. He ran a hand through his hair, overgrown strands of light red. He was a man in his prime, and Aerity didn’t like seeing his strength frayed.