I leaned onto the table, my weight on my palms. “I don’t know why my parents wouldn’t sign, or my grandparents. Even if there’s anyone left in Sandcliff Castle who might know, how could I trust them to be honest or objective?”
“What will you do?” Theresa asked.
I took a steadying breath. “I’m going to sign the Wraith Alliance, but first, we’re going to make some changes.”
“What kind of changes?” Kevin asked.
I drew a folded paper from my pocket and slid it toward him. “These, for now. But I’m sure I will need more than this.”
He snatched the paper and skimmed the list. “So you want us to study the treaty and look for other changes you might need?”
“Exactly.” I’d have to get them a copy, but that wouldn’t be difficult. “Read it. Study it. Ask questions. I want you to become more knowledgeable about the treaty than anyone else in the world.”
Theresa grimaced. “So no big demands, then. Do you want us to run laps around the city wall while carrying packs of rocks?”
I flicked a crumb of bread at her. Carl caught it midair and ate it.
“I’m going to do everything in my power to negotiate for control of Aecor. Tobiah is agreeable, but his uncle is not. Obviously, he doesn’t want to let it go.”
“When will you start?” Kevin stood, my list of treaty amendments in hand as he began to pace. “Now?”
“Our presence here is the start.” I forced encouragement into my voice. “But formal negotiations will begin after Tobiah’s coronation. That’s fine. He’ll have more power when he’s king. And we’ll need it.” I hesitated. “There are some who will try to delay negotiations longer. We must practice patience.”
Carl shook his head. “I hate patience.”
“That seems foolish,” Kevin muttered. “Delaying truce negotiations. Patrick’s going to start a revolution in Aecor.”
“It is, but Skyvale and Aecor are far apart. It’s not as much of a concern for most people here. And in spite of the Inundation, the Indigo Kingdom is still in a much stronger position than Aecor. Whatever troops Patrick manages to mount will be nothing compared to the might of the Indigo Army.”
Theresa bit her lip. “You make Aecorian independence sound impossible. Was there ever any hope?”
“I don’t know.” I sighed. “Patrick made it sound inevitable. But he has that inevitability about him, doesn’t he?”
“I miss it,” she said. “That certainty of knowing we were right and we would take back our kingdom because of our rightness—that was comforting. Now everything seems so gray.”
“It’s awful.” I forced a minuscule smile. “I’m going to hire a tutor for the four of you. They should be able to help you understand any confusing parts of the document, in addition to instilling some courtly manners into you barbarians. Maybe help with the grayness of everything, too.”
“A tutor.” Carl made a face.
Kevin looked up from his pacing, and the list he’d been studying. “The crown prince will allow for magical experimentation to help solve the wraith crisis?”
“He’s desperate. The Liadian refugees have left Skyvale, probably heading for Aecor. Already the southwestern edges of the Indigo Kingdom have fallen to the wraith. Soon, everyone will begin looking east.”
“Who will be using magic? All the flashers in Skyvale get captured. Or—” Kevin cocked his head. “Are the rumors about you true?”
A sinking feeling washed over me. I’d intended to tell them, but his tone of betrayal was cutting. “Some of the rumors are true.”
“What do you mean?” Connor whispered.
“I am a flasher. I’ve always been, but I’ve kept it hidden. I try not to use my power.”
All around the sitting room, jaws dropped as I told them about the locust attack in the wraithland, what I’d done there, and how the wraith became a boy.
Theresa covered her frown with a fist. “I’m not sure where to start asking questions.”
“I know.” I sank back into a chair and sighed. “There’s a lot to take in.”
“Will we get to meet the wraith boy?” Carl asked.
“You don’t want to.” If I could, I’d keep him locked in his room forever. “I just wanted you to know the truth—from me, not from rumors.”
“That’s why Tobiah is willing to amend the Wraith Alliance.” Kevin dropped to a chair again, knees banging the table. “Because even if it’s just rumors, your power is public now, and if he wants you as an ally, he has to justify it by making sure magic is allowed under special circumstances.”
“Can it work?” Connor asked. “Could your magic help stop the wraith?”
I rubbed a spot of tension from my neck. “Maybe. I don’t know. What I did before—it was messy. Uncontrolled. I had no idea what I was doing because it was too big. And while I could try it again, I don’t know if I should. How much more wraith did I create by doing that?”
Of course, they had no answers.