Page 50 of Enchanted Shadows (The Enchanted Kingdom #6)

“ A m I?” Keir grinned as he walked straight for me. “Or am I merely making an entrance?”

“You have wings now,” I said as he hugged me. “You always make an entrance.”

“More guests?” the queen snapped to Kessara.

“I wasn’t aware of these two,” Kessara admitted.

“My apologies, Your Highness,” Keir said, turning to the queen of Agria. “I believe you know General Zaire Willothorn. Or at least know of him.”

Zaire dipped his chin the least amount possible. Of course they knew about Zaire. Likely the good and bad both. I had intentionally asked for these two to be here. Powerful men, men that Damek loathed for that power, but also men who had helped heal them. Men who meant something to Agria.

Keir reached into his pocket the same exact way Calix had in the throne room in Wylan. The swords had only just been put away, a different weapon about to come into play. “I come bearing a treaty. This one of a different sort than the one you declined a few years back. ”

The queen looked to the team and Kessara before looking back to Keir. “And it needed to be delivered and presented this day? This hour?”

“I’m sorry to say that yes, it did. You see my sister is not safe in Agria.

Her half-brother is conspiring to kill the other heirs to Agria.

And being that she is also an heir to Wylan, that is, in fact, an act of war to Wylan.

Though not entirely familiar with your customs, I assume it is also an act of treason in Agria. ”

The queen didn’t even hesitate. “You have got to be kidding?—”

“I tried to tell you,” Kessara interrupted, taking a big step forward. “I tried to get your help. I asked you to see it. You wouldn’t listen then. Wouldn’t take me seriously then.”

“She’s going to have to now,” Keir said politely to her.

“More threats in my own throne room?” the queen’s voice was increasingly getting louder.

“Yes and also no,” Keir told her calmly.

“It can be a treaty, or it can be a declaration of war. Which form it will take on will be your decision here today. We have fought hard for peace in the realm, but your son Damek threatens it. Learn from Wylan’s mistakes.

My own father murdered blood relatives to solidify his position.

Those should be horrors and mistakes of the past. Dra Skor finished a civil war a few years ago centered around the same thing, jealousy within royal bloodlines. ”

He didn’t let her say a word as he plowed on.

“Imagine my surprise when I found, first of all, that I had a sister, second of all, that she was being used and hunted by her brother. You have three healthy heirs right now, Your Highness, but if Damek Zavatari takes the throne, if you fail to remove the biggest threat to Agria’s welfare yourself, then the rest of the realm will be forced to do it for you. In likely a permanent manner.”

You could hear a pin drop in the throne room, all of us in varying shades of shock.

Keir knew how to do this dance well, a delegate riding the fine line of motivating the other side to see things differently, but without insulting and infuriating them.

It was the same skill he’d possessed which led him straight to Esta’s talons.

I was damn glad he was on our side.

Keir continued on, “Likewise, this treaty will stand in place and no one from any of the four countries shall grace your shores, so long as Damek Zavatari never rules Agria.”

Two beats of silence and then absolute chaos erupted in the throne room.

Damek was standing and yelling at Kessara.

Yelling to anyone who would hear that she just wanted the crown herself and this was all her doing.

The king was trying to calm him, and the queen was calling for guards to get the team of women out of there.

Calix had come out of whatever area he’d been hidden in and reached the thrones.

I moved to protect Kessara, standing between her and anyone else who dared to approach.

Wren slid in next to me. “I don’t want to leave Kessara.”

I didn’t know how I could allow her to stay when guards were moving in to remove them.

Keir leaned over and said to me, “Have the queen and Kessara had a chance to speak yet?”

“No.”

A dragon roar pierced the air. Zaire had shifted and successfully quieted the room. Also filled the vast majority of it. The ceilings here were tall, but not as tall as Dra Skor’s so the dragon was crouched. Which looked a little like he was about to pounce, a nice added effect.

“Everyone stay exactly where you are,” Keir commanded, more kingly than I had ever heard him.

“Here is how this is going to go. I’m going to personally hand the queen the treaty.

The queen and her daughter are going to disperse to have a long conversation.

The rest of us will stay put, other than the team of women from Wylan, who are free to go.

” He spun to look at them. “Apologies for ruining your meeting with the queen and king.”

“You don’t even know that Kessara is truly your sister,” Calix said to Keir. “For all you know, she is one of our spies.”

Keir glared at him. “Really. You are standing in the room with both of us, and you don’t see any family resemblance?”

While they bickered, I moved to hug my sister. “Get the team out of here. If we are not at the ship in three hours’ time, run a retrieval mission with Amos.”

She nodded, appeased with my orders, with something to do, and moved immediately to Molly and Viv.

I was a bit stunned when Kessara took my hand and pulled me out of the room with her, following in the wake of the queen’s skirts as she stormed out of the room.

She took us to a small library, one that looked well-loved and used over just being ornamental. She turned on her daughter, snapping, “What the hell was that, and where is Artem?”

My heart broke for Kessara in that moment. Wylan had just stood tall for Kessara. Claiming her as their own. And the first words out of her mother’s mouth had been about the other Zavatari sibling.

Kessara squeezed my hand as she offered up wisely, “Maybe the question isn’t where Artem is, but is instead why Artem would feel the need to hide from us? His own family?”

The queen pinched her nose. “How long has this been going on?”

“Years. I stayed on with Damek only to protect Artem. I suspected eventually he’d make a move on him. You know how well-loved Artem is with our people.”

“Your brother Damek is... aggressive , but do you really believe him capable of all this?”

“I fled when Damek sent me to spy on Artem. He was going to have me hold him down to murder him, Mother. I couldn’t stand by and be a part of his way of doing things a moment more. I couldn’t help hold people down any longer while he drove a dagger into their beating hearts.”

“And how many times did he force you to do that? He told us once . That he got carried away and never meant for it to go that far, but that the man had deserved it.”

“Three times. And I lost a portion of my soul every single time .”

Her mother reached for her, hugging her hard. “I am sorry, Zara. I am sorry it took this for me to see it. Hear it. No one wants to believe their child capable of... this . I’m not happy with the antics that just took place in my throne room, but they were effective. I’m here and I’m listening.”

I stood near one of the windows overlooking the forest and allowed mother and daughter to have a moment. I heard sniffling and knew one or both were in tears. It was Kessara who broke the silence. “When I fled, I took Artem with me. To hide him.”

“What?” her mother breathed. “You know where he is?”

“Yes. He is well. But I will not tell you where.”

“You do not trust me?” she asked, hurt clear on her tone. “He is my son.”

“And I am your daughter! You have played favorites with Damek. Also clung to convenient choices in the past. So how was I to know for certain?”

Silence met the question for a few moments.

Kessara then kept speaking, explaining to her mother how she got to this point. Got to the point where she felt she had to ask the land of her true father for help. A land that might not even welcome her, but she had to see if her brothers were really the men they were whispered to be.

At one point some sandwiches were delivered for our lunch as the two of them continued to get caught up.

The queen batted at tears as Kessara finished explaining.

“I went to Wylan for help because none could be found in Agria. You and father wouldn’t believe me, wouldn’t listen to my concerns.

Chalked it all up to the differences in personalities of the two of us.

But Owen, Keir, and Krew did. They immediately took my word for it. ”

“I’m sorry,” the queen bit out. “I’m sorry you felt safer there than here. I have failed you, daughter.”

“Your Highness,” I interjected, moving to check on Kessara, who took my wrist and squeezed, so I wrapped that arm around her, willing her more strength.

“Please take a moment and read the treaty. Remove Damek as heir apparent. Get him the help he needs as he’s clearly not well. You have two other viable heirs here.”

“What? You want me to choose Kessara and make you king?” the queen snapped as she unrolled the treaty.

“Should you wish to make Kessara queen, should she want that as well, we both know two people with such strong ties to Wylan would never be accepted here. We would be killed swiftly. In our sleep. If this is what both of you want, however, I will annul our marriage. She will be free to marry one of the Agrian bloodlines I keep hearing so much about yet do not really understand.”

While Kessara was looking at me like I had grown a horn, her mother explained, “We bred our shadow Enchantment into all our bloodlines. It just took to some more so than others. Six bloodlines run stronger than the rest.”

I stilled. “So you don’t have a non-Enchanted population?”

“Very few,” she confirmed. “Those who wished to remain fully human did. We did not force it upon anyone.”