Page 104 of Keeper of the Word

“Your Majesty, Lady Elanna came to you with her concernsabout Prince Dashiell and his marriage. The fate of the realm rests uponhisshoulders,” Tara said.

Elanna kept her face emotionless. Though they may currently be at odds, Tara the First’s presence was a relief.

When no one in the room gave a retort, Tara continued, “King Rian, we are here to aid you. Prince Dashiell must marry a maiden of Grenden. That is the only edict in question at present. Let him marry the maiden of his choice.”

“Never!” King Rian stood, as he shouted the word.

“We have Seen doom if he does not marry.”

“And so he shall marry. Lady Wenonah. A suitable maiden of nobility, whom, I might add, has already been declared as his bride. She’s traveling to Asalle at this very moment! Tell me, what do you think would happen if the prince were to marry a commoner?”

“Iwas a commoner,” Elanna dared respond.

King Rian descended the three stairs of the dais and went to the table that held a bottle of mead. He poured himself a goblet. “‘Tis different. My son, myonlyson, as you say, shall not marry this nobody. The people of the realm would not accept it. ’Tis ne’er been done. He’d be a laughingstock. Not to mention, this whole affair has carried on in secrecy. My son is acting the fool. We know naught about her, who she is, what her real intentions are?—”

“’Tis simple enough. Have her introduced at court!”

“Are you mad?” Rian paused. “Nay, my people—yourpeople—need a noble maiden—one whom I have vetted—as their future queen.”

“Simply because something has been tradition for centuries doesn’t mean ’tis the best way,” Tara said.

King Rian shook his head and swallowed a drink. “There are already rumors of skirmishes. I must see this through.”

“What do you mean ‘skirmishes,’ Your Majesty?” Tara paled. “In addition to the affray on the Greenwood-Anscom border?”

“Rumors have escaped the castle,” Griffith muttered. “That the prince is getting cold feet, as they say, about marrying Lady Wenonah. A few province scuffles, Your Majesty. Naught to worryabout.” Chancellor Griffith flicked a hard look at the two StarSeers.

“All the more reason to allow Prince Dashiell to wed his bride of choice and secure the succession. Grenden will be pleased and Lenfore can have no reason to dispute.” Tara stood. “I implore Your Majesty, trust us, as you and everyone in your House havealwaysdone. Trust that we have Seen the best for the House of Sidra and Capella Realm.”

Elanna closed her eyes and willed the sovereign to soften his heart.

“You cannot consider this, Your Majesty,” Roger said.

“For the good of the realm,” Chancellor Griffith followed.

Stars.

“’Tis most regrettable that you felt you should travel all this way to Asalle, Lady Tara, but I cannot allow it. Prince Dashiell shall never marry this woman. Never.”

Tara turnedthe Edan Stone over and over in her palm. She’d inspected it earlier, and Elanna wasn’t certain what the first StarSeer hoped to discover this time.

Elanna’s skin tingled in anticipation. ’Twas dusk, and they knelt in the garden, waiting for the evening star to appear. Last night, the stars had been silent; tonight, would have much to say. From the tautness she felt coming from the cord of starlight shared between them, Elanna knew that Tara sensed it, too.

Earlier, Elanna had tugged on the Five’s cord to give comfort to Kyrie and Casta. Her soul smoothed over it as if in an invisible hug for Maristel. She had not felt anything from them in return. Odd. But restoring it to its proper place in the center of her being had brought solace. She ached to be close to her sisters. The proximity to Tara had been an unexpected renewal in the strength she had not realized was waning, even with the tension between them.

“You feel it, too.” Tara placed the Edan Stone on the grass between them. “Doom. Disaster.”

“Mayhap King Rian will relent,” Elanna offered in hope.

Tara said naught in return, but Elanna wasn’t green in her role. The hairs on her arms standing on end said otherwise.

“That stone is, in part, why Sir Tolvar was brought to this path,” Elanna said.

“He is the keeper of the word,” they finished together.

At that moment, the evening star glinted, visible in the purple sky.

“Let us find out exactly what that means.” Tara outstretched her hands, one palm up, one palm down. Elanna flattened her palms into Tara’s and immediately, the two fed their starlight into one another. The radiating sensation was as if the cord of starlight wrapped itself around their connected hands. When it was as if the cord had bound itself fully, their fingers pressed into each other’s wrists, and the two gazed up in sync and found the evening star. It winked.