Page 38 of The Shadowed Throne (Midlife Fairy Tale #4)

W ith Gabriel and Perza as her only audience, Ro sat at her desk and opened the letter. She skimmed the contents first, then read it out loud.

“Dear Queen Sparrow, thank you for agreeing to meet and discuss peace. With all my heart, I believe this will be a momentous day for our kingdoms.

“For the sake of fairness, I share the names of those who will be with me. My daughter, Princess Beatryce Blackbryar. My uncle, Ishmyel Blackbryar. My Minister of Defense, Hawke Wickthorne. My Minister of Magic, Nazyr Marwood. The Queen’s Councilor, Wyett Windmere.

In addition, two royal guards will accompany the party.

“For the sake of authenticity and purpose, the royal sword, Mourning Hawke, will be at my side. I will be otherwise unarmed, save one ceremonial dagger, also at my waist.

“In two days’ time, my party will arrive at Tenebrae, regardless of weather, at noon. I am sending word to Warden Squant that we require the use of his yard and possibly his receiving hall.

“If these arrangements are agreeable, please reply with a list of those who will accompany you.

“I anticipate our meeting with great eagerness.

“Queen Anyka.”

Ro looked up from her desk. “I don’t like any of this.”

“Neither do I,” Gabriel said.

Perza looked confused. “She wants to negotiate peace, but you don’t like that?”

“I would love it, if it were true, but we have credible intelligence that it is not.”

Perza shook her head. “Why would she arrange this then?”

Gabriel’s eyes narrowed. “Because she means to kill Queen Sparrow.”

Perza sucked in a breath. “You know this for certain?”

“We do.” Ro glanced at Gabriel to see if he thought it was safe to tell Perza everything.

He nodded.

Ro set her hands on top of the letter. “We have someone on the inside. Someone in the queen’s inner circle.

It’s been confirmed that this meeting is an ambush, at which Anyka plans to kill me and use magic to take possession of the royal sword, Merediem, which would give her control of the kingdom. ”

“That’s why Anyka has mentioned in the letter that she’ll be wearing her sword,” Gabriel explained. “So that Queen Sparrow will feel compelled to wear hers.”

Ro glanced down at the letter. “Which is exactly why I am so bothered that she’s bringing her daughter. She obviously wants me to bring Prince James.”

Gabriel exhaled. “So she can kill him, too.”

A small, sorrowful sound escaped Perza. Her hand went to her throat, her fingers intertwining with the strand of trillianites. “This woman is evil.” Suddenly, Perza straightened. “Tell me again why she feels this way toward you?”

Ro understood. “You’d think I’d done something awful to her, wouldn’t you? But it’s just as we explained on our visit to your home. She blames the Radiant for the death of her parents, despite the fact that her mother struck out with poison first.”

“It’s more than that, though,” Gabriel said.

Perza looked at him.

He hesitated. “Anyka’s mother was a devout practitioner of dark magic. Queen Leda lost herself to it.”

“She went mad, you mean?” Perza asked.

“Yes. And we believe the same thing has happened to Anyka. She willingly exposed herself to the Beyond, calling up her mother’s spirit, which resulted in a breach of the veil and her mother temporarily possessing Anyka’s Minister of Magic.

But we think it affected her, too. I believe Anyka has become umbraed . Which is to say, lost to the shadows.”

Perza grimaced as she looked at Ro. “You cannot let her kill you.”

“I don’t intend to,” Ro said. “But you see now what we are up against? Why we need the neph with us? If Summerton falls, it won’t be the last kingdom she goes after.”

Perza nodded. “I speak for my husband and myself when I say that the Caer Wyld stand with you. Whatever you need, you will have. Queen Anyka must be stopped.”

“Thank you, Perza.” Ro gave her a quick smile. “We have two days to plan and get ready. I don’t know what we’ll need, but if my professors come up with a way to utilize the neph, we will let you know.”

Perza leaned forward. “Please, let us help. We want to. As a people, we would be deeply wounded if a new ally met such a terrible fate and we did nothing to stop it.”

“I understand, and I appreciate your offer,” Ro said. “I mean that. Between you and the Wyvern, I feel … well, like we’re not alone in this.”

“Because you aren’t,” Perza said. “Now, I must collect my daughter and take her home. I trust you won’t mind if I fill my husband in on all that has transpired here?”

“I want you to. I need to send word to the Wyvern as well.”

Ro stood at the same time Perza did, Gabriel a half second behind them. He bowed at Perza. “I will send a guard to locate your daughter, then I will escort both of you to the portal.”

“Thank you, Lord Nightborne.” She smiled at him, then reached her hand out to Ro. “Be courageous and rest assured that we are committed to helping you.”

Ro took Perza’s hand. “Thank you. Travel safely. I hope to see you again soon.”

“And I you.”

Gabriel escorted Perza out, and Ro sat. The door hadn’t closed all the way before it was opened again.

A guard bowed and addressed her. “Madam Meadowcroft, your highness, and her guest.”

“Guest?”

Violet burst in with a woman several years her senior. “Queen Sparrow, may I present Ecclesia Skyforge. Ecclesia, this is my niece, the queen.” With a big smile, Violet added for Ro’s benefit, “She brought a bag with her.”

“Doesn’t mean I’m staying,” Ecclesia said.

Ro stood up again. The woman wore dark blue robes with a border of silver stitching.

The top half of her waist-length white hair was pulled back in two simple braids tied with leather.

Her face was heavily lined, but her green eyes shone as if she was lit from within.

Aside from a narrow silver band on her ring finger and a thin silver chain that disappeared beneath the neck of her tunic, she wore no other jewelry. “Thank you for coming, Ecclesia.”

The woman gave a nod but no more. “If you expect me to curtsey, it’s not going to happen, your majesty. These bones don’t care if you’re the queen or a washerwoman.”

Ro smiled in understanding. “I’m not worried about that. Please, have a seat.” She gestured to the chairs Perza and Gabriel had just occupied.

Ecclesia and Violet, who looked very pleased with herself, sat.

“Where’s Darkstone? I thought he’d be here.” Ecclesia adjusted her robe over her lap, revealing a small crescent moon tattoo in blue on the inside of her right wrist. In the hollow of the moon was the letter W in delicate script.

“I’m sorry, he’s not,” Ro said. “He’s been called away, which is why he recommended we ask you to come and take over in his stead.”

Ecclesia’s eyes tapered down in obvious suspicion. “He dead?”

“No, he is very much alive,” Ro said, praying that was still true. “But we, in his absence, are in need of a powerful mage, and you were his first suggestion.”

Ecclesia nodded. “He’s a good one. Kind of him to mention me, but I haven’t practiced in a meaningful way in many years. Not the sort of magic you’re probably talking about.”

Ro was about to fold her hands when she realized Anyka’s letter remained on her desk. She turned it over and set it aside. “I’m sure he knew that, but he clearly thinks you capable of what we need. Also, I am very sorry for the loss of your husband.”

Ecclesia’s gaze went to her wrist. “Kind of you to say. Wilm was a good man. Real credit to his profession.”

“What did he do?”

“He was a ranking member of the Stained Glass Guild. Designed those panels in the royal library.”

“He did?” Ro blinked. She’d had no idea, but how could she? They weren’t signed like most art. “Those are incredible. I love them. Your husband was a great artist.”

“Yes, he was. Great husband, too. Wilm always thought I’d be First Professor one day.” She shook her head. “It was more his dream than mine.”

“And yet, you’ve come. Does that mean you’re willing to help?” The lines of grief were clearly etched in the woman’s face, but maybe she’d come to a point where she was ready to at least, briefly, be distracted by something else.

“Depends what kind of magic you need.”

Ro nodded. “The tough part is, I don’t know yet. None of us do. We’re all still in the planning stage. What I do know is the Grym queen plans to kill me in two days’ time. I’d like to avoid that as much as possible.”

Ecclesia’s expression shifted from one of casual indifference to one of moderate concern. “Why’s she want to do that?”

“Because she is hell-bent on avenging her parents’ deaths and she believes she’s the one who should be ruling Summerton.” Ro held up a finger. “Also, she’s umbraed , according to my Professor of Security.”

“The Grym one?” Ecclesia nodded. “He ought to know.”

“Do you have an issue with him being Grym?”

“No, your highness. I just know that he lived under that regime. Figure that gives him the experience to tell what’s happened to her.” She rested her hands in her lap, one over the other. “Also, I heard…”

“What?” Ro asked, already anticipating what the woman was about to say.

“Just that people say your son is Grym.”

“Half. Yes, that’s true.”

Ecclesia gave a tiny, one-shouldered shrug.

“Wilm had a bit in him. Grandmother on his father’s side.

Crazy woman but knew her plants like she was born in the mud.

Just about killed her to have that curse over her homeland.

She knew there were a lot of things that had died off because of the loss of the sun. ”

“But she wasn’t living there?”

“No. They left when she was just a babe. Taught me everything she knew. Tough, she was, but whip-smart and generous with her knowledge. Talented.” Ecclesia shook her head. “Real loss.”

“Sounds like it. According to Uldamar, you are quite talented also.” Ro hoped that was a gentle enough push back to her original question.

Gabriel returned, coming through the door quietly and giving Ro a nod to let her know Perza and Ghylla had been taken care of.

“Ecclesia, this is Lord Gabriel Nightborne, my head of security. Gabriel, Ecclesia has come to discuss helping us.”

He greeted her with a cautious smile. “Does that mean you’re going to help? Or you’re still talking about it?”

Ecclesia stared at him, studying him like he was a long-lost artifact. “You’re as Grym as they come, aren’t you?”

“In appearance,” Gabriel replied. “But Summerton is my home and where my heart and loyalty lie.”

Ecclesia finally looked at Ro again. “You truly think you’re going to need me?”

“I do,” Ro said. “And even if I don’t, I’d rather have you here than not.

But regardless of whether you stay and help or not, I’m going to have a plaque installed in the library near those windows your husband designed.

I’d like to put his name on it, along with any information you think is important.

Artistry like that should not go unsigned.

He deserves to be recognized for the work he did. ”

Ecclesia’s lips parted. “You mean that?”

“Absolutely.” She looked at Gabriel. “Do you know which professor I need to speak to about having that done?”

“Most likely that would be First Professor of Arts Morehouse.”

Ro liked Delia Morehouse. She was empathetic toward the citizens of Malveaux. Ro felt certain recognizing Wilm would be something she’d approve. “I’ll send a note to her this afternoon.”

Ecclesia swallowed. “That’s very kind of you.”

“I believe in giving recognition where recognition is due. Can you make your decision about whether you’ll help us in the next few hours? I don’t mean to rush you, but as I mentioned, I only have two days.”

Ecclesia shook her head. “The time isn’t necessary. Whatever you need, I’m here.”