*
Rhys inched forward so that he could see the occupants of the room. The King and Queen stood, Layna pacing the room, while Rhys’s mother and Lady Katrina sat nearby.
“I’m not sure that this is the best time to leave Princess Phoenix alone here,” Katrina said worriedly. “Not that I have any doubt that she would do wonderfully,” she added, receiving nods from Layna and Gryffon, “but the rumors are still fresh in people’s minds, and there are still questions that haven’t been answered.”
Rhys’s mother, Katya, spoke up. “I hate to put a damper on your plans as well, but there has been an incident with the tribes. The project to cleanse the chaotic magic has been progressing nicely, but the latest spell took on a greater scale than had previously been attempted, and it went awry. Despite the best efforts of the combined talents of all the tribes, it looks as though it may require your personal attention to remedy.” She continued, “And before you ask, it will take longer than the time you have to prepare to leave and cannot wait until you return.”
Queen Layna sighed. “It doesn’t matter,” she informed them, “Gryffon and I will not be the ones who will be able to visit the empire at this time. Herald Siajan informed us in private that though Her Eminence would very much like to meet Gryffon and I, magic is unsafe to use in the empire. We would therefore be unable to retain our talents and visit. If we did still want to go, he relayed that some sort of dampening potion would have to be applied which would render us talentless for the duration. Though we have no reason to distrust him, or the empire, this is clearly too risky both for our safety and that of Elaeld’s.”
“Dampen your magic?” There was a brief cacophony of outrage at the very idea amongst those in the room before Layna spoke again.
“He made it seem as though it was for our own safety, but I would imagine it would make them feel a lot safer as well. Two powerful mages in their land when no one there is allowed to use it would be disconcerting. Upon further discussion of the matter, he did, finally, impart some information about their customs. Apparently, the general use of magic has been banned because of something they call ‘Nightwind’. He wouldn’t give me details, other than this Nightwind made it dangerous for any in the empire to use or even possess magic. It sounds to me like they are afraid that people will not be able to appropriately handle it. He seemed to be very understanding of the fact that it was the Dark King who made the immoral decisions behind the use of blood-magic, and not the magic itself that was to blame. I would speculate that perhaps they had a similar incident in their own history which has prompted them to be wary of this Nightwind event turning others towards evil. Our people outlawed magic except within the bounds of the Priesthood in the Dark King’s wake, and theirs appear to have outlawed its use outside of the control of this Alchemist because of this Nightwind. Siajan claims that there are very few who are born with the talent anymore anyway, but that those who do only bring danger to themselves and those around them should they not come forward to be ‘cured’. Interestingly enough, it seems that this celebration of Her Favor that they are returning for is where this cure takes place.”
The King spoke up. “I can’t speak for my wife, but I certainly wouldn’t feel good about submitting myself to a potion that would take away my magic without knowing for certain that it would be returned.” He paused and added wryly, “Not that it’s a matter of trust.”
There was a tittering of laughter, but it was short-lived.
“So do we decline the invitation?” Katrina asked.
“I’d feel a lot better knowing more about this mysterious empire and Her Royal Eminence,” Gryffon said, “and what exactly her plans may be regarding their discovery of our ‘little nation’, as Herald Siajan calls it.” He paused and rubbed the thin stubble lining his strong jaw, just starting to show hints of gray. “Are they really as big as they hint at being? Just how powerful is this Alchemist, and why do they really seem so frightened of using power? What exactly is Nightwind? Could its legacy somehow threaten us? Can we really afford not to find these answers?”
Queen Layna nodded. “Indeed. I thought Siajan to be at least fairly open with us, but he has been extremely reticent about the use of magic and to now find out that it is basically outlawed…” she trailed off.
“They may not have mentioned it simply because of our own use of it. Knowing that they didn’t have it could have been a real risk for them. It actually is a display of trust at this point to have come clean,” one of the aides offered.
“I suppose,” King Gryffon agreed reluctantly.
“Why not just send another party in our place?” Queen Layna asked.
“It would never do,” Lady Katrina shook her head. “Sending someone below your station could be an insult, and we don’t want to risk offending them before we have answers to our questions.”
Layna sighed.
“Why not send the Princess?” Rhys’s mother asked pointedly. Queen Layna shot her a warning look, but Katya ignored it. His mother was hard to intimidate. “With her out of sight, won’t it also follow that she will be out of mind, at least as so far as squashing the last of the rumors about her? The rumors are mostly gone, and it seems that the court was the only place where they really ran rampant anyway. But while most people were smart enough not to believe them, there are those few busy-bodies that have nothing better to do that refuse to let go. If she’s not here, it won’t be nearly as fun for those gossiping about her to do so. Furthermore, any gossip that is going around would be much more likely to concentrate on what she’s doing in the empire and not the nasty rumors of the past.”
“That’s true,” Lady Katrina agreed.
Queen Layna closed her eyes.
“We can send her with Natalya and Alina,” Gryffon said softly, putting a hand on the small of Layna’s back. “Alina picked up the ability from the Order to hide her magic completely and she also has a talent for repelling unwanted attention. It isn’t common knowledge that she’s a mage at all, let alone as strong of a mage as she is, so the heralds probably don’t know either. I see no reason to enlighten them. That way, we can send someone along with the ability to use the power, and we can feel safe knowing Phoenix has a mage at her back. I trust Alina to make sure that any use of power is done safely no matter what this Nightwind’s influence may have on the empire’s people. She can also provide us with a better understanding of what it might be than those who have never experienced touching the power. We can send Phoenix with a gate charm as well. If anything goes wrong, she can be home in an instant.”
Layna opened her eyes and met Gryffon’s imploringly. Rhys looked away from the tender moment, feeling awkward spying on it.
She was silent for a long moment. “Only if they will allow a full guard to escort her. I don’t want to send the heir to the throne into danger without proper protection. The country can’t afford to lose her,” her voice cracked, and she took a deep breath.
“We’ll send Natalya and Alina, of course, and we can send some of the ‘special’ guards along too. The Blades can blend in with the servants and the empire will be none-the-wiser.” Rhys strained his ears, hoping that they would elaborate on the Blades. He’d heard rumors of an elite guard existing, but never had it confirmed before now.
“We should send along people she trusts, too,” Layna put in, her voice stronger, “and with special skills.” She turned her head. “Rhys, perhaps you could join us in a more civilized manner?”
Rhys bumped his head on the ceiling, jumping when she said his name. His eyes darted around the narrow passageway, then rested on the sight below. Seeing no alternative, he slunk down through the opening and into the conference room. His mother’s expression revealed nothing, but Lady Katrina looked surprised to see him there. As always, the Queen somehow knew whenever he was lurking.
“Your Majesties,” he bowed to them and greeted Lady Katrina and his mother with small bow
s as well, without meeting his mother’s gaze.
“I would like you to accompany her as well,” the Queen stated.
Rhys was taken-aback. “Me? Why?” His mother gave him a stern look. He cleared his throat and added, “Your Majesty.”
Queen Layna smiled knowingly. “As you have just so aptly demonstrated, you are very good at being in places you shouldn’t and gathering information. I am not so dull as to believe that all of the information that Wren passes to us has come from him. While he is valuable in his own way, there is a certain crowd that this type of information comes from with which Wren does not associate.” Rhys’s mother scowled as Layna continued. “While I cannot completely condone your activities, your skills are exactly those that are needed to find out as much as we can about the empire without them knowing. You have certainly proved yourself to be a true asset for Phoenix.”
Rhys was stunned. He half-wondered if this was some sort of revenge against his mother for having suggested the idea of Phoenix going, except that vengeance wasn’t the Queen’s style. Perhaps she knew more about his everyday activities than he assumed. He gulped; he wondered what else she knew. Her eyes seemed to penetrate into him in that peculiar manner she had, and his gaze dropped to the floor. He was very glad he’d been able to return the Bloodstone and had decided against taking anything else.
“I’m sure that being in Phoenix’s party will make you privy to all sorts of situations and items,” she added.
Rhys had a flashback to the jewels and riches on the visitors’ boat and robes. Just in case Jak ever woke back up it might be wise to have the money ready. He also realized at that moment that Alina – and her ring – would also be on the journey.
“And we would, of course, compensate you for your troubles.”
He nodded and stood up straighter. “I would be honored to be a part of Phoenix’s escort,” he said, inclining his head slightly again.