"Presenting Lady Enfri the Yora," the attendant announced to the feast hall, "escorted by Her Exalted Highness, Princess Jin Algara."
Silence fell over the room, and every eye turned towards the entrance. A new wave of nerves and anxiety threatened to drown Enfri. She'd never wished to know how to brew an invisibility spell more than at that moment.
Her eyes found Ban before anyone else. He stood near to one of the feast hall's great, roaring hearths, in a knot of people that included Light Hoof, Moon, and Knight-Lieutenant Trent. The goblins were dressed for the occasion, in a manner of speaking. They were covered in lush furs that had a ceremonial look about them.
Ban grinned when he saw Jin and Enfri enter, and he even went so far as to give a low whistle as he looked over Enfri's gown. The blustering rogue. Enfri couldn't stop the broad smile that appeared on her face.
Several people gasped, followed by an appreciative murmur. Enfri must have been hearing things, because the snippets she caught sounded like the words "lovely" and "stunning". Surely, they meant Jin.
There were easily a hundred in attendance. Knights, lords, and ladies. Many of the noble guests were accompanied by servants in their house's livery. Enfri recognized more than a few faces from her previous foray into this sort of social gathering, others from her time in the palace. Almost all present had fair skin and auburn or crimson hair. It appeared that King Adeyemi and the Melcian delegation hadn't yet arrived.
As rehearsed, Enfri dipped into a slow curtsy. Jin did the same. Once they straightened, the two of them walked hand in hand into the feast hall.
The room was floored with black marble, the same as the columns ringing the rectangular chamber. Light came from the four great hearths on each wall and a number of gas lanterns. The black marble swallowed what light touched it, serving to make the people within seem all the brighter.
Long tables were arranged throughout the room at irregular intervals. Across the tables, a grand banquet was already in place, and boys in Romov livery brought in more food by the minute. There were plates and trays loaded with roasted meat, steamed vegetables, and fillets of raw fish lying upon shaved ice. Each chair had a setting of fine porcelain dinnerware. Servant women in gray dresses and stiff shawls bustled about with carafes of wine for the guests.
Enfri could feel everyone's eyes watching while King Sasha strode towards her and Jin. The king had a goblet in either hand, and he held them forward as he drew close. Enfri accepted hers while offering another curtsy.
Sasha wore a gray, double-breasted coat of an Altieri paladin. The only details that marked him as being of higher station than any other hand knight were the golden epaulettes on his shoulders. He didn't wear his crown, opting instead for a platinum circlet with three blue diamonds on his brow.
"My king," Enfri said, inclining her head to him.
"Please, there's no need for that," Sasha said, bowing slightly at the waist. He looked to Jin. "Your forgiveness, Highness, but might I borrow the Lady Yora for a moment?"
"Of course, my lord," Jin said. She had a sly smile about her. "But I should warn you that I get jealous."
Sasha winked at her as he led Enfri aside. Jin continued into the feast hall on her own and was received by Pacifica and the retinue of ladies that trailed in her wake. Enfri had to fight hard not to stare longingly after her and kept her attention on Sasha.
"There's not a problem, is there?" she asked in a low voice.
"No," Sasha said quickly. "Not in the immediate sense, at least. I didn't mean to startle you, my lady."
"If I can't call you my king, you need to drop the blustering formalities, too. How're your ribs doing?"
Sasha touched at his side. "Mending well, thanks to your tea. You weren't wrong about the flavor, though."
"It's an acquired taste," Enfri said. "You'd think raspberry leaves would be a little less bitter. What can I... I mean to say, how can I be of service?"
Sasha led her into a group of Altieri, all wearing the gray coats of paladins. Each of them had their backs to her and their king as they conversed among themselves, nonchalantly becoming a barrier to any who might approach.
"I wanted to tell you of arrangements we've made tonight," he said, leaning close. "I have the Lost Company on alert, just in case of any surprises."
Enfri felt her heart quicken. "Which is to say, it would be a surprise if the Melcians pulled something tonight?"
"I don't think they will, but kings don't keep their crowns by being unprepared for the worst. Ban stationed Paladins Hugin and Rav as honor guards at the east entrance." He tilted his chin in indication towards where the song knights were standing in polished full plate. They both glanced Enfri's way and gave slight nods. "If you need to leave, they'll escort you quietly back to your chambers and stand guard."
Enfri lay her hand on his arm. "I appreciate all you're doing for me, Sasha. I can't thank you enough."
He patted her hand. "It's not near to what I owe you, Sky Woman." He flinched at forgetting her new title. "Forgive me, I..."
Enfri hushed his apology. "Truly, thank you. You can't know how much I needed to hear someone call me that."
Sasha smiled. It was the sort of endearing smile that reminded Enfri that she was the elder of the two of them. Then, his expression fell beneath the weight of his troubles. "There is one other matter," he said. "It's about Ban, and I hoped you might be able to help."
"About Kimpo, or something else?" she asked with care.
Sasha's eyes darted to elsewhere in the room. Not to Ban, as he was still chatting with the goblins. Enfri followed the king's gaze to where several nobles gathered around a stately woman.
She was tall and made no effort to conceal the gray taking over her long hair. Her face was lined with age-- Enfri would place her as nearing fifty-- and her years had done little to hide her beauty. With a start, Enfri noticed her violet eyes.
"A Karst," she said. "She looks like Lady Ascania."
"Lady Ilyena," Sasha said. "Ascania's cousin and the matriarch of the Peninsula's line of Karsts. Before fleeing here after the rebellion, she and her family governed the region out of Gavan, the City of Ice." He lowered his voice until he all but spoke under his breath. "I'd wager it's grown a bit warmer in Gavan since she left. That harpy could freeze hellfire."
Enfri's hid her grimace by taking a sip of her wine. "She sounds lovely. Is she a problem for Ban?"
Sasha sighed and looked regretful. "Ilyena came to me as soon as her ship dropped the gangplank. I had little choice but to grant her request for a reformation of title."
"What's that mean?" Enfri asked.
"It's the same as my house did, long ago. She and her family are no longer a part of House Karst. They're House Djago as of three hours ago, named for Ilyena's late husband, and she is the head."
"Does that mean, other than the hydromancers, Ban is the last Karst?"
Sasha sighed and looked pensive, giving Enfri her answer.
She drew her lips together. "It's because of Rodrik, isn't it? She's distancing herself from the main line for when House Valdar, the other cities, or even the Highest King need someone to answer for what happened."
Sasha nodded sadly. "As you say, and I'm afraid it doesn't end there. The Drunov tells me that most goodfolk throughout the kingdom are laying the blame for all that's happened at Ban's feet. Before the First Legion's attack, Niklaus and Rodrik did all they could to make Ban their scapegoat." He folded his arms over his chest and scowled. "Waves take me, but it worked. Karst is a fell name now, no better than House Krayson."
"And Ban is left holding the bag." Enfri was getting angry. "If not for him, the entire Continent would be at war. How can we prove to everyone that Ban isn't the one to blame for all this?"
Sasha bit his lip. "I'm afraid you'll find that Ban is different from other heads of house. He doesn't have it in him to put himself before what's best for the kingdom."
Enfri heard an ominous note in Sasha's words. "What's going on, Sasha?"
"I think he's about to do something rash. Waves, but I can't say it's wrong, either." Sasha took Enfri's hand and held it to his heart. "Please, Enfri, look out for him."
"You needn't ask. He's my brother of the heart."
Sasha smiled, relieved, and let go of her hand. "I've kept you too long, my lady, and I know there's a line of sycophants looking to talk your ear off."
Enfri opened her mouth to respond when the attendant at the door announced the latest arrivals to the feast hall.
"Presenting His Royal Eminence, Adeyemi the Akazewi, King of Melcia, Lord of Ilyia, Defender of the North Reach."
A low growl echoed in the back of Enfri's head. Shoen and the rest of the Dragon Emperors seethed with impotent hatred as King Adeyemi came into the feast hall. Their venom was strong enough that Enfri had to struggle to keep herself from doing the same.
Jin respects him, she told herself. He accepted guest-rights from Sasha. I'm not in danger.
He wants you dead for your blood. Do not give him the chance.
It pained Enfri to admit, but it was prudent advice. Still, she wasn't about to let Shoen-- or whoever her mind was conjuring-- to get a big head over it. She let a dry smile onto her face. I suppose if anyone knows of cutthroat politics...
I see the fledgling thinks herself a wit. But I will not allow the bloodline to end for your foolishness. Be prepared for anything.
Enfri touched briefly at her long sleeves. The pockets she'd sewn into them were weighted by the alchemical spells she kept on her, warding potions, blaze-lances, and a couple of dizzyballs. She was far from defenseless. I won't die here, she thought. Don't worry.
It bothered her that Shoen hummed his approval before going silent.
Winds take me, but I'm halfway to an asylum. It can't really be him. It just can't.
Enfri wished she had the time and opportunity to delve into what was happening to her. Adeyemi's arrival pushed everything else away. Enfri focused-- truly focused-- on the man himself for the first time.
The king of Melcia wore an embroidered doublet, cerulean and silver as was his right as a king. Rather than trousers, he wore a shin-length skirt that had been wrapped around his waist. An interesting garment, one that Enfri had never seen the like of, but it wasn't quite the same as a skirt. It made Enfri think of the layered leather an armsman might wear to protect their loins.
Adeyemi had a stern face, broad nose and jawline, and a strong chin. His eyes were a pale green, almost white, and his short black hair was streaked with gray. A small tuft of facial hair, also graying, was beneath his lips, and his skin was dark enough that it was nearly black. Though aging, he hadn't lost as much of his muscle mass as most men of his years, but he was becoming thick around the middle. Nonetheless, his arms were strong and palms calloused from a lifetime of wielding a sword in battle.
More than anything else, Enfri could sense how at ease he was. Everything about Adeyemi, from his calm eyes to his ready smile, spoke to his complete confidence. Enfri saw him and knew Adeyemi at once to be more than a mere noble or head of house. He was a king.
"And with that," Sasha sighed, "I must leave you, my lady. My thanks for hearing me out."
"Of course, my king," Enfri said. "Take care."
She watched as Sasha approached to greet Adeyemi. The knights that had assured their privacy dispersed as if they'd only been standing there by chance. Enfri scanned the room, wondering what she was expected to do next. She hardly heard when the attendant announced the rest of the Melcian delegation.
Jin was surrounded by courtiers vying for her attention. She gave Enfri a helpless look, unable to break away. Pacifica stood with Lady Deimi, the two clearly overjoyed at being reunited. Reyn was with them, and she wore a splendid, form-fitting gown instead of her usual scribe's attire.
Enfri decided she should return to Jin's side, but she thought better of it when Adeyemi led Sasha that way. The Melcian king held his arms wide while he greeted her as if she were family. Enfri then thought she should go to Ban and get his opinion on this Lady Ilyena business. She wanted to know how he was holding up under yet another blow, and it was always a delight to speak with Light Hoof.
Only, Ban and Moon seemed to be speaking intently with one another. It would be rude to interrupt. Perhaps Enfri could wander towards Pacifica. She wanted to compliment Reyn on her gown.
"At last I have chance to meet the mysterious Lady Yora." The woman's voice was rich with the accent of the north.
Enfri turned, startled, and found herself facing a tall and beautiful woman. She recognized Crown Princess Omolade at once. The dreadlocked hair woven with gemstones was distinctive enough in its own right. It was her eyes, pale green like her father's, that held Enfri's attention.
Unexpectedly, Enfri felt a small flare of jealousy. Though she might have told Jin that she wasn't at all upset over past infatuations, Enfri couldn't help but start comparing herself to Omolade. She found herself lacking in every category.
Enfri bobbed a hurried curtsy, mindful of not spilling her wine. "Princess."
Omolade blinked. "You are she, yes? Lady Enfri the Yora? I nay realized you and your king were so close as to converse in private."
"Sasha is very kind," Enfri murmured. Winds, but she could hardly meet Omolade's intense gaze. She hated to admit it, but she was intimidated by her. In nearly every way.
Do not dare to submit to this creature. In a breath, you could have her on the ground, whimpering. Show her how far above her you are!
Enfri wrenched her thoughts away from Shoen. His presence vanished along with his voice. All that was left of him was a lingering sense of rage, but also surprise. Enfri wasn't sure what she did, but it was effective in silencing the voices. The small victory gave her heart. She didn't find it quite as hard to look Omolade in the eye anymore.
"If I might be forward, Princess," she said, "you don't seem the sort to beat around the bush. If you have questions for me, please ask them."
Omolade took a drink from her goblet, a grin spreading across her face as she did. "I confess, I nay know what to make of you. I will state mine words plain as you wish."
"Please do."
"When Shan Alee is invoked and an Aleesh found, if they are not outright slain, they are put in chains and sent to the Highest King. Yet I find mineself speaking to one, and I am forbidden from carrying forth mine duty to mine liege. You see how this situation is without precedent?"
Enfri grimaced. "I suspect you'd sooner expect to find a scale lion with a title than an Aleesh with one." She perked up and rounded on Omolade. "Wait. Forbidden?"
Omolade laughed. "In truth, it is so. Mine father was clear. So long as we are guests in Ecclesia, we are to give you the same respect given by House Romov." She saw Enfri's shocked reaction and smiled. "Mayhaps you are tempted to see this as a kindness. It is pragmatism."
"How do you mean?"
"You hold counsel with Princess Jin, so I can assume you have some insight into the mind of Cathis." Omolade waited for Enfri to confirm it before continuing. "Mine father gives sendings to Cathis personally. As of yet, he has nay passed on word of your existence, nor of dear Jin's presence in the south."
"I... thank you." Enfri could hardly believe what she heard. "We've been afraid that we only had another few days at best."
"Lady Enfri," Omolade whispered, "were King Cathis to learn, he would call the legions of the Five Kingdoms to punish Ecclesia for harboring you. The resulting conflict, against a multitude of entrenched foes who would see us as invaders, would be costly beyond measure. In mine homeland, it is what we would term a 'quagmire'. Victory unattainable, and withdrawal unacceptable. This is what mine father wishes to avoid with his silence."
Enfri looked around. Ban and Jin were looking her way, both trying to get to her without making a scene. "Your father sees how fragile Sasha's rule is," she said. "Altier Nashal has a long road ahead as it is without adding an Althandi invasion to the pot. However, were I to leave..."
Omolade sighed, though it seemed to Enfri to be an insincere one. "You would be hunted. Nay openly, as your title guards against more active measures, and from the elder houses alone, as the secret history must remain so."
"I can't stay," Enfri said. "Eventually, Cathis will learn of me. When he does, anyone who helped me will pay for it."
"You seek an alternative." Omolade stepped close and spoke softly into her ear. "Melcia is willing to provide. I nay came to you for idle words, Lady Enfri. Mine father wishes to speak and be heard by your ears alone. A meeting, away from paladins and assassins."
"And dragons? Do you think me a fool?"
"A fool can be ignored. A new power, or an old one come again, must be approached with caution. Bring the mighty, if it is true you command such a thing. Meet mine father on equal terms. There is much you have to speak of on the future of House Yora."
Jin excused herself from the two kings. Ban and Moon were half of the way to Enfri's side.
Omolade noted their approach and saw that the private conversation had come to an end. "I will tell mine father to expect your messenger. A time and place of your choosing, my lady."
The princess made to leave, but Enfri seized upon a wild plan. She could feel the voices awakening, as if they sat up straight and paid close attention to what she was doing. As Omolade withdrew, Enfri fell into step beside her.
"My lady?" Omolade asked, bemused.
"The time and place I choose is here and now," Enfri said, her voice holding onto a confidence she didn't share. "Might I ask for an introduction, Princess?"
Omolade's eyes flickered towards where her father conversed with Sasha and a number of lords. Adeyemi glanced their way, his expression unreadable.
"I... am uncertain that would be best," Omolade said. Her steps grew hesitant. If nothing else, that led Enfri to think she was doing something right.
Stay strong, Enfri.
It was difficult not to sneer. Enfri had thought she'd banished the voices for now. She hushed them again as she continued forward. Omolade now trailed in her wake and offered polite invitations to be introduced to her brother and sister instead.
Jin, coming towards her from the direction of Sasha and Adeyemi, hurried to her side. She spared Omolade a searching glance, then stood to bar Enfri's way. "What is happening?" she asked.
A large portion of Enfri's bravado fled, and she worried that she was about to make a terrible mistake that wouldn't be easy to undo. She placed her hand on Jin's arm and spoke in a low voice that no one but Omolade was close enough to overhear. "I want to speak with him," she said. "What do you think?"
Jin looked startled. "Before, you did not seem so willing."
Enfri nodded to Omolade. "I've been told King Adeyemi wants a meeting."
"At a later time," Omolade interjected. She looked to Jin, perhaps hoping for assistance.
Jin's eyes darted around the room, considering. Finally, her gaze rested on Omolade. "Princess, I wish to compliment your gown."
Omolade all but jumped at the unexpected praise. "Your Highness?"
"Impeccably fashionable, as always," Jin continued. She stepped around Enfri and took Omolade by the arm. Side by side, it was easier to compare their physiques. Omolade was taller by half a hand, though Jin was slightly more muscular. "I have considered commissioning something similar. Backless gowns are seen as rather bold in Althandor, but I feel they would become popular given the proper nudge."
Jin led Omolade away while filling her ears with talk of gowns. Omolade allowed herself to be taken aside, though her stance and frequent glances to her father made her reluctance clear.
Enfri resolved to reward Jin for her help as soon as the feast was done with. Turning to Ban and Moon, Enfri gave them a confident smile and a brief wave to show them that she was alright. Concern was painted across Ban's face, but he nodded and held back.
Ban then paled as he and Moon were approached by Princess Nkeoma and her attendants. Enfri would have liked to be privy to that exchange, but she had her own matters to see to.
Sasha was no longer with Adeyemi. Instead, he was a few paces away in deep conference with a rotund Altieri lord Enfri didn't recognize. The man was missing his right arm at the elbow-- perhaps an old battle wound-- and the sleeve of his doublet was folded and buttoned over the stump. Whatever the two spoke of, Sasha was frowning over it. The one-armed lord, however, seemed gleefully triumphant.
Enfri furrowed her brow in concern for Sasha. She felt pulled in a dozen different directions. Overwhelmed. So much was happening around her, and it would be impossible to be part of it all. She found that she had to force herself to keep walking.
This is what the wine is for, she thought. Enfri took a drink from her goblet and hoped it would help settle her nerves. Winds, but it was strong. Only a few sips into her first cup and she was already feeling the effects. When she reached the knot of lords and ladies surrounding King Adeyemi, Enfri was most of the way through working out an investiture for holding off intoxication.
The nobles' conversations went quiet at her arrival. Some offered slight bows of their heads, others watched her with cold looks that approached hostile. No one, however, ignored her. Plenty of them knew her first as Lady Kiffa of House Brandyn, the alias she'd used when she first came to the palace in disguise. How they must view her now. Proclaimed savior of the city, rumored paramour to the daughter of the Highest King, supposed sion of a near-mythical kingdom, and said to command the mighty. Enfri could hardly blame the people that looked at her askance. She hardly knew what to make of herself anymore either.
The knot around Adeyemi parted for her. Their eyes went from her to the Melcian king. Adeyemi himself stared right at her, and Enfri made herself meet his gaze.
"This is a rare occasion," Adeyemi said. His voice was a deep baritone that rumbled like distant thunder. He stepped forward, placing himself within arm's reach of Enfri.
She curtsied as deeply as she could manage without falling over. Her mind raced, thinking back to the brief crash course in Melcian forms of address she'd received from Jin and Pacifica. "Eminence," she said.
"A new house has reached its advent," Adeyemi said. His large, calloused hand took hold of Enfri's and guided her to stand. He bent at the waist and pressed his lips against her fingers. "Seldom does the new head of house come with such renown. Or, with such beauty."
Enfri stifled an unexpected fit of blushing. "Any renown belongs to many others besides me, Eminence. As for beauty, that belongs to only one other and her alone."
Winds, was that me who said that? It sounded like something Pacifica would say.
Adeyemi laughed, bellowing and jovial. He waggled a finger at her. "Oho, so I have already been warned, imé. Mine heart remains only for my queen, light knows, but I am appreciative of the reminder. Such fetching young ladies at every turn, it seems." He drew Enfri to his side and gestured with his near-empty goblet towards where Pacifica stood. "For instance. Mayhaps you can educate me, imé. Who is that glorious creature attending to the princess?"
Enfri swallowed and mastered her voice before daring to speak. "That? Her name is Reyn, Eminence. She's Pacifica's scribe and handmaiden."
Adeyemi let out an appreciative sigh. "Astonishing young lady. There is nay doubt she is lovely. And what is more, do mine eyes deceive or does the Karst have a fey girl on his arm?"
"Rippling Moon," Enfri said as Adeyemi turned her towards Ban and Moon. "She's the younger sister of Light Hoof."
"Ah, the empty one's own blood, if I am nay mistaken. One could say she is a princess in her own right, yes? Would I have but known the Karst preferred the company of fregs, I mayhaps would nay have suggested mine own daughters to wed him."
He said it with such joviality that Enfri almost missed the horrid sentiment behind it. Not to mention the hateful slur he attached to goblins. Sudden anger threatened to boil over and make her give Adeyemi a piece of her mind on the matter.
"Wasn't it the Melcians who called the goblins?" she asked instead, and more civil than she thought he deserved. "I would think you'd have more goodwill towards those who fought for you once."
"Once," Adeyemi said. "Centuries ago."
Against Shan Alee, Shoen added. Why you insist on consorting with those eldritch monsters is beyond our understanding.
Enfri pushed Shoen's voice away yet again and hoped it would take this time. A sharper and firmer reply for Adeyemi was halfway past her tongue when she remembered the situation she was in. It wasn't in her best interest to start a row with a king, but she believed Moon was worth it.
"But this night is nay for taking in the exotic sights of Ecclesia," Adeyemi said, "but for reforging old alliances and perhaps new ones as well." He extended his arm for Enfri. "I assume you wish to speak, imé. Come, let us speak of what lies ahead for your young house and mine elder one."
Tentative, Enfri put her arm through his and let herself be drawn away from the other nobles. Adeyemi set his goblet down on a table as they passed, and Enfri did the same. She noted how the nobles watched them leave with looks ranging from curiosity to sympathy. Some seemed ready to protest Adeyemi taking her away, but held themselves back. Enfri wondered if any of that was out of concern, but she decided it was unlikely.
Adeyemi took her through a pair of glass doors onto a broad veranda. They passed between Lost Company knights serving as honor guards. Ban's soldiers bowed for Adeyemi. One, a lady knight, gave Enfri a guarded look as if to ask if she needed assistance. Enfri returned her a slow nod to show that all was well.
Outside, the sun was well beneath the horizon. The veranda looked out onto a tended garden with several sigil-heated fountains. The sky was cloudless yet there remained a gentle snowfall, and the brilliant southern sky shone with starlight and the weaving red patterns of the aurora altierus. It was beautiful enough to steal Enfri's breath away, though she was glad for the woolen layer beneath her gown.
"Ah, I do so love mine visits to this land," Adeyemi said. "Tell me, imé, do you put much thought towards astronomy?"
"I was concerned more for the soil than the sky when growing up," Enfri said.
"And yet you were a sky woman," Adeyemi chuckled. "The name for your previous trade is a fascinating contradiction. What of our own world, yes? How we stand upon a great globe of stone and water as it circles the sun?"
Enfri furrowed her brow. "As well as anyone who can see the horizon."
"The Five Kingdoms sit at the southern half of our globe," he continued. "This raises questions, such as how the northern star Ruhali remains steady in the sky while the stars around her move as they should. This is mine passion, imé. Stars and planets, the untouched worlds we share our sky with. How I dream for an airship that can cross the void that lies between us and the moon. What wonders might await humanity there and yet further ahead. This world is but the first we are destined to rule, and others await."
Adeyemi outstretched his hand to the sky and closed his fist, as if he were a god who could grasp the moon and pluck it from the sky. "At our most basic, we mortals are explorers, I believe. To learn, to know, to see it with mine own eyes. There is nothing I wish more than this."
It all seemed fanciful and impossible to Enfri, though she knew little enough of the subject that she could hardly make such judgements out of hand. "I imagine you enjoyed your visit to the hydromancers' orrery."
"Indeed," Adeyemi proclaimed. "Lord Gustav was an unappreciated genius, imé. It is mine greatest sorrow that I nay had chance to meet him."
"They don't call you the Stargazing King," Enfri murmured.
Adeyemi dropped his hand back to his side and walked a half-dozen paces away. He turned around to face her, leaning against the veranda's railing, and his previous joviality had become a mask of stern contemplation. "Nay, I am the Warrior King, as I must be. Mine brother king within the City of Althandor does not require an astronomer for his vassal, but a soldier."
Enfri heard the hooting of an owl nearby, startling her. She was on edge and more aware than ever that she was alone with a powerful hierarch that would see her dead.
"Let us nay dance around the subject any longer, imé. You are the Dragon Empress, enemy of all I hold dear."
"I'm no one's enemy," Enfri said. "My only crime is being born."
"For an Aleesh, this is crime enough," Adeyemi said softly. "Mayhaps it would have been better for all that I had found you in Sandharbor rather than dear Jin, so easily swayed by a pretty face. Hurtful to mine heart as slaying you would have been, I would remember it as a duty carried forth in service to mine brother king."
Enfri felt her pulse quicken, but she mastered it enough to give a wry response. "My holdings wagered against a walnut, you wouldn't have remembered me an hour after the deed."
"You think me so heartless?"
"I'd say the same of anyone," she said, thinking of the memory ward that had guarded her throughout most of her life. "Ever since leaving my home, I've found little to show me that many people give much value to mortal lives. I dedicated my all to keeping them alive while everyone I meet is just as dedicated towards killing them. Please, don't talk to me of the sword being the answer to helping people."
Adeyemi's eyes darkened. "I wonder if your forbears thought much the same, and that is what led them to place collars around the necks of mine people. Slaves, but at least they lived. Mayhaps we should thank the Dragon Emperors."
"Of course not," Enfri snapped. "Shoen was a monster!"
How dare you, girl?
Sod off. It's the truest thing I can say about you.
"Don't forget, Eminence, when he destroyed Shan Alee with blood magic, he killed more of my people than you or the royal assassins ever could. There was never a greater enemy to my people than the beasts who ruled over them."
"You are twisting the past to suit your purposes, imé," Adeyemi argued.
"Am I? Have you been to the ruins?"
"Of course not. It is forbidden. Law of the Highest King."
"I have. Jin has. We saw the slave pits and the mummified corpses of Shan Alee's victims. But that isn't all we saw. We saw the collars removed from Althandi necks by the common people. We saw how more Aleesh fought against Shoen's knights than any other race of humanity. Don't you see, Eminence? When you kill Aleesh, you're murdering the descendants of people who lost everything to fight alongside you."
Adeyemi scowled. "Mayhaps."
"You're saying you don't care?"
"Of course I care!" he shouted. Adeyemi calmed himself, but his words remained angry. "But again, you twist the past. Even if I accept what you say, the Aleesh of this age remain a grave threat to the stability of the Five Kingdoms. Any among them may be the key to unlocking the fell magics that lie buried beneath the Espalla Dunes." He leveled an accusatory finger at her. "You more than any other, Dragon Empress. The blood of Inwe is dangerous, the chance for the Empire of Scales to return once more. When I look upon you, I see a tumor that could kill the world."
Enfri had heard that before. From Jin, what felt like a lifetime ago. To hear it again was like an arrow in her heart, but it revealed something to her. What Jin had said then, what Adeyemi said now, was a quote. A lie propagated by the Highest Kings of Althandor.
But was it wrong? Elise was out there, and Enfri doubted with all her being that her aunt's intentions were at all peaceful. Anything Elise did would reflect upon all Aleesh, Enfri included. Of her people that still lived, scattered and in hiding, how many more were like Elise?
"It seems to me," a new voice called out, "that the pair of you have reached an impasse."
A silver owl swooped down from the night sky and alighted upon the railing at Adeyemi's elbow. He recoiled away in surprise.
"We have not been introduced, Eminence. I am Deebee the Storyteller, bonded dragon to my beloved empress. It's... a pleasure."
Adeyemi backed three full steps away. His pale green eyes flickered between Deebee and Enfri, a small hint of fear showing within them. The king smoothed the fabric of his doublet and chuckled. "What is this? A trained bird such as the parrots from the Isles of Shoto?"
"The nerve," Deebee muttered. "I assure you, I am no more a bird than you are."
"What are you doing here, love?" Enfri whispered. "You said you were off on an errand tonight."
The blustering dragon had the audacity to wink at her. "I was, and it's been done, girl." She fluttered from her perch to Enfri's side and took on her human form.
If Adeyemi was at all surprised at the polymorphy, or Deebee's nudity, he gave no sign of it. His kingly composure was rather impressive, really. He did, however, whisper a line of Aeldic words of power under his breath.
"No need for your fire ward, Eminence," Deebee assured him. "Your adherence to guest-rights has been trusted. I would appreciate the same."
Adeyemi frowned. "If it is all the same, dragon, I believe that trust is earned."
"A fair point, all considered." She took a step towards him, her tone growing dark. "Unfortunately, I could no longer stand by while you spoke such horrid things to my beloved. Whatever terror unmans you mortal kings so thoroughly and turns you into a pack of mewling hatchlings, you will not find it in Enfri."
"I nay came to be insulted by the likes of you," Adeyemi snarled.
"And yet you make it so easy for me."
"Deebee, that's quite enough," Enfri scolded. She turned to Adeyemi. "I'm sorry, Eminence. Please understand, she's only being protective."
"Everything I've heard proves that I should be," Deebee scoffed. "He's already made up his mind about you, love. Anything he might say is just to coax you into his claws."
"But Princess Omolade said..."
"Anything she could to lure you away," Deebee said. She gave Adeyemi a knowing smile. "Allow me to guess. You planned to offer Enfri asylum in Melcia. You'd perform a song and dance of how you could conceal her from Cathis, perhaps spin a tale of a service she could perform for your kingdom in return, but your true purpose would be to spirit her away from those who would protect her. Then, slip a dagger between her ribs when she least expected it."
Adeyemi sneered. "Preposterous."
"And the five hundred Melcian rangers coming by train to Ecclesia?" Deebee asked. "They departed Adezu on the day of your arrival, their steam engine rigged to approach swiftly and in secret, with no record made of their passing by the Highest King's order."
Enfri gasped. "What?"
"I'm afraid this man has been lying to King Sasha," Deebee said flippantly. "He never intended to hold to guest-rights, and he's spilled everything he's seen to Jin's father. His soldiers were to attack by week's end, infiltrate and take Ecclesia, execute Sasha and Pacifica, and install Ban as the new king. Isn't that correct, Eminence?"
Adeyemi glowered but said nothing.
"How do you know this, Deebee?" Enfri demanded. It couldn't be true. No one could be so duplicitous, not even a blustering king. How could he look Sasha in the eye, embrace him as a brother, then betray him?
Deebee smirked. "I haven't been sleeping the days away merely to recuperate. I and others have been working quite diligently since His Eminence's arrival." She gave Adeyemi an imperious smile. "Dragons dream of what is, you see, and more than a few of the mighty are quite talented with oneiromancy. We watched, and then we acted."
"Others?" Adeyemi whispered. He looked around the garden, his face pensive.
Enfri looked out into the garden as well. The central fountain bubbled a continuous stream of sigil-heated water. A marble statue of a seawolf and kraken stood within the spouts. There, on the seawolf's head, Enfri saw a great eagle with golden feathers. It perched, still and silent, and it stared at the mortals on the veranda with its fierce, blue eyes.
A fluttering of feathers, a rustle of wind, and another bird alighted upon the veranda railing. It was a black crow with swirling red patterns in its feathers. Next, a group of snowy owls with pure white plumage, kestrels with gray and green, followed by more than three dozen birds coming to land within the garden. All of them with their attention solely upon Enfri. They began to change, their avian bodies becoming like mist and replaced by something else-- something far larger.
Enfri held her breath as a flight of dragons appeared before her. Some as large as buildings, others no bigger than horses, and every size in between. Amassed together, they were a riot of colored scales and gemstone eyes, though some appeared as no more than black silhouettes against the dancing southern lights.
Adeyemi cried out. Immediately, Prince Zoputan and Omolade burst out onto the veranda and went to his side. Jin and Ban were only a step behind them. Sasha, Reyn, and Pacifica arrived alongside knights, in armor and in dress uniforms both. A crowd poured out of the feast hall to see the commotion, and nobles peered through the glass doors with terrified looks on their faces. All became quiet. Mortals and mighty stood within a still moment, regarding one another.
From the midst of the assembled dragons, a titanic gold took a step forward, his single stride crossing the entire garden. He lowered his head, and Enfri about fainted when she realized that he was bowing. To her.
"I am Adar the Ascendent," the gold dragon said. His deep and rich voice all but shook the stones of the palace. "To our beloved, I pledge my undying fealty."
Enfri didn't know what else to do but give Adar a polite curtsy.
There came a storm of dragon voices swearing themselves to her. They spoke in a tumble, disorganized from their eagerness. Enfri's head spun from absorbing so many names, many she recognized from Deebee speaking of her distant acquaintances.
"Waves and tides," she heard Ban mutter under his breath. "Enfri, you just became the most powerful house on the Continent."
Jin found Enfri's hand and held it tight. She said nothing as she stood beside her, only watched with wide-eyed disbelief.
Enfri glanced at Deebee, who looked more pleased with herself than she'd ever been. "The train?" Enfri asked. "The attack isn't coming anymore. Is it?"
Deebee snorted. "Of course not. Oh, don't give me that look, love. We didn't harm a soul; I do have that much restraint, at least. But it is difficult to invade a city when your train finds itself overturned a league from the rail lines."
Jin rounded on Adeyemi, her beast-like eyes alight with fury. "What do they speak of?" she demanded. "When has the blood of Akazewi ever had the need to resort to treachery?"
"Once before," Adeyemi said, "six hundred years ago." He looked around him, the hostile glares of dragons and Altieri paladins greeting him from every side. Adeyemi turned to Sasha. "I believe mine welcome has worn thin. By your leave, we will quit Ecclesia and return to Melcia."
Sasha gave him a tight-lipped look of suppressed anger. "That would be best," he agreed tersely.
More than a few knights had their blades halfway out of their scabbards. Knight-Lieutenant Trent's was fully bared. "These Melcians plot against you, my king. We no can be just letting them go."
"That is precisely what you will do," Enfri heard herself say. Everyone looked at her, but she was too angry and upset with Adeyemi to be embarrassed by the attention. "Let them go. Anything else would start a war neither of you can win. I think at least that much was true. Let him go so he can tell Cathis that if I truly did want to burn the Spired City, I could do it."
Adeyemi glared at her. "You think so, imé?"
Inside her mind, the chorus of ancient voices rose up more powerfully than they ever had before. She could hardly tell where theirs ended and hers began. With a terrible certainty, she knew that they fought to seize control of her tongue, to speak their words with her voice.
Like a light piercing the shadows, Enfri felt Jin holding onto her hand. The voices fell silent once more, and Enfri spoke without their influence. "Don't test me, Eminence. I don't want to be your enemy, but I will be if you force me to."
She looked to Jin and received a nod of encouragement. Then to Deebee, who became her tiny form and hopped onto her shoulder. Enfri drew herself up to stand tall.
"I am Enfri the Yora, Opal Knight, Dragon Empress of Shan Alee, and I am done hiding from you. Ecclesia is under my protection, Adeyemi. Leave, and never come back."
oOo
Swift as the wind, the news spread throughout the White City and the encampments of displaced refugees outside the walls. By dawn, every voice spoke of how the Melcian royal delegation fled through the gates in the night. Every face looked into the sky and saw the great, winged forms of the mighty as they wheeled and soared above. Upon the parapets of the Salt Stone Palace, a new banner flew alongside the kraken of Romov and the seawolf of Karst. It bore a rampant silver dragon upon a field of green, the colors and sigil of House Yora.
From Ecclesia, the tale traversed the roads and waterways of the Continent. Again and again, the story was repeated. It took on a life of its own, becoming more grand with every retelling. Before the next day ended, even those who had witnessed it with their own eyes could hardly tell where the legend differed from reality.
Above all else, the goodfolk and noble houses of the Five Kingdoms spoke of the Dragon Empress and the rebirth of Shan Alee.
END OF ACT ONE