Page 106 of Kingdom of Feathers

“Precisely,” said Basil evenly. Wren hid her smile, but there was no need. Prince Amell clearly wasn’t one to take offense.

“You were right,” he assured his host. He rubbed his hands together as he looked around at the gathered royals. “So what do we think? That there’s some kind of secret organization of powerful enchanters working against all the crowns?”

“It’s a possibility,” Basil acknowledged.

“What’s the plan, then?” Prince Amell asked flippantly. “Shall we hunt down all the magic-users? No offense, Princess Penny.”

“None taken,” said the Bansfordian princess absently. Wren was aware that Princess Penny happened to be the only magic-user at the table—in fact, the only royal magic-user in Solstice. “Is it possible that one or more of the Enchanters’ Guilds has turned against us?”

“Possible, of course,” assented Basil. He glanced at Caleb. “King Lloyd and I have conducted our own investigations in the last year, and we’re fairly confident that the leadership of the Mistran and Entolian Enchanters’ Guilds remains solid.”

“We conducted a similar investigation after our troubles,” said King Justin of Albury, “but that was three years ago. We will do so again.”

“I’ll speak to my father about it,” promised Princess Azalea.

“We’re still establishing an Enchanters’ Guild in Bansford,” said Prince Rian. “And I doubt I need to tell you that my father is building in every safeguard imaginable to ensure that only those magic-users whose integrity is unquestionable have any position of influence within it.”

“I’ll leave it up to each of you what you choose to say or leave unsaid to your monarchs in relation to this matter,” said Basil. “I know that most of you don’t hold the reins in your kingdoms. This isn’t intended to be a formal negotiation so much as a friendly opportunity to share information. And to be blunt, I thought we would deal better together than I might with counterparts not of my generation.”

No one seemed to be either surprised or offended by Basil’s plain speaking. Wren saw nods around the table, and was gratified by how seriously they were all taking her and Basil’s theory.

“We can discuss the matter further once we’ve all had a chance to conduct our own inquiries closer to home,” said King Justin, his piercing blue eyes scanning the group. “But I would certainly like to hear more of your theories, King Basil.”

“Absolutely,” agreed Basil. A smile suddenly broke through his habitually serious expression. “But give me a few months. I’m going to be a little distracted come tomorrow.”

There were some chuckles from around the table, and Wren felt her neck heat in the most pleasant way. Her hand sought Basil’s under the table, and he returned the pressure warmly.

The group began to break up, Prince Amell stopping to chat animatedly to Prince Bentleigh, and Zinnia wandering up to her brother and almost-sister-in-law. Wren noted that the princess still looked pale.

“Look at you, commanding a room full of royalty,” she teased her brother, so lightly that Wren wondered if she’d imagined the strain on the other girl’s face. Zinnia turned to Wren, quirking an eyebrow. “Don’t let him get too big for his horse, Wren. You’re allowed to get a word in occasionally, you know.” She shuddered. “If I’d had to be silent for six years, I’d spend the next six talking constantly just to catch up.”

“I don’t doubt it,” said Basil, smiling ruefully. She elbowed him gently in the ribs.

Wren just smiled, saying nothing. Her own brothers had also been surprised at her failure to revert to the chatterbox she’d been as a child. But as frustrating as her years of restraint had been, they hadn’t left Wren with a burning desire to fill every silence with words. On the contrary, they’d taught her to appreciate the value of silence, and of all the ways of communicating that didn’t involve speech. She hadn’t felt the smallest need to jump in on Basil’s speech to their gathered guests, convinced she’d been more useful as a quiet observer. She’d learned a lot from watching the reactions of the various royals while their focus was on her betrothed.

Princess Azalea claimed Zinnia’s attention at that moment, and Queen Felicity moved to Wren’s side.

“I was hoping I would get the chance to properly meet you before the wedding,” she smiled. “We’re so delighted for you and King Basil, and eager to celebrate the anniversary of the declaration of peace between our neighbors.”

Wren returned the smile. “It seemed a fitting date for the wedding,” she said. “Even if it’s felt like a long wait at times.”

She threw a glance at Caleb, standing nearby with his beautiful wife and leaning on his cane without a shadow of self-consciousness on his face. Anneliese glanced over at Wren and smiled, the expression softening into something secret and delightful as her gaze passed to Queen Felicity’s bulging stomach. Wren couldn’t help smiling herself. Anneliese wasn’t far enough along to show like Queen Felicity, but she and Caleb had shared their news with the family already, and Wren couldn’t be more delighted at the prospect of becoming an aunt.

Yes, she reflected, as difficult as the time apart from Basil had been, she wouldn’t have traded the last year with her reunited family for anything. She could come to Entolia now with a light heart, knowing that each of her brothers was reestablished in the human world, and her parents had been given time to not only understand the mysteries behind Wren’s behavior, but to move past them to a more genuine relationship with their daughter.

As slowly as the months had seemed to pass, it was still a little hard to believe it had been a year since the preliminary armistice was signed. The full negotiations about the new border had taken a little longer, of course, but the agreement reached seemed to have so far satisfied everyone. Certainly each kingdom gained plenty of iron and fire jasper under the new alignment. A year had passed, and it was still being mined on both sides of the border.

Remembering her manners, Wren returned her attention to the guest before her, catching Queen Felicity in the act of rubbing her stomach.

“It was particularly kind of you to come given your situation,” Wren said, gesturing at the bulge hidden beneath the other woman’s flowing gown.

Queen Felicity smiled. “It was well worth the trip. Although my family scolded me something fierce about making the journey this late in my pregnancy.”

“They should have come with you,” Wren said. “They would have been very welcome.”

The young queen laughed. “No, thank you. The last thing they or I would want would be them fussing around me. My father and brother mean well, but the nurturing role doesn’t come naturally to either of them.”

Wren paused, not quite game to ask the obvious question. But Queen Felicity seemed to read her mind.

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