Page 36 of Kingdom of Feathers

“Your Majesty,” said Lord Baldwin quickly, “allow me to offer my rooms for—”

“Mine will be the largest,” Basil cut him off. “It’s most practical to meet there.”

Within minutes, they had all gathered in Basil’s enormous receiving room. As he had predicted, the space was large enough to comfortably accommodate the dozen people now gathered.

“We shouldn’t tarry too long,” Basil said curtly, thinking of the feast spread out for their benefit. “But I would be interested to hear any first impressions you’ve formed.”

“It’s clear they don’t trust us,” grunted Lord Baldwin.

Basil nodded slowly. He turned to a middle aged couple, merchants from Tola, his eyes settling on the wife. “You had an opportunity to see the princess up close sooner than I expected. What did you find?”

The woman swallowed nervously. “As reported, Your Majesty. I don’t think she’s under a curse. Unless I’m mistaken, the ring she wears around her neck is some kind of artifact. I’m not versed enough in such matters to detect its purpose.”

Basil nodded. “Unlikely it holds a silencing curse,” he said dryly.

She ventured a small smile. “Very unlikely, Your Majesty. I didn’t detect magic clinging to her in the way I would expect from a curse over her. But I’m no expert,” she added hastily.

Basil gave her a tight smile. “Much more of an expert than the rest of us,” he said encouragingly. He tapped a finger thoughtfully on his leg. “I would be grateful if you would keep your…extra sense on the alert. I imagine that if the signet ring is an artifact, it’s something she acquired from her parents and its function is well known to them, so it’s unlikely to be of relevance. But there’s no harm in finding out for sure. I want to get to the bottom of her silence if possible. The timing of it makes me suspect it may be more central to the conflict than we’ve previously supposed.”

He thought of Rekavidur’s cryptic comments about Princess Wren’s silence. The dragon clearly thought it might be more than it seemed. “I think it’s worth exploring the possibility that her silence is magical in nature, and you’re the only one in a position to do that. Your input could be invaluable to resolving our differences.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” said the woman, her curtsy not quite quick enough to hide the flush of pleasure on her face at her skills being so highly regarded.

Basil turned from her, well pleased. He had never doubted it would be worth his while to bring a magic-user along, but he was pleased to have the enchantress’s abilities prove useful so quickly.

“Lord Baldwin,” he addressed the nobleman. “As the sole representative of the Lords’ Council, you are likely in the best position to get a sense of what the Mistran court thinks of our visit. I would be grateful to hear any insights you might have.”

Lord Baldwin nodded quickly. “I will see what I can discover, Your Majesty.”

Basil frowned into empty space. “The princess herself is a surprise, isn’t she?”

“Is…is she?” Lord Baldwin asked.

Basil nodded. “She doesn’t strike me as timid at all. And I was expecting a child.”

“Were you?” The nobleman’s tone suggested his information had been better. “I understand she’ll turn eighteen shortly, at which time she’ll be formally anointed as King Lloyd’s heir.”

Basil shook his head slightly. Mistrans and their formalities. She was the king’s heir by virtue of her birth. Why did they need a special ceremony when she turned eighteen? Banishing the trivial detail from his mind, Basil cast his eyes over the various servants, standing behind the delegation members. “Any of you have observations to share?”

“Us, Your Majesty?” asked a manservant nervously.

“Of course,” said Basil briskly. “I want to hear all perspectives.”

The man cleared his throat. “Well, the servants don’t seem…afraid.”

Basil tilted his head questioningly to the side. “Of us, you mean?”

The manservant shook his head. “No, Your Majesty. Just generally. Of their own masters, I suppose.”

Another servant nodded. “It says a lot about a royal family,” she piped up timidly, and the other servants made murmurs of assent.

Basil considered this point with interest. “Thank you,” he said sincerely. He was glad he’d pushed for their opinions. He would never have thought to assess the mood of the local servants, but he could see how it would give an insight into the Mistran royals.

The servants all looked as pleased as the enchantress had done, and Lord Baldwin was watching Basil with an expression that looked strangely like respect. It was something Basil had never yet experienced from one of his nobles, so he couldn’t be sure.

Still, looking around at the small group gathered in his chambers, each one of whom was now watching him with definite expectation, he felt a surge of satisfaction. He’d much rather be backed by this motley collection of guards, servants, and others, with one canny representative of the Lords’ Council, than be bogged down by a host of stiff-rumped courtiers, more focused on his dignity than he’d ever be himself.

“Come on,” he said to his little crew. “Let’s end this war.”

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