Page 42 of A Reign of Embers

“The ring has served me well too,” I say noncommittally. “I’m not the sort to wait for anyone else to defend me if I cando it myself.” I pick up the teacups and carry them over to him. “It should be ready now.”

Marc’s gaze stays speculative, but he doesn’t push for a full explanation. Perhaps he can guess at my reasons for not wanting to give it.

My thoughts flit back to his peacemaking with the squabbling boys. He has been learning to take on perspectives different from the one he was raised with.

He takes the tea and sips at the same time I do. The hot liquid flows over my tongue and loosens some of the knots that’ve formed in my stomach.

With his next sip, Marc’s stance relaxes enough that I can’t help noticing again how striking he is even with the odd scar discoloring his face. My pulse skips for a different reason, and I pull back a step, grasping for an appropriate change of subject.

“I have gifts on my side, but I know Valerisse does too. She barged straight through a door after she tried to murder me. And then there are all the talents of the many soldiers she’s pulled into her rebellion that we don’t know for sure.”

Marc nods, not showing any sign of offense at my retreat. “I gather she gave up a kidney or similar to Sabrelle. The soldiers… We do have records, but we can’t be sure exactly who’s defected to her side or simply fled the conflict. She may have drawn in people who weren’t part of the military as well. Any way we engage with her forces, we’ll need to be prepared for a variety of magic.”

I grimace. “I was considering sending a few trusted soldiers to pretend to defect and spy on her so we have a better idea what we’ll be up against. But it’ll be so dangerous…”

“That’s what they’ve trained for, Aurelia. They’ll want to head into that danger if it means protecting their empress.”

What he’s saying is true, but it doesn’t soothe my guilt all that much. I suppress a sigh. “There’s still the matter of conveying messages back and forth at a distance. BaronissaHivette can only send messages out, not retrieve them. Spies won’t do us any good if they can’t tell us what they’ve observed.”

Marc perks up. “I think we have something that’ll help with that. There are blessed communications boxes used sometimes for quick missives from forts and the like in the outer territories. Most are quite small, meant to be used while on the march. The spies wouldn’t be able to communicate with anyone other than the palace, and they’d still have to be careful not to be discovered, but we could strategize around those considerations.”

My own spirits lighten at the remark. “Axius never mentioned those.”

Marc’s smile turns crooked. “If you haven’t specifically asked about secret communications, he wouldn’t have. They’re precious enough that they aren’t used without just cause. Each one took decades to enchant well enough that it’d work properly. But for this purpose—if it gives us the information to make an effective defense against Valerisse’s forces, that’s more than worth it.”

The other hesitation that stalled my planning before creeps through my mind. “For us. The soldiers I send—if she catches them…”

“That’s their job,” Marc points out, reasonably enough. “They went into service specifically to defend the empire, with their lives if need be.”

That doesn’t mean I like the idea of asking them to potentially give up those lives. If there was any other way…

But I can hardly infiltrate Valerisse’s forces myself. And risking a few soldiers now might save thousands in the weeks to come.

I swallow more tea, willing aside my uneasiness and sorting through my thoughts. “We’ll still need to make that defense once we know what’s needed. Before, you’ve been fighting citizens rising up, most of them without anymilitary training. Now we’re asking the soldiers to face off against their own colleagues… It’s going to be a bloody battle no matter how you cut it.”

A shudder runs through my abdomen at the thought of that blood drenching the city streets. Will this conflict really have to come to that?

Marc lets out a soft huff. “The soldiers loyal to you have just as much skill as those she’s gathering.”

“So it’ll be a simple matter of numbers?” I shake my head. “We need an advantage, something to ensure we protect as many lives as possible, maybe even intimidate her before she launches outright war. Has… Has the Darium army ever experimented with combining gifts?”

“Using two or more talents in collaboration to produce new effects? I know they’ve attempted that in Cotea, but the results always seem somewhat unpredictable… Not ideal on a battlefield.” Marc’s expression tightens. “And we’ve never wanted to risk edging at all close to scourge sorcery.”

The scourge sorcerers who brought the gods’ wrath down on the continent centuries ago—setting the stage for the Darium empire to rise—didn’t work quite like that. “They forced other people to give up their gifts, to sacrifice their whole lives to pass on magic so the scourge sorcerers could strive to be on the same level as the godlen. Two people working together as equals is nothing like that.”

Marc’s smile comes back, gentle around the edges. “No, I suppose it’s not. Another area we can look into. There are certainly plenty of intimidating gifts among the palace soldiers and those stationed around Vivencia. I shouldn’t have mentioned it—I can’t imagine you ever encouraging anything remotely like that maniacal magic.”

“If anything, I’m surprised the imperial family never toed the line,” I mutter.

Marc’s laugh surprises me. “I suppose after everything you’ve seen of us, I deserve that remark.”

No hackles raised or prickly defensiveness. I study him more closely over the top of my teacup.

He really is becoming something more—something better—than he used to be, isn’t he?

“Thank you,” I say. “For listening. For hashing these strategies out with me.”

“Without trying to shout you down, you mean?” Despite his wry tone, his gaze turns intense. “It was good, talking with you like this. I’m glad we can have this much.”

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