Page 45 of Iris of the Crowned Flame

“Yes, well, the General is busy this morning, and I’m available. He read me into the situation.”

I raised my eyebrow at Juniper, just to catch her writing a note. She folded the paper and then turned to a bookshelf. When she turned back a moment later, the paper wasn’t in her hands. If I didn’t know that she waved it away, I would have assumed she shoved it between books. She positioned herself in front of her desk, and I knew she was both waiting for a reply and hiding the magic from this man. The priestesses hadn’t vetted him.

“All the same, as the heir to the throne, I expect you and other leadership to check with me before making such unilateraldecisions. Sometimes, other matters must yield to my meetings. This is one of those times, but the timeliness of this issue is also a factor. Tell me, Sir, is the General in the castle at this moment, or has his pressing needs taken him off the grounds?”

I was hoping to buy time for Juniper to get the information she needed, all while feeling this man out and how he intended to treat me as his queen and his boss’s boss.

He bowed. “My apologies, Your Highness. I will speak to the General about this request to ensure you approve deviations.”

I nodded and glanced at Juniper. She was still waiting.

“Thank you, Sir. Can you tell me what the General informed you about for this meeting? I’ll have to adjust how much information I present once I have a grasp on your knowledge.”

‘God, it’s hot to watch you make this man squirm. Guard up.’ I shot Spencer a glance, both of gratitude in his reminder, and slight embarrassment of his praise. He knew how to distract me with just a few words.

General Simms explained what he knew about Egan, but mentioned nothing about the Priests, our suspicions with the King of Scoria Bay, or show any familiarity with magic. He had positioned himself between Juniper and me, facing me, still standing. As he was explaining his knowledge, Juniper received her note, and after reading it, she gave me a nod.

“OK, very well. I’ll have significantly more explaining to do, as he left off more information. Juniper, will you open the door for the meeting room?”

Father’s smirk returned, along with a look of curiosity. No one had taken him to that room yet. I wasn’t sure if Emberly or Spencer had been working with him about mind shielding.

Juniper nodded and invited us to her next room. General Simms took the lead, which gave him a full show of watching Juniper move the wall without touching it. His jaw dropped. “Uh, yeah, I didn’t get those details. Can you…”

“Yes, we will. But first, if you will, follow me.” I reached fora torch just as Juniper lights it and assumed the lead. Spencer was close behind me, never one to let me get far while we walked through these tunnels. Juniper took the rear so she could close the doors behind us.

Once we arrived in the room, I placed the torch in the holder and found my seat at the head of the table. Over the last couple of weeks, we had taken to making this cave room to be a bit more comfortable by bringing chairs, pillows, and even some blankets down to help protect against the damp chill. Juniper closed the room and then warded it. Once she completed her spell, I spoke again.

“A lot has happened in the last few days, since we last met, Father. I know this room isn’t one that we are used to, but you’ll understand why when I’m done. First, let me fill in the blanks for General Simms.”

I explained magic to him. Well, I asked Juniper to explain it to him. She had a knack for sharing only the information needed. We also provided him with the other holes in the theory about who’s backing Egan, and what magic he had used to be such a threat. Once he heard the magic, he rubbed his neck and said, “Oh, the precautions we’re taking against that scrawny kid make more sense now.”

Spencer didn’t bother to stop his chuckle from escaping.

“And now we are to the last meeting Father attended. During that meeting, someone spoke to me in my mind, a voice I didn’t recognize that deeply unsettled me. He didn’t identify himself, and we ended the meeting immediately to avoid discussing things when we didn’t know who this was and how he fit into the situation. After the meeting, Emberly and Juniper brought Spencer, Amyra, and me down here to talk. This room’s design protects against mind reading, and we added a ward to keep information spoken here confidential. What we realized is that the voice I heard must have been the God of Death.”

I paused, not sure why. Father used the pause. “Sorry, we don’t have a God of Death? What do you mean?”

“We used to. He caused the Last Great War and wassupposed to be banished. It seems as if that banishment has ended early, and we strongly believe he’s behind the Priests of Bel and Egan.”

Father had the deepest sigh. It was General Simms’ reaction that felt the most unsettling. The color had drained from his face, his lips parting slightly, yet no words came. His fingers twitched at his side, then curled into a trembling fist, his gaze locked on the stone table as though it might rise and strike him down where he sat. Finally, he spoke. “Yes, the General should have been here. I will make sure he doesn’t underestimate you again, Princess.”

I nodded. I’m not sure what else to say to such a statement, but appreciate his acknowledgement.

“We are about to start a war, Lyla.” Father said, and I agreed.

“I know. I think we are past the point of avoiding that.”

And with that, we settled in and planned how to handle this plot to end my life.

CHAPTER 29

The day arrived to put the plan into place. As far as people know, this was to be the second tournament challenge. There were two schedules floating out there. One covered what the public knows, and the other was the plan to arrest Egan. After Egan’s arrest, Father intended to address Lord Denenbaum as well, but he hadn’t revealed his plans to me.

The day would begin with commencing the second event. My event planners recommended announcing the event’s start time and, later, the results, although it wasn’t intended for a public audience.

Ivy and Amyra helped me into my gown for the day. We had Eliza modify the gown to include hidden armor within the corset. It was incredibly uncomfortable, but I appreciated the extra layer of protection. The dress reflected the colors of the season, one of my favorites. The red and oranges of the leaves are always so vibrant this time of year. Eliza used a large red ruby at the center of the sweetheart neckline and scattered smaller red gems and glass beads across the rest of my neckline, which helped to draw the attention away from the rigidity of the rest of the bodice. Ivy gained a new tiara for me as well, featuring a red ruby at the center, with red and deep orangeglass gems shaped into colorful fall leaves accenting it. I almost felt like I was wearing a crown of fire.

The plan was to use the announcement of the second event to commence to announce instead that Spencer was the winner and that we would be wed this spring. We expected Egan becoming enraged at the deviation in planning and the realization that he was not to be Elthas’ King. We hoped he then could not control his powers, like the way he was at that dinner many weeks ago. At that point, we could easily arrest him. The Priestesses would be nearby, ready to contain most of his reaction, if needed. Amyra and I had been working to create walls with our ability to control water and earth, but we had made nothing that can stop a stick penetrating it, let alone something worth protecting. We had also been testing to see if I could connect to fire since my eyes turn red when I had heightened emotions. Unfortunately, we hadn’t had luck on this avenue.

---