Page 56 of Iris of the Crowned Flame

“I received the message loud and clear. I will fight for all that we deserve. Denenbaum, Egan, and the Priests of Bel don’t deserve to win.” I offered Amyra a steady gaze, my jaw set, chin lifted, and fire burning behind my eyes. I turned to Mina, “Let’s go. How do I reshape this world?”

Mina laughed, clapping once, then slapped the table. “That’s my girl. First things first, we got to get you on that throne. When’s the wedding?”

“Spring equinox,” Ivy volunteered.

“Oh no, that won’t do. We need the wedding pushed up. Winter solstice should do. Make sure your coronation happens then, too. You probably need to get those planners back in here. They will not like that part.”

“What? I couldn’t ask them to plan that. That would be a logistical nightmare.” I protested.

“You need to. By spring, Scoria Bay will make their move. You need to get these parts out of the way so we can focus on the war.” Mina insisted.

She gave me a knowing look. Those buildings had crumbled because of this war. We lost. I nodded. “Ivy, you probably need to send that message to them. I guess clear the schedulefor when they can meet next. I might need to just delegate all planning to you two.”

Mina nodded. “Yes, if Amyra and Ivy could do that and leave you free to train with me, we’d be far more prepared. Good idea. Ivy, just handle it without the Princess.” She directed.

Ivy looked at me, confused. I confirmed what Mina had just ordered. “She’s right. We can talk about any details during breakfasts or dinner, but it’ll have to be out of my hands.”

“Ok, I’d like to meet your priestesses. I need to know what’s happening with magic around here. When do you see them next?”

“Tomorrow morning,” Ivy replied. She always knew my schedule better than me.

“Excellent. I’ll join you.” Mina nodded. “About that Scoria Bay dealings. Who’s handling that? I assume they aren’t keeping a princess in the loop; I need to talk with the people in charge.”

“Father, and the Army Generals.” I replied.

“Ah, well, I’ll meet with them tomorrow afternoon. Someone let them know to be ready?”

Amyra started scribbling a note. “She will,” I replied.

“And you, Spencer, what’s your role in all this before the coronation?”

I looked at Spencer, who stood frozen, his eyes wide and unblinking. “Uh, I have just been supporting Lyla and learning what I can when I can.”

“Seriously? You’re going to be king in two months. We need you learning faster, more. You’ll be at that meeting in the afternoon.” Mina nodded, as if that was all it took. And I supposed, as a goddess, she really could do that. Except that we can’t let people know a goddess is awake and in the flesh, could we?

“I’m not sure that’s that easy, Mina.” I countered. “We can’t just allow things to happen by your decree, if we are to hide that you’re here. We can’t just let the whole castle knowyou’re here or else people will flock to the castle to demand an audience with you, hoping you’ll fix their problems.”

Mina sat thoughtfully for a moment. “You pose a good point, Lyla. You have good instincts. Spencer, you will join us. The outgoing king and Army Generals need to know I’m here, but I’ll have them sign an NDA.”

We stared at her blankly.

“What?” Our confusion confused her for a moment, before clarity reflected in her eyes. “Oh, you don’t know what the NDA is. I’ll have them swear to secrecy. They’ll come up with a suitable cover for who I am. That’s their job.”

She always said the weirdest things. Once she was certain we understood her, she issued a bunch of orders.

“OK, now that there’s a plan, Ivy, go get those planners up in arms again. Amyra, deliver that letter to whoever needs it. The two future rulers and I will spend the rest of the evening training. Uh, Amyra might want to send the priestesses who had been training them here. They’ll probably love to learn more about how to prepare stronger magic wielders.”

Ivy and Amyra left, and she turned to us. We were required to show our abilities. She asked what the most powerful thing was that I’d done, other than the volcano. She challenged Spencer with his shields and his ability to penetrate hers. We spent hours working on shielding until our minds felt scrambled. The daylight turned to dusk when someone knocked on the door. Spencer stood to check and found food delivered to us. We stopped to eat, discussing strategies throughout dinner. Mina shared details about the Last War that had been long forgotten. When Mina finished, we were all exhausted. It was well past our usual time to retire. Mina had assured me that her quarters were fit for her needs, and we agreed to meet in the morning with the Priestesses.

CHAPTER 35

Mina proved to be invaluable for every aspect of preparing for Scoria Bay to respond. Over the next couple weeks, scouts returned with information that confirmed that Scoria Bay was planning an offensive but would wait until the spring thaw to use their navy to attack. We had superior land forces, but they were definitely the stronger force on water. We prepared for our river to be breached and for them to reach the capital by summer. Father and the Generals had Spencer join them in planning since the coronation and wedding had been combined and scheduled for this winter. Father agreed to become a war advisor for us, to help ensure we had the best chance. He networked with our allies for reinforcements, and while many informed us they worried that directly supporting us with troops and ships would harm their relations with Scoria Bay, they agreed to support us in other ways. It was the best we could hope for, realistically.

The wedding planners were thoroughly upset with my decision, since it meant that the meeting Mina interrupted was useless. They had Ivy and Amyra ragged with all the details and never let them go a day without complaints about the timeline. I felt for all of them; it was certainly not my choice. But we couldn’t just explain to them why, mostly because I didn’t understand why.

Mina tried to teach me about what my role was to be, but I just couldn’t wrap my head around it. She challenged me and helped me to find more effective ways of managing my magic through my emotions. I had fewer accidental releases, and more control. Using my connection to the earth to move large amounts became easier. We used that in our war preparations - I was to go help fortify the coastal towns in the late winter. I could move rocks larger than many of the merchant stalls with ease, so while it was not a grand plan to have me at the front near the expected start of the war, it was also the best way to ensure minimal loss of life. I insisted that Emberly and Zoya accompanied me to help with the effort, and to be there to remove me from danger with the speed of Emberly’s magic. Mina also wanted to go in case we needed her. While I didn’t understand all her powers, I knew it was the best plan for us, so we agreed. It’s not like she would have listened to us telling her no, anyway.

We invited all our allies, and even a few we felt certain would ally with Scoria Bay, to the wedding and coronation. As we expected, nearly all accepted. People would fill the temple to the brim. We hired several artists to capture as many images as possible and planned for a larger section of journalists to share all the details they could. I couldn’t remember a royal wedding as expected as this one. I didn’t know if people just understood the gravity of what I was about to do with the world, without actually knowing, or if this was some kind of effort to be in Elthas before Scoria Bay took out the new king and queen.

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