Page 14 of The Great Pursuit
King Charles shook his head. “I’m hoping for messengers to arrive today. In the meantime we need to discuss what to do to appease this madwoman and keep her from killing again.”
Just as Aerity opened her mouth, a knock sounded on the door.
“Enter,” the king called.
A guard opened the door and ushered in a page boy of Aerity’s age. He was sweating and panting. The king stood.
“Do you bring news from afar?”
“Nay, Your Majesty,” he said, holding his side. “I have news from two villages, Craw Coorie and Dovedell.”
“Yes?”
Aerity’s abdomen tightened. The lad looked distressed. What could be happening?
“Townsmen have burned the homes of their known Lashed. It’s said that people in towns all over the lands are spreading word to try to drive out Lashed Ones.”
“No!” Aerity flew to her father’s side. “We have to stop this!”
“What did we expect?” Lord Wavecrest asked. “They surely feel that the Lashed are waging war after a woman was killed by one of them in the people’s midst.”
“They’re trying to drive out the Lashed before the Lashedhave a chance to rise against them,” Lady Ashley agreed.
“Well, we can’t sit by idly and let our Lashed be killed!” Aerity shouted. This was personal to her. All she could imagine was Paxton and his family, trying to live a quiet life, being rooted out with violence.
The king motioned to the door guard. “Send word to Lieutenant Gillfin. Disperse troops to Craw Coorie and Dovedell to stop any rioting. Find the primary culprits who set the fires and slap fines on them. Arrest any who don’t cooperate.” The guard nodded and jogged away. Another guard was there to take his place, and the king motioned for the door to be closed.
“Fines?” demanded Aerity. “That’s all? For destroying homes and possibly killing people?”
The king’s hands clenched at his sides as he turned to his daughter. She surged on before he could speak.
“We have to offer refuge to the uprooted Lashed.”
“Surely you are not suggesting bringing hordes of Lashed onto royal lands,” Lord Wavecrest said to her. “We cannot discern who is good and who is against us.”
“The good ones will be mark free,” Lady Ashley pointed out.
“Any with markings need to be killed,” Lord Wavecrest said.
Aerity shook her head, anger simmering. “They’re most likely only using magic to defend themselves.”
“The laws must stand!” Lord Wavecrest shouted.
The princess faced him, her blood buzzing with passion. “And in the meantime the real, actual evil ones, who are hidden, will kill our townspeople one by one. Because it is apparent we are too stubborn to compromise our outdated laws. Too fearful of retaliation to protect our people who are under attack!”
“Look at me, Aerity,” the king told her. She brought her hazel eyes up to his stern ones. “You need to realize that what you are suggesting will bring as much death, destruction, and heartache as any other path of action at this time. Our people are scared of the unknown. They don’t know what to believe. These are uncharted waters, and we must weigh each decision with care. You are being led by your emotions, not your mind. I think it is best if you let us discuss this without you until you can learn to work with us calmly.”
Aerity gaped at her father’s open dismissal, as if she were the only one in the room driven by emotion. Here she was, the one who’d sacrificed her future and her happiness for the sake of the kingdom—their future queen. Dismissed. She blinked twice, her gut twisting into a gnarled mess, before swallowing hard and grasping her skirts to leave. It would be the last she’d see of them for a while.
Good riddance, she thought.
Chapter
6
The first thing Aerity noticed when she sat down across from Wyneth in the library that afternoon was her cousin’s sea-green gown, the way it brought out the green in her hazel eyes. Aerity sat down and spoke carefully, seeing how Wyneth fidgeted nervously with her skirts.
“You look beautiful in that color, Wyn.”
