Page 88 of The Court of Secrets
He flexed his fingers over the polished wood. “I understand.” He leaned in, lowering his voice to a whisper. “We all are thinking it. He was last known to be in the forest. The guards were found outside the forest, unconscious. They said one minute they were walking with him, and the next, they were attacked by white light.” His eyes bulged. “Anumi have been spotted in that part of the forest. While most are on Inferis, some still stalk these trees.”
My next breath caught in my throat when the door opened. Lord Abor walked inside with an angered expression. His midnight-blue stare fastened onto me as he took his seat. A servant fetched him a drink. He placed some papers down in front of him. I whipped my head around and saw Lord Gregoir and Lord Louis, who watched me with viperlike green eyes. His blond hair was slicked back, and his lips curved upward at the corners. Edur tousled his brown waves, sporting a youthful grin when compared with the other lords. He took the spare seat on the other side of me. A few other lords I recognized, including Mai’s father, joined us. Two advisors took the remaining seats, and finally a man I recognized as Sir Jacob Smithson.
“Your Majesty,” he said, bowing. A few others followed suit, but Lord Abor merely dipped his head.
“Sir Smithson.” I looked him up and down. His head of white hair showed how much he’d aged since I’d attended worship as a child. “You’re here to stand in for High Priest Vahaga.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
My mother came in last. I clenched my jaw but didn’t object. She had, after all, been on my side after she spoke to André. She sat at the back of the table, her unfocused stare wandering the room.
Lord Abor’s gaze flicked from me to Jacob. “Please, sit.” Abor stood, looking around the table. “I will start today’s session by swearing Sir Smithson as temporary high priest until Vahaga is discovered.”
“If he’s discovered,” one of the advisors said, and Abor shook his head.
“Careful, Gregory,” he warned, his pupils narrowing. “Nothing has been found of the high priest. It is a good sign. If he’d died, then a part—” He paused, thinking better of saying it. “He would have been found.”
The same advisor, Gregory, interjected. “Not if an anumi found him.”
Gregoir chimed in. “We must entertain the possibility, Abor.”
I cocked my head to the left. “Gregory is right. If an anumi found him, there would be nothing left.”
Abor’s cheek dipped, as I assumed he bit the inside of it. “Your Majesty, the forest is large, and we have not yet searched it. To jump to such conclusions is—”
“He wouldn’t disappear into thin air, Abor,” I stated. “If he’s not returned and there is no body, then we have to assume he will not be returning. It’s terribly unsettling, but we know how the anumi are.”
“He could have been kidnapped,” Louis said, a sneer wrinkling his cheeks.
“Then why have we not been sent a ransom?” I asked, arching an eyebrow.
Abor gritted his teeth. “Until we find out what’s happened to him, we will assume he is alive. Until then, Sir Jacob Smithson will be anointed as a temporary high priest.”
I wanted to tell them how wrong they were, but I knew I wouldn’t be believed. I wondered if Jacob knew. He was close to Vahaga, after all, and was Vahaga’s successor. My stare narrowed in on him, and shiver traveled down my spine.
My mother clasped her bony fingers together. “The queen is right, however.” She gave a nod in Abor’s direction. “We will wait three days until we believe him to have passed. Until then, we can continue searching.”
Abor nodded. I avoided her gaze. I hated when she was redeeming. I didn’t want to forgive her, but she was making it more difficult with each semi-decent decision. Chatter rose slowly. I cleared my throat, and silence befell the room.
“I will be traveling to Niferum tomorrow.”
Gregoir stood this time, his chair screeching back. “To leave with the high priest missing is most inappropriate.”
“I have full faith in the royal guard and our new general to find out what has happened to Vahaga. In the meantime, I must protect the kingdom in other ways.” I paused to gather my next words.
“Have you thought anymore on Niferum’s king’s offer?” Louis asked. My heart pounded, stilling me. Prickles ran through my fingers, and a lump formed in my throat. A wedding was the furthest thing from my mind.
“As of now, Magaelor is my only priority. I will not be partaking in anything that will deviate me from bringing our kingdom back together. The people have suffered much division, and now is the time for uniting, which brings me to my next announcements.” I inhaled sharply and took a long moment to stand. “Firstly, the memorial has been erected. Engraving will begin next week.”
Abor’s fist balled, but he quickly released it, flexing his fingers. “I thought the memorial was on hold due to funding?”
“It was, but finding funding didn’t seem right with so many brave Mangaloreans who died for our kingdom.” Amusement danced in my eyes as I watched him squirm. “I know you wouldn’t hold back the costs for honoring our soldiers. I instructed our labor workers to build the large walls, which have engraved every name of the men and women who died in the battle. The families will be invited when it’s finished. In my heart”—I placed my hand against my chest—“I know we will all be happy to cover the coin for this.”
They couldn’t say no without looking abhorrent to everyone else.
“Hear, hear,” Gregoir said, placing his hand in the air, and the rest copied. Even Louis and Abor, who looked like they’d rather set themselves on fire.
“The next announcement is important.” I licked my dry lips. I should have said something sooner, but I knew this was going to go as well as me tumbling a pile of bricks upon them. I steadied myself for my next words. “I have offered a peace treaty to King Kiros of Berovia, and I expect he will be agreeing to it. We will have peace with Berovia.”
