Page 62 of Starchaser
He must see the answer in my eyes, because he nods. “Whatever it takes,” Lewis says, offering his arm to Mother.
Mother takes a deep, shuddering breath, and I note the tremble of her chin even as she stands a bit straighter, her look of approval enough to inspire me to battle at this very moment.
A reverent silence falls over the room as Killian administers the enchantment, marking each of their arms—first Charlie, then Lewis, then Albert, and finally, Elsie. My jaw clenches when the ink appears on Elsie’s forearm.
“Now that that’s settled,” Mother says, strictly business once again—as if she didn’t just recruit her own children to be soldiers in a violent war. “We’ve much to discuss, and it’s only a matter of time before someone comes looking for any one of you.”
Elsie leans forward, her chin barely at the height of the table, eager to listen to whatever secrets Mother is about to share, and even though I hate that she’s here at all, I can’t help but feel pride for the way she’s adjusting to this new information so quickly.
A pirate, I think.Through and through.
“Silas, Isabelle,” Mother says, the torchlight flickering in her fierce gaze. “Many of your kind are sympathetic to the cause—we just need to give them the push they require to make the switch. Your sway with the nobility will be invaluable in the coming days.” She turns to Eliza then. “You as well, Miss Cooper.”
Eliza does a sort of mock curtsy. “It would be my pleasure.”
Lord Bludgrave clears his throat. “I mean no disrespect,” he says to Mother, appearing, for the first time, genuinely dutiful. “I have fought for this cause since I was merely sixteen years old. I have served the Order faithfully and will continue to do so until my dying breath. However,” he adds, cutting a glance at the Coopers, “before I agree to do anything, I’d be interested to know exactly what it is the Elite have planned for all of us.”
Mother dips her head. “Of course.” She points at the map—at the waters surrounding Castle Grim. “Three days from now, on Holy Winter’s Day, a fleet of a thousand ships will invade the Eerie’s naval territory, launching an attack on Castle Grim the likes of which hasn’t been seen in over six hundred years.”
Lord Bludgrave’s face goes slack. “A thousand ships? But how—”
“Pirates!” Eliza gasps. She giggles at Mother’s nod of approval. “Finally, some action!”
“Yes,” Mother says. “One thousand pirating crews will band together to reign fire down on this castle, creating chaos in the wake of Prince Titus’s wedding and ensuring a swift surrender of power from Calix Anteres.”
I shake my head, staring at the dark structure on the map. “Why Holy Winter’s Day? And why now? If the Elite has access to a fleet of a thousand ships—if that many of our people have agreed to join the cause and fight—then why wait?”
Mother cocks her head, and I know that look in her eye—the same look she got when she quizzed us on battle strategy aboard theLightbringer. “When we strike—when this kingdom falls—the Known World will look at the Eerie. Kingdoms like Fell and Nera will wait for the opportunity to invade. We have to be strategic about how we handle the transfer of power, don’t you agree?”
All eyes find me, but I don’t shrink away from their scrutiny, because I think I finally know what Mother has planned. “And by the transfer of power, you mean Titus and Leo will assume the throne.”
“But the alliance with Hellion—” Will starts.
“Not with Hellion,” Mother interrupts. “With its princess.”
Will’s jaw twitches. “We were told—”
“You were told only what you needed to know at the time,” Mother says, and I can’t help that small part of me that thinks,Doesn’t feel good to be left in the dark, does it?“We have reason to believe Princess Leonora could be sympathetic to our cause.”
“Says who?” Lord Bludgrave asks, his eyes narrowing.
Killian sighs. “Members of the Order in Hellion say the princess has been known to aid humans. A maid of hers says she overheard the princess expressing her discontent with the way humans and Myths have been treated.”
Lord Bludgrave scoffs. “We’re supposed to risk everything because of something some maid thinks she heard?”
Mother quirks a brow at Lord Bludgrave, but she doesn’t acknowledge him further. Instead, she turns to me. “You’ll have access to the princess in the gathering Prince Titus has arranged for you to attend in the Queen’s Court. Befriend her. Gain her trust. It’s crucial that you sway her to our side before the festival ends.”
I don’t tell Mother I was already instructed to befriend the princess, but for a very different reason. Instead, I nod—ever loyal, ever obedient, despite everything.
Mother gives a slight nod of approval. “Once Princess Leonora and Prince Titus are wed, and they have access to the wards surrounding Castle Grim, together—with their combined magic—they will have the power to bring those wards down. In the aftermath of the battle, Prince Titus and Princess Leonora will assume the throne, and the Eerie will become the first kingdom in six hundred years to liberate humans and Myths.”
“It will also become a civil war zone,” I add, glancing at Killian, who stares at the map before him, his brow furrowed. “What of the nobility who refuse to fall in line? What of the soldiers who remain loyal to the League of Seven?”
Flynn folds his arms over his chest. “The rebels outnumber them. Any unrest will be short lived. After the initial battle, we’ll bring the insurgency into submission in under a week.”
I study Killian’s expression—his eyes lost in thought as he strokes his mustache. “Is that true?” I ask.
The wrinkle in Killian’s forehead deepens, but he nods. “Once we’ve liberated the Eerie, rebels throughout the Known World will see that it’s possible to fight back.” He meets my gaze then, his eyes ablaze with an emotion I can’t put into words, but that I feel even now—rage, determination, hope, boiled down into something raw and vicious and all-consuming. “It’s only a matter of time until Morana grows in strength, enabling her to find the heir of Hildegarde and seize the power she lacks. Right now, we have a rare opportunity to find Morana first and stop her. But, if we fail, and Nightweavers, humans, and Myths refuse to unite, wedon’t stand a chance against the Underlings. The world as we know it will cease to exist, and everything in it will fall under Morana’s dominion.”
