Rafe let out a disgusted sound and pushed his wine glass away from him. I had decided that the conversation might be a bit more well lubricated if the demon king had his favorite drink waiting for him. However, by the barely contained rage fluctuating around his face as he struggled to maintain his more human glamour, it was apparent that no amount of long aged red wine was going to help smooth over the news.

  The silence drew on. Its presence was much more intimidating than if he had started in on the expected yelling. My eyes slowly moved from Rafe to glance at Mari, a bit afraid that if I allowed myself to move any part of me, even my eyes, too quickly it might spark Rafe into a full rage. Mari’s eyes were trained somewhere just to the right of Rafe, her expression stoic. Still, I could tell by her subtle positioning that she was calmly ready to defend against the collateral that might be a thrown wine glass or chair if the tension boiled over.

  When Rafe finally did speak, his voice was deep and controlled. For once, he took the care to keep his volume within the realm of a human whisper. “Evonia thought this was not vital information that I would want to know?”

  “She kept us equal in this,” I said, trying to temper his anger, “she thought her reputation with her daughters to be enough to dissuade them. That thinking led her to keep the both of us completely in the dark about the dangers that were mounting.”

  “She had to know that the fear attached to her reputation would fade with her death. There is no reason for them not to attack at any moment now!” Rafe’s voice did not boom, but he did have to catch himself from reaching an ear breaking level. “She was not a foolish woman, in fact quite the opposite, being sharp and cunning was a part of her blood and yet she has left this mess behind. There is nothing left to feel but this had to have been intentional!”

  I couldn't blame his bad mood. Though I wished not to think ill of the dead, I very sorely wanted a chance to demand Evonia explain herself. He was correct that overlooking the idea to inform either of us seemed a bit pointed. She was the type to think ahead and calculate her next moves to always end up with her on top. It would have been easy for her to draw the conclusion that with her gone her daughters might finally see an opening for revenge.

  “This is the worst possible scenario!” he continued, banging the table with his first for emphasis. “They know how, where, and have the power to cross the border. Plus they're in bed with the very people who wish to eradicate us from existence!”

  “I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news,” I sighed, “I sincerely wish I had known about this long ago. I have told you as soon as I found out, because I know what is at stake for you and your realm.”

  Rafe let out an inhuman growl and leaned back in his chair, throwing his hands up in the air. “The worst part is the person to blame is already dead so I can't kill them for this foolishness. I would have her tortured in my dungeon until she repented and then beheaded at my feet for such betrayal.”

  Mistra had been as still and quiet as a painting on the wall up until that moment. I had all but forgotten she was in the room with her sitting with her chair slightly farther back then mine from the table. She had gently insisted she was a part of the meeting, stating that if things went as badly as they thought they might she would be more likely to be able to speak logic and reason into him.

  Mistra winced at his comment and leaned closer to her father. “Father, you should not say such things,” she harshly whispered to him.

  “Why not? I am the one who gives the power to the Yser line and keeping this information from me was treason! If not for Toria's promptness at informing me, I would be ordering her imprisonment in my dungeon as well and preparing a spot for her next to her grandmother’s grave..”

  It was good to know that I had done the right thing, though this was not at all how I had imagined my first day as queen. I had imagined easing into the position by potentially going over the finances and diving into how the castle was managed. My last thoughts while falling asleep the prior few nights had been how I hoped taking over wouldn’t end up being nothing but the boring bureaucracy of monarchy, yet now I craved to only be embroiled with the kitchen’s expense report as my biggest worry.

  “Now Rafe, we both knew Evonia very well and... well, she was not very good at making choices sometimes,” Mari chimed in with her soothing voice. “She was very clever and generally went the correct direction, but I’m sure we both can recall many times where either of us needed to step in to encourage her to alter course. Her daughters were a sore spot for her, I believe she saw how they had turned out as a personal failing and did not want to fully face the full gravity of the situation that had been created. I do think her choices were not meant to put you in any danger, but she sincerely thought that the situation was handled. You, of all people, know the type of person she was and if she had ever truly thought that what she was doing would harm you, she would have told you right away. In fact, over the years there had been many… situations that she could have easily used to destroy you if hurting you had been truly her intention.”

  Rafe snorted through his nose and shook his head then crossed his arms in front of him. Though, his shoulders did drop slightly and his look of rage about to boil over retreated to a simmer. “Yes, I suppose that is true, she had been afforded a few opportunities before,” he grumbled, “but this is such an egregious omission.”

  “And no one is arguing with that,” Mari continued, “but the important part now is to work on what to do about it now that we do all know. There are many paths from here, this is not the end of a road with only doom to wait for.”

  “I believe we should raise an army, preferably as quickly as we can,” I offered. “I can't guarantee how fast the twins will move, though Mari has indicated that they have perhaps stepped up their plans. Still, she indicated that she has not seen any mass movements or even seen either twin anywhere near our borders in years. We may yet have time to prepare and plan.”

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  “House Drak will take care of the army,” he commanded, “it will raise too many suspicions for it to be done here. I know these women and there is very little chance they are not in some way keeping surveillance on the castle and lands. We also can't be too sure that there aren't spies in the castle already.”

  “That sounds like the best path forward,” I agreed. “I will also work with Mari to comb through our servants and try to determine which of them might be sympathetic or already working for the Church. Please let me know if there's any way I can help with the army plans.”

  He leaned forward, his face turning dark and more demon-like. “Your biggest task in all of this is to ensure that information is never withheld from me again.” It was a foreboding command laced with unsaid threats.

  “Of course,” I said with as much confidence as I could muster while slightly terrified, “I plan to never keep secrets from you.”

  “See that it is so.”

  With that, he stood up and nodded to the men that had come along with him. They unceremoniously marched out of the room and towards the dungeon where they could return to their own realm. I let out a long held breath and a nervous laugh.

  “That went about as well as could be expected,” said Mistra. “No one died at least.”

  “Yet,” I sighed.

  “I think there is plenty of time to prepare for anything that might happen,” she said with a nod of her head. “Both you and my father need to remember that no one, not even those zealots will rush into a war involving magic. They never turn out well for anyone involved. Even the victorious side ends up losing much more than they think was worth winning whatever the initial conflict was about.”

  “You are not being comforting.”

  Her eyes glittered with amusement. “I wasn’t trying to be comforting, there’s no point in that. You know what is at stake and that it’s likely to be a long and messy conflict. However, I do think you should take a bit of solace in remembering that if they had any plans for any surprise attack, the perfect time to strike has already passed a few days ago.”

  “You're right,” I conceded, “we probably have time before they make a move. Perhaps I am just generally uneasy and taken aback that my grandmother was so willing to leave this as a surprise for me to discover as soon as I put on the crown.”

  Mari nodded in agreement and let out a long sigh. “I had meant to warn you before, but once Evonia was gone, everything else seemed too out of focus. It honestly had slipped my mind until this morning, as unrealistic as that sounds. With everything that has happened I suppose it was easy to let it slip away while I dealt with everything else.”

  I reached across the table and took her hand. Despite her calm demeanor, I could feel it trembling. It was very unlike her to display anything but cold strength.

  “I don't blame you,” I assured, “you had enough on your plate. Besides, you are an asset to this whole thing, you already have people watching their movement and making sure there wasn’t an imminent threat. If there had been, I’m sure you would have spoken up sooner.”

  “Yes, that's true.” She nodded and squeezed my hand. “They are not yet in a position to lead an attack. I think Rafe will calm down once he realizes that the most opportune times for an attack, the funeral and coronation, have passed, that they likely are not ready to launch an assault yet.”

  “Let's forget about all of this tomorrow,” Mistra suggested, laying a warm hand on my shoulder. “I know of a lovely spot in the countryside for a small picnic where you can look over your land. We can ride out there, spend the day in the calm, and let my father work on the hard part. He spends enough of his time doing a whole lot of nothing.”

  I agreed with the plan. Certainly things could wait for one day and Mari could still do what she did best with rooting out any potential rats in our own numbers. If everyday as queen ended up like this then it wouldn't be long before I lost my mind. It certainly would have explained Evonia's carefree nature and aversion to talking about serious matters.

  “I will let Busby know that I will take a break from training tomorrow. I do not think he will care all that much,” I said.

  “Busby not caring?” Mari asked with a laugh. “Is he becoming senile in his old age? He would continuously work me until just before I considered turning my magic on him.”

  “I think I am reaching the end of what he has to teach me,” I commented.

  “At the end? Surely you cannot be there so soon, you are only twenty-years-old,” Mistra said with shock in her voice.

  “It is what he said,” I replied with a shrug, “I guess he must not be very proficient with fire magic.”

  Mari shook her head and let out a small laugh. “No, he is proficient in pretty much everything at this point. You're just a quick study, you always have been. You're very much like your grandmother and myself in that regard.”

  “You completed training that soon?” Mistra asked Mari, seeming confused as to how that would be possible.

  “Of course, it has been a requirement to stay here in the house of Yser. Toria's mother and aunts are no longer here because they did not rise to the challenge.”

  “I did not know that,” I admitted, “so the twins are as weak as my mother is?”

  Mari pursed her lips together and gave a small shake of her head. “I would not say that Rela is not powerful, but she always had difficulty in manifesting her power. I believe she used to describe it as being able to feel what was possible, but being always held back from harnessing it. It was similar for the twins, they simply will never be nearly as powerful as any of us because their power is behind too big of a barrier for them to access.”

  “I can see why they were not allowed the throne,” Mistra mused, clarity returning to her face. “That would have been politically and practically dangerous to have less powerful women on the throne.”

  “Are there really that many dangers?” I sighed. “The more we talk, the more you two start mentioning all of the hidden dangers no one thought to discuss with me beforehand.”

  “Not for those with a foreboding presence,” Mari answered. “Rulers that are feared are rarely tested. Evonia established early that she was not one to be trifled with and therefore her reign was largely unremarkable.”

  “Perhaps that is what I should do,” I mused, “create some show that will keep the twins at bay for at least a bit longer.”

  “Then complete your training as soon as you can and let the word spread,” Mari suggested. “Just completing training with Busby is an impressive feat. I'm sure you have realized by now that his schedule is demanding and quite rigorous, only the best magic-wielders can finish with his training regiment.”

  “Will news really travel that fast?” I questioned. “It can take months to hear other kingdoms have been attacked depending on where they are.”

  “You concern yourself too much with the details, Toria. I assure you that I possess the power to make sure everyone who needs to know, will know. There are ways to ensure communication is much more swift.” Mari gave me a knowing wink. “There's much more I can do than just throw up a glamour. You should start thinking like a monarch who can command others to worry for you.”

  “I suppose it's hard for me to think of myself in the same position as Evonia.”

  Mari leaned forward, making intense eye contact with me. “Embrace it, revel in it.”