The Great Hall of the Royal Palace of Regel-Sete was silent.
Tall stone pillars supported the vaulted ceiling, each carved with scenes from the long history of Ansell-Vend. Great crystal windows rose between them, reflecting the faint glow of fairy lights projected across the walls. Hundreds of candles burned from silver fixtures overhead, their flames casting warm light across the polished stone floor.
At the far end of the hall stood the throne of Ansell-Vend.
It had not been carved from ordinary wood. The ancient whitewood had been shaped around the living branches of a great tree, its roots embedded beneath the floor and its pale limbs forming the throne’s back. The branches remained alive, growing slowly through the structure as though the throne itself were part of the forest.
Ilriath Gloomstar sat upon it.
The Queen of Ansell-Vend was tall for a Vend, standing nearly five feet nine inches, with the graceful proportions and refined features common to her people. Her long silver hair was woven into an intricate braid that rested over one shoulder. Her pale complexion seemed almost luminous beneath the candlelight, while her vivid green eyes remained fixed upon the entrance.
She wore the regalia of the Queen of Ansell-Vend, elegant but restrained. Nothing about her appearance was excessive. There was no need.
Ilriath possessed the quiet presence of someone accustomed to being obeyed.
Beside her stood Maloryn, First Minister of Ansell-Vend.
The great doors opened.
Alderond entered first, followed by Hazelthorn, K-10, Seralyth, Tomand, Milfern, and Kimlorn.
Alderond immediately approached the throne and moved to Ilriath’s side.
The others stopped several paces away.
Seralyth lowered herself into a formal kneel.
Tomand followed.
Milfern and Kimlorn did the same, as did Hazelthorn.
K-10 watched them carefully.
He had never stood before a king or queen.
He observed the posture, the placement of their hands, and the lowered heads. After determining the expected protocol, K-10 lowered himself into the same position.
Ilriath’s eyes moved across the group.
She recognized Hazelthorn.
Milfern.
Kimlorn.
Then her gaze settled upon Seralyth.
The Queen’s expression barely changed.
Then she looked at K-10.
Her eyes lingered.
Black hair.
Obsidian eyes.
Neither belonged to any people she knew within Tarmynia.
There was something else.
Something difficult to define.
K-10 did not feel like an ordinary human standing before her. There was something fundamentally wrong about his presence, though Ilriath could not determine what it was. He seemed familiar enough to belong to the world and alien enough to make that familiarity uncomfortable.
Maloryn noticed it as well.
His expression hardened.
Ilriath finally spoke.
“Rise.”
Everyone stood.
Alderond remained beside the throne.
Hazelthorn stepped forward.
“Your Majesty. I am Hazelthorn, Mage Officer in charge of intelligence.”
“I know of you,” Ilriath replied. “You have served Ansell-Vend well.”
Hazelthorn bowed her head.
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
“Report.”
Hazelthorn briefly glanced toward the others before beginning.
She explained the questioning conducted in the previous chamber. She described the Truth Orb, the statements given by each member of the group, and the confirmations that followed.
The orb had confirmed the account of the Flame Gajra.
It had confirmed that K-10 had fought the beast and survived being engulfed by its flames.
It had confirmed the account of the Black Forest and the weakened Seal.
And it had confirmed Seralyth’s identity.
Ilriath’s gaze shifted toward her daughter.
Seralyth remained silent.
Hazelthorn continued.
“The information provided regarding the Northern Forest also corresponds with the evidence gathered from the investigation. There is a Seal there that may be weakening.”
“May be?”
Hazelthorn paused.
“We have not yet confirmed the condition of the Seal directly, Your Majesty.”
Ilriath’s eyes returned to K-10.
“And you believe it is responsible for the beasts becoming increasingly hostile?”
K-10 answered without hesitation.
“I believe it is the most likely cause.”
Maloryn’s expression tightened.
K-10 continued.
“The Seal is weakening. The creatures in the surrounding area are becoming increasingly aggressive. The pattern is consistent with what we observed in the Black Forest.”
“Observed by you,” Maloryn said.
K-10 looked toward him.
“Yes.”
“And we are expected to accept your conclusion?”
“No.”
The answer was immediate.
Maloryn’s eyes narrowed.
“Then perhaps you will explain why Ansell-Vend should grant an unknown foreigner immediate access to one of its most sacred regions based solely upon your assessment.”
K-10 remained composed.
“I am not asking you to accept it without verification. I am asking you to investigate before the situation deteriorates.”
Maloryn stepped forward.
“That is precisely what concerns me.”
The hall became quieter.
“We have no proof that the Seal is causing the beasts’ behavior. We have no proof that the deterioration you describe is even occurring at the rate you claim. Yet you arrive with an alarming report, insist that the matter is urgent, and request access to the Northern Forest.”
His eyes moved over K-10.
“We know almost nothing about you.”
K-10 said nothing.
Maloryn continued.
“We do not know where you came from. We do not know your history. We do not know your affiliations. We do not know why a human possesses black hair and eyes unlike any human known to Ansell-Vend.”
Seralyth’s expression tightened.
Maloryn turned toward Ilriath.
“Your Majesty, there are hostile nations beyond our borders that would benefit greatly from chaos within Ansell-Vend.”
Alderond’s eyes narrowed.
Maloryn continued.
“Someone could deliberately interfere with a Seal. They could manipulate beasts into attacking our soldiers, forcing us to deploy troops into the forest while weakening our defenses elsewhere.”
His gaze returned to K-10.
“They could be testing our response.”
He paused.
“Or they could be attempting to gain access to a sacred region for another purpose entirely.”
The implication settled over the hall.
Seralyth looked toward Maloryn.
“You are accusing Kaiten of being an agent?”
“I am saying that we cannot exclude the possibility.”
Maloryn’s tone remained measured.
“Kaiten appears at our borders with no history known to us. He possesses abilities unlike any human we have encountered. He becomes closely associated with the missing heir to Ansell-Vend. Shortly afterward, he informs us that a sacred Seal is weakening and requests access to the very region containing it.”
He looked directly at K-10.
“That may be coincidence.”
His eyes returned to Ilriath.
“But we have no evidence that it is.”
Alderond finally spoke.
“You are building a case from possibilities.”
“That is called risk assessment, Commander.”
“It is also speculation.”
“Speculation becomes irrelevant when the consequences of being wrong are catastrophic.”
The two men stared at one another.
Ilriath raised a hand.
Both fell silent.
She looked toward Alderond.
“What do you think?”
Alderond considered his answer.
“I believe Kaiten’s information warrants investigation.”
Maloryn looked displeased.
“On what basis?”
“Because I have personally verified enough of what he can do to know that he is not an ordinary adventurer.”
Alderond looked toward K-10.
“His assessment of the Flame Gajra was accurate. His battlefield decisions were sound. More importantly, he has repeatedly acted to protect our soldiers when he had no obligation to do so.”
Maloryn folded his hands behind his back.
“And if that was part of the deception?”
Alderond did not answer immediately.
“Then we investigate.”
Maloryn shook his head.
“And if the investigation itself is what he wants?”
Ilriath looked at him.
“Have your investigations produced evidence that he is an agent?”
Maloryn hesitated.
“No, Your Majesty.”
“Evidence that he is working for a hostile nation?”
“No.”
“Evidence that he intends to compromise the Northern Forest?”
“No.”
Ilriath’s gaze hardened.
“Then you have suspicions.”
Maloryn bowed his head slightly.
“Yes.”
“And Kaiten has evidence that something is wrong.”
Maloryn said nothing.
Ilriath turned toward Hazelthorn.
“What is your assessment?”
Hazelthorn stood straight.
“I believe the Northern Forest should be investigated.”
“Why?”
“Because if the Seal is deteriorating, delaying the investigation only increases the potential consequences. If Kaiten is mistaken, we lose little by confirming it. If he is correct, every day we wait increases the danger.”
Ilriath’s eyes moved to Milfern.
“You fought beside him.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Tell me what you saw.”
Milfern took a breath.
“Kaiten, Seralyth, and Tomand fought the Flame Gajra alongside our soldiers. It was one of the Cardinal Divine Beasts. It attacked us without warning.”
He swallowed.
“Kaiten stayed.”
Ilriath watched him.
“He could have fled. Instead, he fought it.”
Milfern’s voice lowered.
“He saved our soldiers.”
Ilriath’s gaze shifted to Kimlorn.
“And you?”
Kimlorn hesitated.
The old soldier lowered his eyes.
“Kaiten saved my life.”
The admission seemed to cost him something.
Ilriath noticed.
She looked back toward K-10.
The hall fell silent.
Ilriath remained composed, her expression unreadable.
“I have heard enough to understand the situation.”
K-10 waited.
“So have I,” Maloryn said quietly.
Ilriath looked toward him.
“I will deliberate further before making a decision.”
K-10’s eyes remained fixed upon her.
Ilriath continued.
“The Northern Forest is not a matter I will decide upon hastily. It is sacred ground. Whatever lies within it, and whatever consequences may follow from granting access, must be considered carefully.”
K-10 remained silent for several seconds.
Then he spoke.
“There is no time.”
The temperature in the hall seemed to drop.
Seralyth’s eyes widened slightly.
Maloryn’s expression changed.
Ilriath looked directly at K-10.
“What did you say?”
“There is no time to deliberate.”
Alderond stiffened.
K-10 continued.
“If the Seal is deteriorating, the situation will continue to worsen while we wait. The beasts will become more aggressive. Their numbers and range will increase. Your soldiers will eventually become insufficient to contain them.”
Ilriath’s expression remained cold.
K-10 continued.
“Reinforcements will be required. Those reinforcements will have to come from elsewhere. That weakens other areas of your territory and exposes additional borders.”
His voice remained level.
“If the Seal fails completely, whatever it is containing will no longer be restricted by the barrier.”
K-10 looked directly into the Queen’s eyes.
“At that point, you will not be deciding whether to grant access to the Northern Forest.”
A pause.
“You will be deciding how much of Ansell-Vend you are willing to lose.”
Silence.
Seralyth looked at K-10.
Maloryn’s eyes widened.
Alderond’s expression hardened.
Ilriath slowly rose from the throne.
The candles flickered.
A thin layer of frost appeared across the floor.
It spread outward from the throne.
Ilriath’s green eyes had become cold enough to seem almost colorless.
“You presume much,” she said quietly, “for an outsider standing before the Queen of Ansell-Vend.”
K-10 did not move.
“I am making a tactical assessment.”
The frost spread farther.
It crawled across the polished stone in branching patterns, climbing the bases of the pillars.
The candle flames shrank.
Fairy lights along the walls dimmed beneath the growing cold.
The living branches of the whitewood throne began to freeze.
Ilriath’s voice remained controlled.
“You stand in my hall, before my throne, and tell me that I am making a mistake?”
“I am telling you what I believe will happen.”
The temperature dropped again.
Ice formed across the throne.
The crystal windows began to crack.
A sharp sound echoed through the hall.
Then another.
The frost surged outward.
It climbed the walls in intricate patterns, covering the stone with a layer of white ice. Several candles extinguished at once.
Ilriath stood motionless within the center of the spreading frost.
The title given to her throughout Tarmynia had never been an exaggeration.
Vine of Absolute Frost.
Her power filled the Great Hall.
Hazelthorn struggled to remain standing.
Milfern instinctively stepped backward.
Kimlorn’s face had gone pale.
Tomand stared at the Queen in stunned silence.
Even Alderond remained completely still.
K-10 did not retreat.
Ilriath’s eyes locked onto him.
“Do not mistake my patience for weakness.”
“I do not.”
“Then do not mistake your assessment for authority.”
“I do not.”
The frost continued to spread.
Seralyth stepped forward.
“Mother.”
Ilriath’s eyes shifted toward her.
Seralyth remained calm despite the cold.
“Kaiten is not challenging your authority.”
Her voice was gentle.
“He says what he believes is necessary. He does not mean disrespect.”
Ilriath’s expression remained severe.
“He has a remarkable way of demonstrating it.”
Seralyth glanced toward K-10.
“He saved your soldiers.”
Ilriath said nothing.
“He saved Kimlorn.”
Kimlorn lowered his head.
Seralyth looked back at her mother.
“And he is trying to prevent more soldiers from dying.”
The frost stopped.
For several seconds, no one moved.
Then the ice began to recede.
Slowly.
The candles reignited one by one.
The living branches of the throne remained covered in frost.
Ilriath returned her attention to K-10.
“You will not dictate the decisions of this kingdom.”
K-10 nodded once.
“Understood.”
Ilriath remained silent.
Then she turned toward Alderond and Maloryn.
“I will speak with both of you privately.”
Alderond immediately stepped forward.
Maloryn followed.
There was the faintest smile upon his face.
It was restrained, almost imperceptible.
But K-10 noticed it.
Ilriath walked toward the great doors.
They opened before her.
Alderond followed.
Maloryn followed behind him.
The doors closed.
Silence returned to the Great Hall.
Hazelthorn released a breath she seemed to have been holding for several minutes.
Her knees nearly buckled.
Milfern leaned against one of the stone pillars.
Kimlorn slowly lowered himself onto the nearest step.
None of them spoke.
K-10 remained standing.
His eyes stayed fixed on the doors through which the Queen had disappeared.
Seralyth looked toward him.
“Do not worry. I will speak with my mother.”
K-10 turned toward her.
“I understand.”
He looked back toward the doors.
After a moment, he spoke.
“I thought you said your mother was soft-spoken and gentle.”
Seralyth stared at him.
Then she glanced down at the frozen floor surrounding the throne.
“She is.”
A pause.
“Usually.”