“Maybe it is the timing?” Krew asked. “It’s been almost a decade since the lake turned. Maybe enough time has passed that the disease has finally lost its hold.”
The king looked out the window at the forest, but I caught his leg bouncing beneath the table. Something about the lake being turned back made him terribly nervous. “It cannot be the timing. Brakken’s Enchantment is still frozen because of the disease.”
“Well maybe we should check with the other countries,” offered Krew, “see if there has been any change for any of them. We haven’t heard from Brakken in weeks.”
The king stood, as if positively beguiled by something. “It has to have been her Iron Will. That has to be the explanation. I will need a sample of her blood. To see if there has been a change.”
Krew and I both looked to one another. He wasn’t going to find much. We already knew that.
“Tomorrow,” Krew threw out. “She has already done enough today.”
The king gave a nod. “So be it.”
“Why aren’t you happy about this?” Krew snapped as he leaned back in his chair. “You told her you wanted her to heal the lake. Against insurmountable odds, she somehow pulled it off. She did what you asked.”
The king put up a hand. “I am happy. This will make many people happy to see or even hear the lake is back to being clear.” He stood and gave us both a smile that could not have been more fake. “Thank you for your efforts, dear. That lake has been stuck for so long I just cannot believe it. I long for a better explanation only so should it ever happen again, we would know how to reverse it.”
I believed he was possibly halfway telling the truth, but I didn’t for a second believe that was all of it. I’d been suspecting the king had been responsible for the disease that hit the other countries and that he had poisoned the lake and forest just to make it seem like Wylan wasn’t responsible. If that were the case, wouldn’t he be happy to see the forest back to its normal state? The “disease” finally eradicated?
But something about the lake being healed truly disturbed the king. The question was: why?
And then I remembered what Krew had told me long ago... that if the forest had magic, it didn’t play by the rules of the Enchanted.
Maybe the better question was: what were the rules of the forest?
CHAPTER31
“No wonder you kept her from us.” Emric was grinning at his regular place at the table.
That part was true. Krew had been keeping me from them while my magic settled. But even before our bonding, other than popping in to greet them, Owen and I had missed many meetings these past weeks. I’d made myself scarce around The Six. Intentionally.
I’d done so since Easton’s betrayal. I knew Krew trusted the majority of these people. I knew I had no logical reason not to. But other than Keir and Owen, and possibly Hatcher, I didn’t fully trust them. And I wasn’t sure if I ever would. Easton had soured The Six for me. Likely permanently.
The bookshelf remained slid open to the secret passageway for the rest of The Six to filter in. I’d been adamant about not becoming the seventh member of this little group of original disloyals working with the princes, but with Easton no longer a part of it, I’d officially gotten my wish. I was replacing Easton in this group. Our numbers remained at six disloyal commoners and two disloyal princes. Though with the crown I wore on my head anytime I left Krew’s wing now, I supposed it was five disloyal commoners, two princes, and one stubborn princess.
“The lake,” Emeric continued with a shake to his head. “I haven’t seen it that clear in so long I had begun to lose all hope.”
“Equally shocking,” Hatcher added, “is that you are on time for once, Emric.”
Emric gestured with a hand behind him. “I had to leave early enough to seethe lake.”
Hatcher’s eyes found mine as he smiled and sat down at his place. He was far more vocal in this room than he was in parliament sessions. It seemed he had vastly different roles within his various masks.
Anderson and Apollo were the last to filter in, and by the flushed looks on their faces, they too had taken the long route and meandered toward the lake.
I knew the only reason we were meeting today was because the king was busy with his commanders so there was a lot of traffic from Savaryn into Kavan Keep today. Owen and I had trained indoors today despite the nice weather, knowing the lake and forest were going to be busy.
Once everyone had a drink and their seats, we were ready to begin.
Emric kept looking at me with the strangest expression. Like I had a horn protruding right out of my forehead.
“I am not going to turn your water into whiskey, so do not even ask,” I said as I crossed my arms.
“I just—” he gave his head a shake. “You look normal. Like you did before. And yet I was at that lake today. I saw with my own two eyes what you did.”
“Whatwedid,” I corrected as I stole a glance at Krew.
Apollo gave his head a shake like he also agreed with Emric, and I noted his beard was much more significant than the last time I’d seen him.