In order to show her hope for the kingdom, Aerity wore a pale shade of periwinkle blue, her first colorful garment in days, while Wyneth still donned gray.
The king and queen sat at the head of the long table in their tall oak chairs lined with crushed blue velvet. As a child, Aerity could remember running her fingers along the carved grooves of the chairs where generations of kings and queens had sat before them.
King Charles’s younger sisters flanked the king and queen on either side with their husbands—the Wavecrests on one side, the Baycreeks on the other. The king was the eldest child and only son. He’d always been close to his sisters and brothers-in-law, and welcomed their counsel.
Princess Aerity sat beside Wyneth, who still held her hand. Wyneth preserved her tough exterior, but Aerity feltthe truth in the slight tremble of her cousin’s fingers.
On Aerity’s other side was a fidgety Vixie. Across from them were two of Wyneth’s three younger brothers, fourteen-year-old Bowen, and Brixton at twelve. Wyneth’s youngest brother, Wyatt, ran about the expansive space of the hall with Donubhan and their cousin Leo, while Caileen and Merity sat with sketchbooks and fine chalks.
The clearing of the king’s throat was loud enough to draw everyone’s attention. His face had taken on an ashen pallor, the skin drooping under his hazel eyes. It was alarming for Princess Aerity to see her father in such a state. He set his elbows heavily on the table before him.
“Never in my reign have I experienced such desperation.”
Aerity’s heart sank like an anchor to hear the truth in those words.
“I’ve spoken countless hours with my advisers and officers,” he continued. “I’ve notified the other kingdoms of our predicament, and thankfully no other lands of Eurona suffer such a beast as ours. We’ve no idea where it came from, or if there are more than one, but it must be stopped. If it continues, or, seas forbid, multiplies . . .” A shiver seemed to ricochet through him. “My men are not hunters. They are soldiers and sailors and watermen. I cannot allow my men to continue being slaughtered and terrified. If I don’t act, the people will act on my behalf. They’ve already begun.”
Revolt? Aerity’s innards shook at the idea of an uprising. Chaos.
Lord James sat forward, stiffening. “What do you mean, they’ve already begun?”
The king’s lips pursed. “In the north village, where one of the murdered fishermen lived, the townspeople went door to door as a mob, looking for Lashed. They found a man with fresh markings . . .”
“Seas alive, no,” Lady Faith whispered. Aerity’s stomach turned.
“The Lashed man was ill, could hardly walk. He told them he’d healed a baby bird that fell from a tree, but they were beyond sympathy, beyond reason. They stoned him to death.”
The queen dragged in a sobbing breath and covered her mouth. Aerity tasted bile as her own emotions rose.
“He should not have used his magic, aye, but I cannot have people taking the law into their own hands,” the king said with a pained inflection. “I cannot allow senseless killings of innocents in my land.”
“Have you any ideas what we can do?” Lord Preston asked.
“One.” Aerity’s father spoke the word in a near whisper. Then he looked straight at her, his eldest daughter.
Goose bumps rippled in a cold wave across the princess’s skin.
Aerity’s mother grabbed the king’s forearm in a hard grip and turned toward him, besieging him with a whisper. “Charles, perhaps we should tell her without an audience.”
Her father eyed her mother. His gaze held something Aerity had never seen before. Something utterly unsettling. Something hardened.
“You speak of me?” Aerity whispered.
“Aye,” her father whispered in return.
“Shall we leave?” Her uncle Preston began to stand.
“No,” Aerity said. They all turned to her, as if surprised by her strong tone. “Please stay. We’ve always been as one. Whatever he has to say to me can be said in front of all of you.”
Truth be told, she was frightened and took comfort in being surrounded by family. She’d no clue what this meeting had to do with her, but they were all in this together. Everyone settled again, but not one of them appeared comfortable.
“They call me the liberal king,” her father continued in that same ominous, quiet tone. “The romantic.” He looked at his wife, who gave an encouraging nod. “Because I believe in marrying for love, not lands or money or family name, the way it was for centuries before me. I promised my daughters they could choose their future husbands, just so long as the lads met our general approval.”
Everyone around the table nodded. They all knew this, and had agreed. The king had even fought his parents for his sisters to be able to marry of their own choosing. But Princess Aerity could not nod along with them. A horrible sense of trepidation had taken root inside her.
Why was he bringing up marriage? He wouldn’t evenallow young men to court her until she turned eighteen next year.
“But these are desperate times,” he whispered.
