Talon stepped out of the hidden archives and began walking toward the council chambers. He was pretty sure he knew how Arturo was able to protect himself against the power. There were various artifacts that could protect someone from the power. Arturo had a rare artifact—Verian armor—an artifact that was commonly found in the War of Power. From what he knew, the mages had tried to find and destroy as much of the Verian armor as possible after the war. Somehow, Arturo had one.

  If he got the chance, he would ask Arturo. That was unlikely, for he doubted Arturo would stay in Azzellia long, and Talon didn’t walk around Carhan as he used to. There was too much to be done. When was the last time he was able to rest and not think about anything? Far too long.

  His thoughts were interrupted as Talon found himself standing in front of the council chambers. Straightening himself, he turned the handle and walked in. His royal guards remained outside, and for once, he didn’t have an Ashtari guard with him.

  Sitting in their respective seats were his counselors. Alayna, whose dark green eyes watched him as he walked to his seat and sat down. Hectar was next to her, casually drinking his wine. He had never replaced his uncle or Daermod, and Corvin wasn’t going to be attending this session. He was running drills with the troops today, and Talon wanted his royal army to be ready.

  “Your grace,” Hectar said, with Alayna simply bowing her head.

  “It’s been a while,” Talon said. This was his first council meeting since his captivity. He should have had one sooner, but he kept pushing them off and giving orders through messengers or letters. It took him a moment to realize he was holding the power, something he was doing without thinking about nowadays.

  “We understand. You’ve been busy,” Alayna said. “What the mages did to you was terrible.”

  Hectar nodded in agreement. Talon wished neither had heard about his torture, yet there was no way to prevent word from getting out. “Do you have any updates?” Talon asked.

  “I’ve done as you asked and had contacts of mine listening to the people from all over Azzellia. The Ashtari have made the smaller towns feel safer, knowing a power user can come assist them in the blink of an eye. A majority of the folk are supportive, with some wanting you to go further to strike at the mages,” Alayna said.

  Strike at the mages? That would end in disaster. Talon thought. “What about the ones who don’t like them?”

  Alayna took a sip of her wine before answering. “I’m only telling you what they’ve been saying,” she started to say.

  “Alayna, you don’t have to tiptoe around the issue. I won’t punish you for another person’s words,” Talon said. Was he acting so badly that Alayna feared him? He glanced at Hectar and wondered if he felt the same way.

  “As you say,” Alayna said with a slight bow of her head. Her normally cool and collected demeanor returned. “Simply put, they fear you will become another Egmardern.”

  “That’s to be expected,” Talon said. Egmardern Astero was the last power-user king, having gone mad, which resulted in the power users from the other nations forming Mortham Tower, where they combined their powers to defeat Egmardern. At least that’s what the stories say. It would take time for his people to see that he wanted to keep them safe. “Any other concerns?”

  “No, that’s all I have heard thus far,” Alayna said.

  “Good, if that’s their only concern then we’ll move on,” Talon said.

  “Your grace, I have to ask, do you know what happened to your uncle?” Hectar asked.

  “Why do you ask?”

  “Well, I recall him betraying you and my spies haven’t so much as heard a rumor of his possible whereabouts. Aren’t you worried he’s plotting against you?” Hectar said.

  Talon was silent for a moment. Images of his fight with Besurlde flashed quickly, along with his feelings of despair upon killing his uncle. The mages would nave never captured him if his uncle had been alive, he was sure of it. “I suppose there’s no reason to keep it hidden any longer. Besurlde is dead. He tried to kill me with the power and was killed by my hand.”

  “What? Besurlde could use the power?” Alayna and Hectar said at the same time.

  “Yes, it was quite a shock to me,” Talon said. “You can call off any searches. Now, what about the mages? Have you heard anything?”

  “Nothing regarding a plan. All I’ve been able to find out is that Kaidin has recalled all active mages,” Alayna said.

  “Really? I haven’t even heard that,” Hectar said.

  “They’re planning something, but what?” Talon said. How much longer would the mages be before making their move? It was his biggest concern. He didn’t expect to discover their plans, not unless a mage defected.

  “I’m confident the mages are preparing something,” Alayna said.

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  “I know. If only we had a way to figure out what,” Talon sighed, he hated the wait. “Well, if you hear anything you know how to reach me. Anything else I need to be aware of?”

  Both shook their heads. Things were quiet for the moment. The calm before the storm? Talon thought. “Very well, I have some updates. The Ashtari are growing at a rapid pace. The exposure at Elysian Fields has given us a huge boost in new recruits. However, it’ll be some time before many of them are combat-ready.”

  “That’s good news,” Hectar said.

  “It’ll be better when the mages make their move,” Talon stroked his chin as he thought about his plans for the Ashtari. He couldn’t do much with his Ashtari as he would need them when the mages made their move. “Once the mage problem is figured out, I plan to send more Ashtari to patrol the coasts. I don’t want any of the villages to be left defenseless. Which reminds me, I must speak with Queen Misha as she sent a letter requesting my presence.”

  “You shouldn’t go, not without a proper escort,” Alayna said.

  “This isn’t a trap,” Talon said. “She wants to talk to me about the murder of her husband.”

  “The queen suspects you killed him, doesn’t she?” Alayna said.

  “That’s the assumption,” Talon said. He had killed King Durran and made it look like the invaders did it. An ugly thing and something that he regretted doing, despite the necessity of it. Not that he could tell her that. “I didn’t kill him and I’ll tell her as such. I would hate for our alliance to falter because of something the invaders did.”

  The lie tasted bitter in his mouth. Talon uttered the words so easily and his counselors looked to buy what he was saying. It wouldn’t do for his own people to think he killed King Durran. This was a mess that he had to deal with carefully, for the wrong move could be catastrophic.

  Before he could continue, someone opened the door. Talon saw the commander of the royal guard, Rickard, enter. “I apologize for the disruption,” Rickard said and bowed.

  “What’s going on?” Talon said.

  “A young woman has come to see you, and she says it is quite urgent,” Rickard said.

  A young woman? Talon tried to think of who that could be and what could be so urgent as to see him now. No one came to mind. Despite being king, he hadn’t looked into getting married like he should be doing due to his desire to protect Azzellia from the invaders.

  Talon stood. The important updates were done, and his curiosity was getting the better of him. “Very well, I’ll go meet her. Until next time, counselors,” he said and left the room with Rickard.

  “Did she give you a name?” Talon asked.

  “She did, though she asked me not to give it to you,” Rickard said.

  “Interesting,” Talon said, deciding not to push the issue. Did he know this girl then? A part of him wanted to speed up as he couldn’t recall any girls he would remember. He forced himself to maintain his usual walk. A king couldn’t look anxious.

  “You aren’t going to ask me to tell you?” Rickard said.

  “No,” Talon chuckled, knowing Rickard would tell him if he did. “I’ll let her tell me.”

  They made it to the throne room and Talon entered. There were a couple of guards, and the stranger was sitting on the bottom stairs. A quick glance told him she was a noble and she was beautiful. She had long brown hair, with dark brown eyes and was wearing a blue tunic, with a blue-and-gold belt. If he had to guess, her age was close to his.

  The stranger stood up and gave him a sly smile, as if she knew something he didn’t. Talon gave her a smile of his own, “Rickard here told me you wanted to speak with me and that the matter was urgent?”

  To his surprise, she bowed, “it’s a pleasure to see you again, King Talon.”

  Now he was really confused. Talon didn’t recognize this girl at all, yet she spoke as if he had met her before. Perhaps when he was a child?

  “I see you don’t recognize me; my name is Evelyn Ackmard.”

  Ah, I do know her! Talon barely maintained his composure as he almost broke his. This was the daughter of King Harold, whom he had met as a child a lifetime ago. He had forgotten about his deal with Harold, that he would teach her how to use the power. This was going to be dangerous as he suspected she might try to kill him for what he did to her father.

  “Yes, now you remember,” Evelyn said and straightened herself and glanced at the guards, giving him the hint that she wanted to talk to him alone.

  “Leave us,” Talon said. Thankfully, Rickard didn’t protest, and the throne room was emptied. If she wanted to attack him, she would fail. “We’re alone now.”

  “You must not trust me,” Evelyn said. “You don’t have to flaunt the power to show me how strong you are, I already know.”

  It took Talon a moment to figure out what she was talking about. He had forgotten he was using the power. Reluctantly, he released the power as he didn’t want her to think he feared her. He was ready to summon it again if needed. “Sorry, it’s a habit.”

  Evelyn cocked her brow and examined him for a moment. “Let’s get to it then. You made a deal with my father to teach me how to use the power. You’ve taken too long, so I decided to travel here myself. That way you don’t have to travel far to train me.”

  “That impatient?” Talon said.

  “I am. You are one of the most powerful power-users alive and I look forward to your teachings,” Evelyn said. She brushed some hair out of her eyes and continued. “To put you at ease, I am glad you got my father under control.”

  “Is that so? I hope you forgive me for not believing you.”

  “I would expect nothing less,” Evelyn said. “In time, you’ll believe me, and you will trust me because I wouldn’t lie to you. This training won’t go well for me if we don’t get along.”

  Despite his suspicions, Talon smiled and shook his head. This was going to be very interesting. “Very well, how do you feel about beginning tomorrow?”

  “That would be excellent!” Evelyn said and yawned. “It has been an exhausting journey. I hope you have room for me in the palace?”

  “Of course, follow me,” Talon said and left the throne room. As he had expected, Rickard was standing guard, standing with a couple of guards near the doors. “Rickard, would you escort Evelyn to her quarters?” He lowered his voice to a whisper that only Rickard would hear. “Keep an eye on her.”

  “As you command, your grace,” Rickard said and turned his attention to Evelyn. “If you would follow me, I’ll take you to your quarters.”

  “Thank you,” Evelyn put a hand on Talon’s shoulder and gave him a wide smile. “I can’t wait to start our training tomorrow.”

  Talon watched them walk off. He couldn’t decide if Evelyn would be a great ally or a terrible enemy. It was far too early to say which. Knowing who she was reminded him of his time with her as a child. He looked forward to seeing how she had grown since then. Now is not the time to think of such things; you have work to do! He chided himself.

  With war on the horizon, a part of him wanted to pawn Evelyn off on Qidan, but he had made a deal to train her himself. One thing Talon would never do was go back on his word. This would be his first-time teaching someone else how to use the power as Qidan had done all the training up to this point. He headed toward the hidden archives. The first thing he needed to do was grab a few books and see how far along she was with the power.