The meeting place was far enough from the palace that the lights of Sorian could no longer be seen through the trees. Only the moon marked the path, and even the moon's pale light seemed hesitant to touch the place where King Edin Danrose waited. He had come with four guards, then ordered them to remain behind.
Edin stood in a dark cloak with his hands clasped behind his back, his crown absent for once. He had been pacing for some time before Marek arrived, though he stopped the instant he heard movement behind him.
Marek Delronzo emerged between the trees without haste, dressed too finely for the hour. He did not bow deeply, but he did offer the king the exact amount of respect needed to remind him of what he wanted to.
Edin’s eyes narrowed.
“You took your time.”“I came when the night was ready for discretion,” Marek replied, his voice smooth as always.
“Had I come sooner, Your Majesty, you would have called that carelessness.”“Do not play with me tonight.” Edin retorted.
“I have a queen in chains, an heir who has decided to display his spine at the worst possible hour, and a court that smells weakness. I asked you here because I require answers.”Marek’s expression did not change.
“Then ask plainly.”Edin turned back to him, his arrogance rising in his chest. It was one thing to command armies, councils, clergy, meetings... It was another to ask a monster whether his wife could be saved.
“Can anything be done about Alibeth?”The forest fell into quiet, and Edin hated the pause and more so its implication that Marek had already known this would be asked.
“Yes,” Marek said at last.
“Something can be done. But not what you are hoping.” Marek took a slow step closer.
“She must perish.”Edin’s face hardened at once.
“She is my wife. Is there not another option? Can't... you do something with that magic of yours?”“She is your liability.”Edin’s hand twitched at his side, but Marek continued before the anger could become an interruption.
“Your Majesty, you are not merely a husband in mourning or a king with wounded pride. You are the face of a dynasty that has survived because the people believe it was made necessary by the gods... " Marek raised his chin, his eyes darkening,
“You understand this better than most men who sit upon thrones. Caesonia does not obey you because it loves you.”Marek watched the emotions swim in the King's blue, tired eyes, even as he stood beneath the cloak of the darkness.
“If Alibeth remains visibly protected by you, then every sermon spoken against corruption and magic becomes a jest... Every hunter loses authority. Every household will ask why the queen was spared when their sons, sisters, and neighbors were not. If you save her publicly, you do not appear merciful. You appear treasonous... And you already knew that, King... Edin... Danrose...”Edin looked away again, staring into the trees.
“Wulfric should have never betrayed us.”Marek tilted his head slightly.
“He is intelligent enough to understand symbols. He has placed himself on the side of necessity, not sentiment. To the court, that will look like strength. To the Church, it will look like discipline. To the nobles, it will look like succession.”Edin’s expression became still in a way that revealed more than rage ever could.
“He is my son.”“Yes,” Marek said.
“That is why it is dangerous.”The king breathed through his nose before he spoke again.
“There is another matter...I was told of Callum’s aura.” Edin watched Marek closely now.
“I was told he is using magic.”Marek could hardly hide the pleasure in his gaze.
“Yes.”Edin’s voice sharpened.
“You knew.”“Of course.”“And you said nothing?”“I waited to see whether he would come to the truth on his own. He did.”Edin’s mouth parted slightly, then closed.
“Explain yourself.”Marek’s gaze moved briefly past him.
“Prince Callum sought me, Your Majesty. Not in the crude way a frightened boy seeks rescue, but with the instincts of someone who has begun to understand that his father’s house has no place for what he is becoming. He holds resentment against you. He wishes your death.”Edin’s face darkened.
“Resentment? My death?”Meanwhile, Marek’s face softened.
“Callum is not Wulfric... He wishes to be loved, and boys who wish to be loved become very easy to turn against the parent who has denied them what they require.”Edin swallowed.
“You are suggesting he means to undermine me.”“I am saying he already has, in his heart. Action is merely the final courtesy.”The King's brows furrowed. He had always known Callum was his worst child; he had always known he was capable of evil. He wore the same black hair as his violent father after all... But hearing that Callum was plotting against his life was a blade into his back he had not expected.
“What would you have me do?” Edin finally asked.
Marek stepped closer. His voice lowered intimately.
“Give him to me.”Edin stared at him.
“Send him where he can be protected from hunters, from Wulfric’s influence, from the Church’s appetite, and from himself Let me teach him restraint before someone else teaches him rebellion.”“And why should I believe you would protect him?”Marek smiled faintly.
“Because if they find out the children your wife bore you wield magic as well, then who is to say the proper decision will not be to eliminate them all... ”Edin’s eyes narrowed, but he did not reject it.
After a pause, Marek added,
“You have many enemies tonight. You cannot hold all of them in your hands without something breaking.”“Let Alibeth go,” Marek said softly.
“Let the kingdom see that you chose Caesonia over your wife. Give Callum to me before he becomes another weapon pointed at your throne. Then, when morning comes, you will not look like a man who lost control.”He paused, his smile almost tender.
“You will look like a king who made necessary sacrifices.”Edin stood very still. For a while, he said nothing.
“If I do this,” he said,
“Callum is not to be harmed.”“Of course.”“And Alibeth’s end will serve my crown, no one else.”“It will serve whoever writes it best.”
