“Perhaps one day Alexandra Jennings might wrestle the same agreement from you, General,” Alex said softly. “Until then, sometimes a combination of letters can be more powerful than a sword, so I’ll look forward to hearing some of your more… creative descriptions and expanding my own arsenal of words. You never know when a well-placed expletive will come in handy.”
General Drock surprised Alex with a chuckle, his fierce features softening. “Get ready to take notes, kid. I’ll have your ears burning in no time.”
Alex grinned at him and then the king spoke up again, continuing his introductions.
“Warden Jeera, you already know,” Aurileous nodded towards the woman seated to Alex’s right. “She’s here to represent the Swords branch of the Wardens.” The king repeated the gesture to Bear’s father, adding, “And Warden William is here on behalf of the Shields.” The king paused. “Do I need to explain…?”
Alex shook her head and assured him, “I already know the difference.” She called to mind what Kaiden had once told her—that the Shields were responsible for intelligence gathering and analysis, while the Swords were field agents who acted on that intelligence and neutralised any threats to the kingdom.
Aurileous accepted her response and moved to the next person along. “General Tyson is another acquaintance of yours, or so I hear.”
Alex raised her eyebrows at the new title.
Catching her look, Tyson offered a humble smile and said, “Promotion.”
“Indeed, General Tyson has recently been promoted and now oversees the eastern half of Medora’s military,” the king confirmed.
“Congratulations,” Alex said, returning Tyson’s smile. She then winced and added, “I think.” When Tyson cocked his head in question, she shrugged and avoided his eyes while saying, “Now’s not the best time to be a soldier—leader or otherwise.”
Unable to repress the memory of the future she’d seen, Alex shuddered as she recalled the Library’s vision of both his and Drock’s deaths.
“You’re wrong, Alex,” Tyson said, his voice quiet but firm. “Now is the most important time to be a soldier.”
He had a point. But she still couldn’t ignore the mental image of him lying amid a pile of the dead.
“Lastly, we have the advisor to the throne, Jaxon Stirling.” The king indicated the elderly man seated at his side, his grey hair coupled with a thick moustache leading into a bushy beard, all of which covered a wrinkly, weathered face.
“Any relation to Declan Stirling?” Alex asked.
“He is my grandson. And I’ll thank you to leave out any personal anecdotes regarding him, as you’ve already wasted enough of our time today.”
Alex recoiled at his caustic words. But judging by the way everyone else suddenly looked away and attempted to hide their smiles, it seemed he was an abrasive man by nature. She decided to roll with it and follow the lead of those around the table—those of whom she actually liked.
“Your loss,” she said, determined to keep her voice casual. “But if you change your mind, I have loads of entertaining stories about him.”
Jaxon’s eyes narrowed into slits. “Duly noted.”
Coughing slightly—to hide what Alex was certain was a laugh—the king jumped in again. “Now that the introductions have been made, I believe it’s your turn, Alex.”
Leaning forward, Alex placed her hands on the table as she scanned their faces. “Since you’re all here, I gather you’ve already heard something about what I have to say.” She waited for their nods before she continued, “Then I’m sorry to confirm that last Sunday, Aven Dalmarta took control of Meya and all those who didn’t manage to flee in time.”
Murmurs rippled around the room, but Alex pressed on.
“King Astophe was killed,” she said quietly, hearing gasps in response. “And Prince Roka has been…” She looked down and had to take a steadying breath before she managed to finish, “He’s indisposed. Indefinitely.” She raised her eyes again. “I’m sure I don’t need to explain just how dire the circumstances are, but it gets worse. Worse than you could possibly imagine. And that’s why I’m here today—because I need your help.”
The room was silent and brimming with tension. Finally, the queen spoke, her voice a calming balm against the raging storm within Alex.
“Why don’t you start at the beginning, sweetheart,” Osmada said. “None of us will interrupt you. And once you’re finished, we’ll come up with a plan to make everything better. Don’t you worry, Alex. Everything will be all right.”
Alex had to blink back tears in the face of the queen’s kindness. But despite Osmada’s words, Alex knew no such assurances could be made. Because unless she found a way to change the future, nothing would be all right.
Start at the beginning, Alex repeated in her mind. That was asking a lot, given the many secrets she held. But in order for them to trust her, she needed to be as honest as she could. So she took yet another deep breath, opened her mouth and began her unlikely tale.
Three
“Forgive me for being the voice of reason here,” Jaxon said, sounding anything but apologetic, “but you’ve just told us that not only are you from another world entirely, you also overcame a blood-bonding ritual that has—supposedly—left you with the same abilities as an immortal being. A ritual you claim has been performed on an entire city of Meyarins, all of whom are now under the mind control of their evil overlord.” He raised his eyebrows and glanced around the table. “Does anyone else have difficulty believing this preposterous account of teenage fancy?”
“In my defence,” Alex said, struggling to keep her tone diplomatic, “I never used the words ‘evil overlord’. You came up with that on your own.”
The advisor glowered at her. “Indeed. Though the implication was there.”
“Oh, I’m not arguing,” Alex returned. “That’s exactly what Aven is. But you already knew that, otherwise none of you would be here for this meeting.”
As promised, Alex had told them everything—or at least, everything they needed to know, leaving out her visit to the past just as she had with her teachers.
“Let’s say we believe you,” General Drock said in his gruff voice. “What exactly would you have us do? If Aven is the threat you claim he is, we’re already as good as dead.”
Alex grimaced, knowing he wasn’t far off the mark.
“I’d rather go back to the vision you saw,” Commander Nisha cut in, her focus solely on Alex. “You said the Library showed you a possible future and claimed it would come true if you—specifically you—fail to stop Aven?”
When Alex nodded, albeit reluctantly, it was Jaxon who spoke up again.
“How ludicrous.” His weathered face was filled with scorn. “The child obviously has delusions of grandeur. I don’t know why we’re listening to her when she’s clearly an attention seeker of the worst kind.”
It was only William’s warning glance coupled with a comforting squeeze from Jeera that kept Alex from lashing out at the older man.