Cedric’s eyes were narrow as he gazed over his kingdom. He drank in the view, not focusing on anything in particular. From this vantage point, he could see without being seen and frequently took advantage of that. The small ritual centred him. It reminded him why he was working so hard. He glanced down at the square, spotting a few red splotches in between the muted browns and greys.

  A few students from the Academy were milling about, conversing with one another. He could pick out Aldric and Roland, but the rest were foreign to him. He frowned. Two of them should have been recognisable, but he could not spot their platinum hair anywhere. The thought of them soured his mood considerably.

  He turned around, all but storming off to the balcony where the others were waiting. He passed by some of the High Stewards, all preparing to convene. He paid them little mind. Usually, he made an effort to greet those he passed, but today he had more pressing matters on his mind. He made a mental note to apologise once they were all gathered as he breezed through the council hall and onto the balcony, firmly closing the door behind him.

  “Eldin,” he prompted.

  “Yes, the door is sealed, no one will hear us,” Eldrin affirmed. He made no effort to stand or even make eye contact.

  “Is it almost time?” Hadrian asked, his decorum more intact than Eldrin’s.

  “Aye, they are gathering as we speak,” Cedric said.

  “Cedric, I know we put you-” Aeliana began, but Cedric raised his hand to silence her.

  “You three did what you thought was best,” he said, looking to the sky. “Unfortunately, you chose the worst way to do so.”

  “My decision makes perfect sense to me,” Eldrin defended.

  “Oh really?” Cedric said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Yes, of course, enrolling an emotionally unstable child with unfathomable power and uncontrollable magic into the most prestigious institution in the kingdom is a flawless plan. I can not fathom how it could possibly go wrong!” He glared at Eldrin for a moment before continuing. “Aldric needs real help. He needs warmth, and he needs patience, and you went and threw the boy into a class war! For divine’s sake, Eldrin, he can not even read!”

  “I told you,” Hadrian said, smirking. The expression quickly vanished when Cedric turned his glare on him.

  “Do not dare absolve yourself,” Cedric reprimanded. “You should have consulted me before even considering Roland’s attendance in the Academy. He can not do magic. How is he supposed to compete? He would have been much better suited for the Legion.”

  “You can not honestly be suggesting that I hand our greatest future military asset over to them?!” Hadrian baulked.

  “He is a child, Hadrian!” Cedric barked. “Not an asset. Not a weapon. A boy, scared of his strength. If we are not careful, he could lose himself to his own strength, or worse, be turned against us.” He turned to Eldrin. “The same goes for you. And lastly…”

  “I know, Cedric,” Aeliana said firmly. “I should have consulted you, but I will not apologise. Seraphina deserves some semblance of normality, and the Academy is the safest place for her to do so. Besides, this could work to our favour.”

  “How?” Cedric asked. His tone had evened out, but it still left no room for disobedience.

  “They need each other,” Hadrian said, picking up on Aeliana’s thinking. “The most powerful version we have seen of all three of those children was during the tournament, when they were together. They might be the keys to unlocking each other’s strength.”

  “Be that as it may, we still have to deal with the fallout of your actions,” Cedric said, deflating slightly. “The High Stewards are all on edge. They worry that you three will attempt to usurp more power.”

  “We should,” Eldrin said, finally standing. “We are the strongest. We outrank them. We should not need to answer to them, let alone that half-wit Rector.”

  “You would do well to humble yourself, Eldrin,” Cedric warned. “None of us are infallible. Now come, I am weary of fighting you three. What is done is done.” He took a breath. “I apologise for my anger.”

  “You had good enough reason, I suppose,” Eldrin said with a sigh. He put his hand on the door leading back into the council hall. “Shall we?” Cedric nodded, and Eldrin pushed open the door. Inside, all but four of the seats around the table were already filled. Cedric took his place at the head of the table, with the others flanking him to his right.

  “Thank you all for attending,” Cedric began. “And my apologies for my behaviour recently. I do not intend to seem dismissive. We have gathered today to discuss the state of the kingdom in the wake of the tournament and to address concerns regarding recent events at the Royal Academy. To that end, we are joined today by the Rector of the Academy, Charles Terston.” Cedric motioned to his left.

  “Thank you for allowing me to sit in, Your Highness,” Charles said, bowing his head slightly. Cedric nodded in response, then continued.

  “Let us handle official business first. Revels, please update us on the Tournament.”

  “It was a tremendous success,” the High Steward of Revels said. “Attendance surpassed our expectations by a significant margin. The event paid for itself twofold, and the entire city is still alight with excitement after the finale.” He paused for a moment, having accidentally stepped on the tail of the elephant in the room.

  “That is incredible news,” Cedric said. “Thank you, I know you worked hard for the sake of the Tournament, and I am grateful your efforts bore fruit. Finance, how were our ledgers impacted?”

  “It is not bad news, my liege,” the High Steward of Finance said. “With your blessing, I would like to earmark the original cost of the tournament back to the High Steward of Revels. We have more than reclaimed our investment, and I feel it pertinent to keep morale high. As such, I would propose that, given that budget, Revels be free to use any more profit generated to continue the good work.” Cedric glanced around, waiting for someone to object.

  “I think that is wise,” he said, after a moment. “Has our financial standing shifted considerably since the last council session?”

  “I am afraid not, my liege,” The High Steward of Finance replied. “They are not worse, but even with the profits from the tournament, they have not improved much either.” Cedric nodded his understanding, then turned to the High Steward of Agriculture.

  “Our food supplies are dwindling at the anticipated rate,” she said. “I fear soon we will need to request aid from the Society.”

  “That is not an option,” Eldrin said.

  “Why not?” The High Steward of Agriculture asked.

  “Even if we find the means to pay the Society for their aid,” Eldrin explained, pinching his brow. “We will destroy the soil. Magical enhancement not only amplifies plant growth, but also the damage that the plants cause. It takes a sorcerer of exceptional clarity to do one without the other, and we do not have a grand supply of suitable candidates.” Cedric glanced around again, but it seemed everyone was satisfied, albeit begrudgingly.

  “Is there anything else to report?” he asked.

  “I have received an odd series of requests,” the High Steward of Foreign Affairs said. Cedric motioned for him to continue. “It seems some states within Rokea want to re-establish trade with us, despite the ongoing conflict.” Everyone in the room immediately snapped to attention, their eyes flitting between Hadrian, Cedric, and the High Steward of Foreign Affairs, who could barely contain her confusion.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  “It must be a trap,” Hadrian asserted.

  “I do not think it is,” she retorted. “These requests did not come on Rokean letterhead. It seems small groups of the Rokean population have banded together to subvert the Emperor’s tyranny. If we can establish these relations, we could destabilise the Emperor’s power, possibly even impacting his supply lines.”

  “We could also be providing aid to the enemy combatants,” Hadrian added sternly. “We are barely holding on on the Northern front, and the Legion refuses to mobilise. We can not afford to give Rokea an advantage.”

  “The requests have purely been for non-military goods,” the High Steward of Foreign Affairs corrected. “Artisan goods like jewellery and drink. It seems the Emperor has diverted most materials to the war effort, so anything considered non-essential is no longer being produced within Rokea.”

  “This is all well and good, but any convoys we send across the border will be killed on sight,” Hadrian said.

  “Not necessarily,” she corrected. “We can use Altz as a proxy. I have already had preliminary discussions. We will lose some profits to them, but in return they will handle the trade with complete secrecy.”

  “It is a tempting prospect,” Cedric said, cutting Hadrian off. “I trust your judgement. If you believe this to be safe, then I see no reason not to pursue it.”

  “Thank you, your highness,” the High Steward of Foreign Affairs said. “I will look into this further and report back to you once everything is in place.” Cedric nodded, then moved on to the next report. Infrastructure, Internal Affairs, and Records had little to add, each reporting on the dwindling effectiveness of their processes due to limited funds and depleting morale. The news was not new, nor was it unexpected. Still, every time, Cedric hoped for a miracle.

  “If that is all, then let us move on to matters of the Academy and the recent events surrounding it,” Cedric said, commanding the attention of the room again. “The enrollment of the Saint and the apprentices of the Commander and the Archmage has caused some understandable concern. The behaviour of the Archmage’s apprentice, especially. I would like to assure you all that I am abreast of the situation. I apologise for not involving you all in the decision to enrol them, but time was of the essence. After witnessing the strength of those children at the end of the tournament and the emergence of the Saint’s true abilities, we found it necessary to keep them nearby. We also had to facilitate their training, so they could hopefully become useful assets in the future. I can not think of a place better equipped to take on the challenge than the prestigious Royal Academy.” Cedric smiled and gestured to his left. Charles Terston squirmed slightly as attention was suddenly placed on him.

  “Yes, of course we are equipped, Your Highness,” he said, quickly regaining his composure. “If it were only the Saint and the Commander’s apprentice, I doubt this would be such a problem. There would still be some friction with the Ashtons, but nothing that can not be resolved. The Archmage’s apprentice is a whole different matter.”

  “I think we can discuss that later,” Cedric interrupted. “My Stewards all have full schedules. I merely wanted to reassure you all that this was not a gambit by my advisors, as some have speculated. It was a carefully considered move. Now, if that is all, the Stewards may be excused. Please invite our next guests in when you leave.”

  The High Stewards all shared glances. They wanted to know more, but none wanted to question he authority of the King. If he gave his blessing, then they could find no fault with the enrollment of the Saint and the apprentices. One by one, they stood and exited, the last holding the door open as a fresh batch of people entered. They took their seats at the far end of the table. The final one to enter did so with an aura of confidence, closing the door behind himself and taking the seat at the head opposite Cedric.

  “Welcome,” Cedric greeted. “I appreciate each of you taking the time to come meet with us.”

  “I believed we were owed an explanation,” the man at the opposite head of the table interrupted.

  “Of course, Mister Ashton,” Cedric said, doing his best to keep his tone warm and professional.

  “I will have your head if you interrupt His Majesty again, Morgan,” Eldrin threatened. A vein bulged in Cedric’s neck, but he remained composed.

  “Archmage, please contain yourself,” he said.

  “Yes, the men are speaking now,” Morgan agreed. Cedric mightily fought the urge to throw his chair at the man.

  “For the sake of formalities, to my left is Charles Terston, Rector of the Royal Academy,” Cedric said. He gestured further. “We also welcome Lana Pernelle, the representative of the Dockworkers’ Guild, Morgan Ashton, the head of the Merchants’ Assembly, Ruan Gaul, the leader of the Legion, and Ysalir Tavoc, the Chair of the Sorcerers’ Society. Thank you all for being here.”

  “Where are the rest of the guilds?” Ruan asked, scanning the empty chairs.

  “They have entrusted me to represent their interests,” Lana explained. “We saw it fit not to bog down this conversation.”

  “The gesture is appreciated,” Ysalir commented. “I am sure none of us wants this to drag on.”

  “Indeed,” Cedric said. “To that end, I will not mince words. The appointment of apprentices for the Archmage and the Commander has been seen as… controversial.”

  “That is a kind way to describe lunacy, your Highness,” Morgan said, interrupting again. Eldrin nearly rocketed out of his seat, but Cedric lifted a hand and motioned him back down.

  “Mister Ashton, I understand you have a personal investment in this matter,” Cedric said. “But I trust you can put your grievances aside and remain professional.”

  “Of course, my liege,” Morgan said, leaning back. “I am here to represent the interests of the Merchant’s Assembly, nothing more.”

  “I think we would all appreciate some clarity as to how this decision was made,” Lana said. “The entire city assumed the apprenticeships were a foregone conclusion.” Cedric did not answer. He only turned to glower at Eldrin.

  “Oh, may I speak?” Eldrin asked, rolling his eyes. “Those boys are brimming with more potential than I have ever seen. It would be folly not to take them on.”

  “I am not sure I would call illiteracy ‘potential’, Archmage,” Morgan said.

  “And I am not sure I, nor anyone, asked for you to weigh in, Morgan,” Eldrin shot back, not bothering to mask his disdain.

  “Would they not be better suited to the Legion and the Society?” Morgan asked, his voice still calm and even. “Given those two children’s special circumstances, a general education seems wasted. If their potential is as you say, then specialised training would be much more effective.” Eldrin paused. He did not have a retort for this.

  “Socialisation is an important aspect of their growth,” Aeliana said, picking up the ball. “Especially for Aldric. His life has been unique and highly traumatic. He needs to be among his peers to learn proper social behaviour, and the Society only accepts adults.”

  “I am sure we could have made an arrangement,” Ysalir said. “I saw the tournament. His performance was outstanding. I can not think of one who would object to him joining the Society at this age.” Aeliana faltered. She relied on the Society’s bureaucratic nature. Without it, her argument fell flat.

  “The other one would have been welcomed into the legion with open arms as well,” Ruan said. “The boy has a fighting spirit. He would be right at home.”

  “Roland needs to serve his Kingdom,” Hadrian said. “He only fought in the tournament to request military aid for his home. Given the Legion’s current passive stance in the war, he would not wish to join you.”

  “And where Roland goes, Aldric will follow,” Eldrin said. “The boy is incredibly stubborn, but a good man is growing in both of them.”

  “A good man?” Morgan asked, the tiniest sliver of his veneer slipping off. “That mongrel accosted my daughter in the square, in broad daylight.”

  “Your daughter got handsy with the Saint,” Eldrin defended, standing. “And her outburst could have injured bystanders. Aldric’s actions were not permissible, but Astra posed a danger to everyone around her. Even if Aldric had not come to my attention, I would not have made her my apprentice.”

  “I can not say the same for Vincent,” Hadrian said, looking at the table. “He is an incredible talent, and I fully intended to take him on. I believe he will play a pivotal role in the years to come, but he already has the resources he needs to meet his potential. Without the apprenticeship, Roland does not. This was not a decision I made lightly.”

  “It was a decision you made blindly,” Morgan accused. “A commoner and a peasant, occupying two of the highest stations in the land? It is preposterous, but if you wish to see these decisions through, then I will yield to your authority. Just be wary of the consequences.” He did not speak further. He stood up gracefully and left the room. Charles, Ysalir, and Ruan all followed suit.

  “He is not wrong, Your Highness,” Lana said, watching as the door swung shut again. “These decisions have shaken the confidence of your people. They worry that you are veering towards tyranny.”

  “I understand, Miss Pernelle,” Cedric said, his guard dropping somewhat. “None of our circumstances are ideal. I am merely trying to do what I can for my people.”

  “For all of our sake, I hope you are right,” Lana said, standing. “Those three children have made quite the impact at the Academy. My daughter speaks highly of them.” She bowed to them, then stepped out of the room.

  “Eldrin?” Cedric prompted.

  “Yes, no one will hear,” Eldrin affirmed.

  “Why were you so hostile?” Cedric asked.

  “Because he is an ass,” Eldrin said, eliciting a small chuckle from Hadrian and Aeliana.

  “Aye, that he is,” Cedric agreed, smirking. “Though next time you antagonise the most powerful man in Aidelon, do the kingdom a favour and kill him before he can retaliate.”