Starsinger

Antidote

"The queen has dismissed her lady in waiting," said Commander Vance.

King Edmund growled in frustration and rubbed his forehead. He was sitting at the ornate cherry desk in his private study, pages of correspondence about the progress of the Crollish war spread across the gleaming surface. Very little of it was good news.

"That's the fourth spy she's ferreted out," Edmund said wearily. "She knows we're watching her. Hasn't Commander Deirdre got any whisperers she can spare?"

"She's loathe to remove any of the stealth kyrsquads from their positions at the Crolton border, but we do have the rest of the Brasher squad still stationed here. I believe kyrmate Warren is an adept whisperer."

"Send them to Aster. Tell them to be cautious."

"Right away, Your Grace."

King Edmund leaned back heavily and sighed. Banishing Tatiana was supposed to make it harder for her to move against him, but her methodical uprooting of the agents he sent to report on her behavior made it nearly impossible to know what she was up to. He needed better intelligence. He knew how dangerous his queen could be when left to her own devices.

He hated that he missed her, after everything.

For a moment the loneliness threatened to close in. It had been months since he'd seen his daughter, his precious, vibrant Raelyn. She hadn't arrived in Opham yet, but Vance insisted she was still alive, still safe. And Vance was the only one he had left.

King Edmund shuffled the correspondence together. "What a nightmare the gods have sent us." He pulled letters off the top one-by-one, summarizing the worst of their contents as he laid them again on the desk. "Word has leaked that Raelyn is no longer in Ellanoi, despite our best efforts at secrecy. Still no sign of the Conservatory's missing spellbooks. Waves of strange energy felt as far north as Blarnie, suspected to be magic-related. Brightly-colored explosions spotted over the Aster fortress in early evenings. Crolton amassing a fleet, prepared to set sail for an unknown target within two months at the most, with battle plans so secret our last captive chose death over talking."

Edmund slammed his fist on the crumpled stack of parchments. "Tatiana was right. We're fighting in darkness. Against magic."

"We are far from powerless," said Vance. "The First Generals stand with you against these magical abominations—"

"Not all. Some stand with the queen. As with the Council." Edmund shook his head. "This magic threat is insidious. It spreads across Re Vlynn like a poison. If Tatiana moves against me with the Apprentices, if Crolton brings its own spellcasters to bear in this war, will our strength be enough?"

"Your Grace forgets," Vance said quietly. "We have prepared for this. Agents from the new Guard are still in the field. Today a hawk from one of my own vessels arrived with a letter, and with this."

With one gloved hand, Vance produced a small, black stone wrapped in a leather band from his belt and placed the gleaming pendant on the king's desk. The smooth dark edges of the obsidian drew Edmund's eyes, pulling him in until he felt he could not look away.

"What is it?" he breathed.

Vance smiled coldly. "An antidote."