Rosslyn raised a hand, trying to slow the conversation slightly while she processed each separate piece of what her father had said.
I have mystic beast blood. That is why I can manipulate Mana. I suppose that is true for every other magic-using human, or at least that is the theory.
“Um, just a moment, father,” she said. “The way you described our heritage—you used the word monstrous. Was that a slip of the tongue? Mystic beasts are—”
“No different from other monsters, as far as I know.”
“That is far from what we tell people.”
“A few of us in power in the Holy Kingdoms wanted to create the distinction for purposes of protecting our allies in the natural world,” her father said. “There are many who would harm them. It could also protect us from being viewed as monstrous ourselves, in the event that our families ever became insecure in our power. The peace of society is a fragile thing.”
Rosslyn took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Then again. And once more.
Every few sentences seemed to bring some new revelation that the world she knew was a lie.
All these years, we spread lies about the mystic beasts. I suppose we protected them from ignorance, but it sounds as if we were mainly protecting ourselves. Her mind wandered to Matilda, the prisoner and slave who had sparred with her a few times before she left for Stalenton—what felt like a lifetime ago now. She had shown such disdain for the King. Was it because she knew that the Kingdom was lying to people regarding basic facts about how the world worked? No, that might be a little bit of an overstatement. The mystic beasts are benevolent, as far as I have ever seen or heard. Adon certainly does not disprove that. Perhaps the lie is directionally accurate even if it slightly misrepresents the reality. The truth appears to be ambiguous.
She looked up at her father.
“I know this is not an important question, but I badly need to know the answer nevertheless. When were you going to tell me about any of this?”
“I might not have told you at all,” he replied slowly. “I would have left you the books with a letter one day. You would receive them sometime before my death, or perhaps shortly after my death. I already have the letter written and sitting in my bedside drawer. I will give it to you soon. The heir always inherits information along with the throne. That is how it was with me and my father. Only when there is a living mystic beast residing in the Kingdom does it seem necessary to explain the full story to anyone other than the sitting monarch. Keeping the circle tight prevents information from leaking. Recent events have only proven this policy correct. I do not always choose whom to trust correctly. Sometimes it is better not to trust anyone and not to place the burden of making that decision on anyone. Now it will be your burden too, deciding who can know this information. I know you are old enough now to see the damage that could be done by our full lineage becoming public knowledge.”
Rosslyn sucked in another long breath and then let it out again.
“All right,” she said finally. “I think I am ready for whatever revelation you have in store next. What was it that you wanted to tell me but not Adon?” Rosslyn could not keep a trace of defeat out of her voice. She could not remember a time in the past when she had been aware of her father lying to her. Now that long record of honesty was thrown into question.
If these secrets had to be kept from me for my own good, what other secrets is he hiding? What will I find out only after he is dead, when I have to assume the throne and all his burdens with it?
The King pursed his lips as if he could imagine the direction of his daughter’s thoughts. Then he shook his head.
“Yes, very well. The next piece of information I wanted to discuss. Regarding Adon, I believe we have to do whatever we can to keep him in the country. Without resorting to coercion, of course.”
“Why?” Rosslyn broke in.
“Every time any mystic species of butterfly appears in Claustria, he or she ends up becoming a key figure in this country’s destiny. The butterflies’ effect can be seen wherever you look. The earliest mystic butterfly that we know of gave us magic, which allowed our family’s rise. Another hid the entire nascent city of Wayn behind an illusion to protect it from an invading army that would have destroyed it. A third gave its life at the Battle of the Divine Gate so that our army could retreat without being destroyed, which allowed us to preserve our independence. On another occasion—”
“I get the point, father.” Rosslyn found herself cutting her father off for a second time. She was surprised at how impatient she felt with him all of a sudden. She forced herself to take another couple of deep breaths. “I actually saw some of these scenes in the visions I mentioned. So I know what you are referring to.”
“Then you know Adon’s importance as a national security asset,” her father said. The words began to flow out of him in a rush, as if he had been holding back what he wanted to say for days. Perhaps he had. “Especially if we enter into a state of war with the Demon Empire. The only reason I have not already marched on them to avenge your attempted assassination is that I know we could not possibly win an offensive war. But the army is preparing. Our allies await word. The next war of demonic expansion could be the last one in which Claustria participates. The front line will be our lands. You have seen what happens to a people when the Empire takes over. And no one believes that the Emperor would stop with us. Nations like Galton are ill prepared to fight in their own defense. Even Parmonia could not stand alone if we fell. All of which is to say, we need an ally like Adon more than ever before.”
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Rosslyn could tell her father had just barely avoided saying “asset” instead of “ally.”
She nodded for him to continue.
“If he helps us save ourselves from the Empire once more, he may be saving the whole civilized world from the demons’ tyranny. This could be the high water mark of their influence. That is why I want us to do whatever is necessary, as long as it is consistent with honor and justice, to keep him here.”
Rosslyn sat, silently digesting everything her father had said and comparing it with what she already knew, both from the visions and from her conversation with Jocelyne before she left Stalenton. But he seemed to take her silence as doubt.
“Perhaps you feel that I am expressing this in an overwrought way,” he began.
She shook her head. “No. Far from it. As I was planning to tell you, the Empire intends to attack sometime within a year before next summer.”
“Less than a year from now,” the King said.
Rosslyn nodded.
They both sat, the silence in the room as heavy as the dead air in a crypt.
“That is what our friend in their capital told you, then,” the King said finally. His shoulders slumped. Rosslyn was reminded again of the terrible weight that rested on her father.
“Yes,” she said simply.
“Well, better to know now than to live with the fear of it forever,” he replied, his posture straightening again. Something like a smile came to his lips, and Rosslyn was reminded for a moment that she and her father shared relatively close blood ties with Queen Maud, who had been their ancestor’s cousin. With cousin marriages to keep the bloodline strong, family traits remained distinct generation after generation.
There was a part of him that wanted to be tested as the Warrior Queen had been tested. Perhaps a long-suppressed, buried part of him. But a part of him nonetheless.
“Well, I suppose I can feel slightly better now,” her father said, seemingly out of nowhere.
Rosslyn raised an eyebrow.
“I have been so angry with myself for letting you go into the Demon Empire with Lord Baranack and placing you in harm’s way, Rosslyn,” he said. “I still am. Trusting him was the mistake of a lifetime. I could not imagine that someone in his position would betray us—betray all his people. Those who try to live their lives according to some concept of the good cannot comprehend the depths of evil. But if I had not sent you there, I would have had to send someone else in your place. I do not know who I might have trusted. Perhaps your stepmother. Without you, she would not have had the strength to escape the imperial assassins. She would have wound up dead or a prisoner of the Emperor.” He shuddered as he spoke those words.
“And he would never release her, because she would have our friend’s information about his battle plans,” her father continued. “If I did not send Carolien, it would have been Lord Baranack himself. Then, instead of gaining a warning about the attack, we would have lost our spy and perhaps the country. So, despite everything, I am feeling a bit better about the decision now.”
Rosslyn’s hand traced the scarred skin over her right eye as she thought about what her father was saying. His eyes followed the movement, and a guilty look flickered across his face. She knew that he was still angry with himself.
“I do not regret the decision myself,” she said slowly. “I would die for our country, as—” Her mind went to Queen Maud—“as many others have before. Losing an eye is no great sacrifice compared with death.”
“I know it is a great sacrifice for you, Rosslyn,” her father said quietly. “Just to learn the timeline of an attack that you and I always expected were coming—”
“Our spy gave me more than just a timetable,” Rosslyn said, interrupting. “She gave me details. Troop movements from the eastern regions of the Empire as the generals consolidate the Demon Army. Snippets of war plans that she overheard or that the Emperor found it amusing to tell her. We can look over a map later and see if there is anything we can use from the specific information she gave me. Probably most of it is out of date now. I think the most useful item was the timeline—and that they have a new form of weapon. One that will sap the strength of our military and render our greatest assets almost useless.”
He smiled dryly. “Good to know we have been worrying over nothing all this time.”
“Yes.” She snorted, then paused for a moment as a thought struck her. “I think this information might be part of why the Goddess sent me the last vision in particular.”
Rosslyn described the time she had spent in the vision with Queen Maud with more detail than she had gone into earlier.
“Did this vision of her battle with the Empire give you some insight as to how we could win our own war?” her father asked.
“Not exactly. In fact, I would say that it convinced me that even she would probably fail to defeat the current Demon Army.”
“Oh, Goddess…” The King shook his head and began using one of his large, powerful hands to massage his temples.
Rosslyn felt that her father had suddenly been pulled from being excited, at least on a subconscious level, back to a full awareness of his responsibilities and what would happen to the over two million subjects of the monarchy if he failed to protect them.
Rosslyn wanted to say something that would cheer her father up, but realistically, she knew there was nothing to say.
Neither of us can live up to Queen Maud. She was a freak of nature, exceptional in any way. Perhaps Adon can help us bridge the gap, but I cannot see it. I think it would take a miracle.
“Well, tell me about their new weapons, then,” her father said finally. “Perhaps we can form some new strategy or engineer some weapon of our own to counter it.”
Rosslyn began to explain the details as she understood them.