Kiera blinked. Not even Lady Morwynne behaved so rudely. Only Mr. Winston was worse.

  Annalise glided into the entrance hall and frowned at them. "Mother, Father, how could you act so churlish? Kiera is our future queen and my friend."

  Lady Greysnowe sniffed and shook her head, her white-blonde hair shimmering like her daughter's. "She shan't be our queen. The Ravenstones chose her."

  Kiera almost winced. She wouldn't be their queen, but not because of the genial count's family.

  Annalise pursed her lips. "You know they did no such thing." She turned to her father. "Please don't allow the feud to delude you."

  His matching cerulean eyes narrow, Lord Greysnowe snorted. "We're not deluded. We simply know what treacherous ogres the Ravenstones are." He offered his wife his arm, and they whisked outside without another word.

  Annalise covered her face and muttered, "I apologize for their shocking manners."

  Kiera sighed. Poor Annalise. Sometimes parents could be more of a burden than a blessing. Perhaps 'twas fortunate she didn't know hers. She flashed a wry smile to reassure Annalise. "At least they behave honestly. A rare thing at court."

  Annalise grimaced as she lowered her hands. "I should have informed them that I'd never marry King Devon when he first began escorting me. But 'twas such a relief that they ceased foisting gentlemen on me."

  Kiera nodded. Understandable. And with parents who seemed to only value her as a means to further their ambitions, no wonder Annalise appeared melancholy at times. But discussing that would only upset her, so Kiera asked, "Was Wren able to attend?"

  Annalise relaxed with a grin. "Yes, she's waiting in the family dining room."

  Her heart lightening, Kiera beamed. Wonderful. She followed Annalise into the family dining room and tsked at Wren dozing in her seat. "Waiting, you said? Sleeping, more like."

  Remaining motionless, Wren replied, "I'm awake. Just resting my eyes until there's food."

  As Annalise rang for luncheon, Kiera sat beside Wren and nudged her shoulder. Her lively friend must be exhausted to doze around noon. Managing the orphanage every day must be too much. "Don't lie."

  Her eyes popping open, Wren flung her arms around Kiera as Annalise sat across from them. "I'm not. 'Tis wonderful to see you finally. How has acting as queen been going?"

  Kiera squeezed her back, warmth suffusing her chest. Then she drew back with a shrug. "Well, I suppose. Still hectic, but now that I'm staying at the palace, I can get adequate sleep." She arched her brows at Wren. "Unlike you, clearly."

  Annalise frowned and leaned toward Wren once the servants brought luncheon then left. "You do appear tired."

  Wren chuckled while she began her creamy tuber soup. "No doubt." She grinned then paused and patted her stomach. "Thanks to the twins."

  Their spoons halfway to their mouths, Kiera and Annalise chorused, "Twins?"

  Kiera beamed as Wren bobbed a nod then replied, "Yes, our healer confirmed the double heartbeats two weeks ago."

  Her dancing pulse stilling, Kiera gaped at Wren. "But I saw Hawke at the Westons' last week, and he never said a word."

  Wren's lips twitched as she resumed devouring her tuber soup. "I threatened to wallop him if he divulged our news. I wanted to tell you myself. In fact, you two are the first besides us to know."

  Annalise blinked but began eating as well. "Why the secrecy?"

  Kiera almost sputtered mid-swallow. The duchess probably.

  Wren shrugged as she finished her soup and began her grilled fish. "We wanted time to celebrate without enduring the fuss our families, particularly the duchess, shall make."

  Annalise flashed a wry smile and fingered the heart-shaped, sapphire firegem flickering in the hollow of her throat. "Understandable."

  Kiera eyed the delicate, pale-electrum necklace. It echoed Annalise's ice-perfect beauty and must have been hidden beneath her riding habit this morning. "Your new necklace is exquisite. That mixture of electrum perfectly matches your hair. But how did you find a firegem the precise shade of your eyes?"

  Annalise blinked and lowered her hand. "I believe a nature witch enchanted it."

  Kiera and Wren exchanged a wide glance. Only an extremely powerful nature witch could alter hardened dragon flame. Annalise's witch must be a Rhiannon descendant. However, Kiera merely murmured, "It suits you."

  A blush tinged Annalise's cheeks as she thanked Kiera. Then she asked about the orphanage, probably to distract them from the necklace.

  As they discussed the orphanage, Wren's latest play, the nightmara rides, and court during luncheon, Kiera gaped at how much Wren devoured—'twas more than her and Annalise together. But Wren was eating for three now.

  The servants had cleared the table, but Kiera and her friends were still talking when Wren blanched and leapt to her feet.

  Kiera winced as Wren bolted from the room. Doubtless she was about to lose everything she'd just devoured. Bearing your beloved's children was wonderful, but the consequent ailments weren't. Perhaps she should be grateful she'd never experience them. Her ribs squeezing, she twisted the Vireni betrothal ring. Yet somehow she wasn't.

  Chapter 35

  Having attended the Reids' kahve party alone so Kiera could see her friends, Devon was about to leave when the Greysnowes intercepted him.

  Lord Greysnowe scowled and leaned forward. "Your powerful protection charm may defend you from enchantments, your majesty, but not the Ravenstones' treacherous schemes."

  Lady Greysnowe sniffed. "That Kiera creature is no more than a soul-stealing venus fabricated by the Ravenstones to beguile you from our daughter."

  Fire flaring beneath his skin, Devon forced himself to smile at Annalise's parents. Punching the ambitious count and snarling at his wife would only inflame the Greysnowe-Ravenstone feud. "Kiera had never met Lord Ravenstone until I introduced him at the Harvestfete masquerade." When the Greysnowes began to speak, he leaned toward them and added, "Such accusations about your future queen are almost treasonous."

  He strode from the room before they could reply. He would punch Lord Greysnowe otherwise. How dare he and his wife denigrate Kiera? 'Twas amazing they had birthed a serene and steadfast lady like Lady Annalise.

  When he returned to the palace, Kiera was humming in her chambers. He stilled in their adjoining door as tingling warmth surged through him. Goddess, her joy made her more radiant than an angel at dawn. If only he could kiss her. He swallowed then strode inside. "How was your luncheon with Wren and Lady Annalise?"

  Kiera beamed and whirled to face him. "Wonderful." She paused for a moment then shook her head and asked, "How was the Reids' kahve party?"

  Devon eyed Kiera. From her pause, Wren or Lady Annalise must have revealed a secret she couldn't share. So he only replied, "Fine, until the Greysnowes approached me."

  Her face dimming, Kiera winced. "I encountered them as well. 'Twasn't pleasant. I don't envy Annalise her parents."

  He sighed. He'd tarnished her joy—he should have remained silent. The Greysnowes' animosity was inconsequential, anyway. "Me either. But at least we needn't worry about anyone believing them. All of court knows not to trust any tales Greysnowes or Ravenstones spread about each other."

  And his prediction proved correct over the next few days. No one at court listened to the Greysnowes' rumors any more than they had Mr. Winston's. Instead, they continued discussing Kiera's education initiative as well as the sudden chill and the perfect autumn leaves.

  * * *

  While Kiera was at her next riding lesson with Moonbud, Devon was reviewing Lady Ducharme's report about the Tsarkan pirates when pounding vibrated his door. He jerked and called, "Enter."

  His face flushed, Lord Islaye burst into the study and panted, "The ore. Exploded. Killed twelve. Wounded thirty-eight."

  Devon leapt to his feet. Goddess! "Summon the council and Lady Juliet. I'll fetch Kiera." He needed her by his side to face this.

  With his guards close behind, he strode to the nightmara stables. But he gritted a smile the entire way and made sure not to run. A king must always appear composed during a crisis.

  An unfamiliar mara man opened the door with a taupe nightmara behind him. The mara blinked at him. "Your majesty?"

  Keeping his tone even, Devon asked, "Where's Kiera?"

  The mara glanced at his nightmara partner. "Darkstar says Moonbud and the others are riding on the palace grounds."

  Devon turned to Darkstar. Hopefully, the nightmara couldn't read him—gossip would only worsen the crisis. "Could you ask Lady Moonbud to return? We require Kiera at once."

  The nightmara inclined his head.

  Clasping his hand behind his back, Devon forced himself to remain still while he waited for Kiera. Please let her be nearby.

  Within moments, Moonbud galloped to the stables with Kiera clinging to her back. Thank the Goddess.

  Her dark-blonde curls wild, Kiera slid to the ground. "What's wrong?"

  He grasped her arm, his blood not stirring for once. "The Magehaven ore exploded, killing twelve and wounding thirty-eight. I called a council meeting and invited the royal witch."

  Kiera clutched him and paled whiter than a grieving banshee. "Dear Goddess."

  Devon nodded at Moonbud, keeping his mind open so she could read him. "I apologize for disrupting your ride, but we must go."

  Moonbud nodded back. :Goddess keep you. I'll tell Kiera's guards where to find you once they return with the others.:

  While they hurried back to the palace as fast as they could and still appear calm, Kiera eyed him. "Do you have any further details?"

  He sighed, his stomach roiling. "No, not yet."

  Kiera whispered again, "Dear Goddess."

  They soon strode into the palace, but he paused before the council room door. Handling today's crisis was different than anything Kiera had undertaken. He squeezed her arm. "Ready?"

  Lifting her chin, Kiera nodded and returned his squeeze.

  Devon almost smiled as his chest warmed despite his concern about the Magehaven ore. Thank the Goddess she was here.

  His guards flanking the door, he and Kiera strode inside the council room to the head of the table. All the councilors were assembled except Lord Farson, Lord Dabar, and Lady Morwynne, probably because they lived farther from the palace than the rest.

  While everyone else waited in tense silence, Lord Islaye, Lord Nolan, and Lady Juliet muttered to each other.

  Devon gripped Kiera's hand beneath the table but kept his shoulders straight. Hopefully, the missing councilors wouldn't be long. When they rushed into the room, he waved for Lord Islaye, Lord Nolan, and Lady Juliet to begin. Please be better than he feared.

  Lord Islaye inhaled. "Shortly after dawn, the mysterious ore in Magehaven exploded and destroyed the encampment studying it. None of my magic marshals know why—no one was testing the ore when it exploded. Preliminary reports estimate twelve killed and thirty-eight wounded, but they're still confirming that."

  A shocked murmur swept across the council room, and many of the councilors paled. However, both Devon and Kiera remained still and clung to their serene expressions, although they did clutch each other's hands beneath the table.

  The studious count rubbed his forehead as he continued, "Use of magic or enchanted items has been banned near the ore, so we only learned about the explosion thanks to Lord Nolan's pigeons. Thank the Goddess he convinced us to switch to them last month."

  Devon nodded. Without those pigeons, 'twould have been twelve days before news would reach Ormas by even the swiftest horse.

  Lord Nolan shrugged. "I thought they'd be useful, considering the ore's instability. My family has used pigeons for centuries since there's never been a thimble's worth of magic among us."

  Lord Islaye drooped in his seat. "The explosion decimated my best magic marshals and Lord Nolan's land rangers, and I'm not sure what we can do about the ore now."

  Devon and Kiera glanced at each other. Yet left unchecked, the Magehaven ore would soon destroy the Walle and start a catastrophic war with magical creatures. They must do something. He turned to the royal witch. "Your thoughts?"

  Lady Juliet pursed her lips. "The ore in Magehaven is impossible to study with magic. When I attempt to scry it, the area is now blank, even though it had been visible to scrying before the ore was unearthed. And attempting to neutralize the ore using magic is worse. If you can get your spell going, it's likely to explode—or the ore will."

  Lord Islaye grimaced. "Even magic meant to shield the ore causes explosions, so we've no way to protect anyone from it."

  As Devon stiffened, Kiera leaned forward and asked, "Any success locating an alchemist without magic? One might find a solution."

  Lord Islaye shook his head. "We've not been able to locate one who has the expertise we require."

  Devon tapped his fingers on the table. Damnation, they needed that alchemist. "Redouble your search. Contact people outside of Calatini if need be."

  As Lord Islaye nodded, the Duke of Osbourne frowned and asked, "The ore caused no disruptions until 'twas unearthed, correct?" At Lord Islaye's and Lady Juliet's nods, he continued, "Perhaps we should simply bury it again."

  Lady Juliet shrugged. "We could try that, but I doubt 'twould be enough now that the ore has been exposed."

  Devon glanced at Kiera to check her thoughts, and she squeezed his hand with a faint smile. He turned back to Lord Islaye. "Once everyone is accounted for, cover that ore with the amount of earth originally removed. Even if that doesn't work entirely, perhaps it shall dampen the ore enough to give us time to decipher how to neutralize it."

  Kiera pursed her lips. "We should also move the encampment back several miles outside of the ore's influence and post guards at the ore deposit. We don't want anyone messing with it."

  Devon nodded as the councilors winced. They definitely didn't. Goddess knew what would happen. He glanced about the table. "Other precautions we should take?"

  Aragon frowned. "Perhaps restrict the use of magic in the area? We could send notices to the villages and post signs along the road."

  Devon set his jaw. "Do it. Anything else?" When no one spoke, he continued, "Burying the ore is only a temporary solution. We must decipher how to neutralize it—and soon. Finding an alchemist without magic shall help, but we should explore other strategies."

  The Duchess of Wildewall hummed. "How about consulting the elves? They don't often offer their wisdom to mere humans, but the ore shall impact their kingdoms north of the Walle if it keeps spreading."

  Lord Farson smoothed his beard. "The elves might be more amenable if we have the nightmara approach them."

  Kiera nodded. "I'll ask Moonbud this afternoon. I'm certain she'll agree." Then she arched her brows at Devon.

  Devon squeezed her hand beneath the table. Doubtless she wanted to reveal the veiled witch. An excellent idea. They needed the help, even if it might rile Lady Juliet.

  Kiera turned back to the councilors. "We should also consult a witch on Mountainglass Lane who has the extraordinary reputation of being able to magic anything."

  Lady Juliet frowned and smoothed her fashionable gown. "An overblown reputation, surely."

  Devon suppressed a snort. Not hardly.

  Kiera shook her head. "The veiled witch created my enchanted ballgown and Wren's glamour spell for the summer masquerade, and neither could be traced back to her or to us."

  The royal witch gaped. "She created the enchanted bird Lord Beza showed me?" When Kiera nodded, Lady Juliet grumbled, "'Twas extraordinary. Perhaps we should consult her, after all."

  Devon almost coughed. The royal witch sounded as peevish as a molting basilisk.

  Lady Morwynne drawled, "If this witch is so extraordinary, why did she open a shop in that part of Ormas? She must be a black witch."

  Lady Juliet tsked. "No, evil didn't taint her spells. But she is an incredibly powerful Rhiannon descendant."

  Devon nodded with a wry smile. "And having met the veiled witch, I suspect she prefers not to be noticed." He glanced about the table again. "Anything else to suggest?" When no one answered, he said, "Then we'll adjourn until our regular council meeting in three days."

  Once the other councilors and Lady Juliet left, Aragon glanced at Devon and Kiera. "Do you need any help?"

  Devon sighed. What he needed now was to hold Kiera in his arms. But could he risk testing his restraint? Probably not. He shook his head. "Not at the moment. Go embrace your wife." At least one of them should embrace the lady he loved.

  Aragon nodded and squeezed Devon's shoulder before leaving as well.

  Devon and Kiera remained silent as they returned to the royal wing with both their pairs of guards following. He requested tea then sat beside Kiera on her sofa rather than across her chambers. Although he couldn't embrace her, he must keep her close.

  Over their tea, he gave Kiera a tender smile. She'd been so strong and insightful today. Precisely the queen he needed by his side to share the burden. "How did you enjoy your first crisis as queen?"

  Kiera grimaced and sipped her tea. "I'd rather have avoided it. How often have crises like that happened since you've been king?"

  Devon suppressed a shudder. The swarm of sea serpents attacking their ships his second month as king. And the Blackham wildfires last summer. "A few times."

  Her navy eyes darkening, she caressed his face. "Does it ever get easier to handle?"

  Devon sighed. "Not particularly." He kissed her palm. "But having you beside me helped immeasurably." When she blushed, he said to distract her, "We'll visit Moonbud after luncheon."

  Kiera blinked. "We?"

  His chest tightening, Devon nodded and drained his tea. "Yes, we. Although Moonbud would prefer to deal only with you, a crisis like this requires us both."

  Chapter 36

  As they strode back to the nightmara stables with their guards, Kiera kept glancing at Devon. He wore a calm smile, but his green eyes were dark. The crisis troubled him as it did her. And this wasn't the first he'd had to handle as king. How had he managed them alone?

 

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