When space folded, and the two Castillan diplomats disappeared from the floating room, things moved very quickly. Elijah had to hold onto the table to keep himself in place, else the rustling of the rocks settling back into position would’ve had him on the ground, and the others weren’t much better off. Jack was cursing up a storm under his breath, Louis was doing it more blatantly, and endless whispers were shared between Vera and Harper.

  Still, he stayed in place. Aleksi did the same, silently observing the unfolding drama.

  “Forgive my bluntness, but I believe that internal discussions are in order,” Vera announced. “Hafrad Silverstone, Luna Fadan, I thank you both for meeting me today. I’ll get back to you in private once I have talked with my advisors.”

  “Fully understandable,” Lura replied swiftly, her smile as calm as ever. “Is there a room where I can contact my king in private? I need to update him on current affairs.”

  “Of course. I’ll have a servant escort you,” Vera assured the elf, an older man entering the room a moment later and guiding the diplomat away. “And what of you, Hafrad? Are there any accommodations you need, while we figure out our next steps?”

  “Nothing, other than a place to wait,” Hafrad said. “Though, if you would allow, I would not mind wandering through the halls. The statues are quite a sight.”

  “I’d never deny somebody the pleasure of seeing Alin’s works,” came the reply, and the dwarf was out the door with another servant in tow. That left only the ones loyal to Serenova inside the room. “... So, this wasn’t something we planned for.”

  “Yet we should’ve expected it regardless,” Alin commented. The old mage put a hand on the queen’s shoulder. “Castilla was never subtle with their intentions, and they are fans of large displays of power. Using an Astral Gate to visit us is proof they’re keeping that tradition.”

  “They didn’t teleport into Kulvik directly,” Louis corrected. “They opened a gate just outside the city. If that was meant to intimidate us, they’ve failed.”

  “With the right mages, getting that close to the city without any warning could mean the end of us,” Vera countered with a sigh. “Do we have any intentional protections against Astral Gates that stopped them, or was it something else that stopped them from teleporting into the castle directly?”

  “I’ve found nothing in the academy’s documentation on the city wards that would suggest there are any intentional barriers against Astral Gates,” Harper informed her.

  “And putting any up would require a century of study and experimentation,” Alin added grimly. “To block the city’s connection to the Astral Realm would be akin to stopping its connection to magic itself. Theoretically possible, successfully done on a micro-scale some years ago, but to scale it up would be both resource-intensive and would bring more disadvantages than advantages.”

  “But you could sense it a dozen seconds before anybody else,” Elijah interjected. “If you can’t stop the possible attacks, setting up warning signals could give us an edge.”

  “That… is not impossible,” Alin replied, the old man lost in thought for a moment before nodding again. “Very possible. A few minor modifications to the third layer of the walls, and I’d have to siphon off supply lines twenty-seven while adjusting for possible overflow and interrupters in—”

  “No need for all the details, Alin. If you can manage to make something that’ll help, we’re happy,” Vera interrupted before the Earth Mage could delve too far into his muttering. “Right now, we need to figure out how we’re tackling this.”

  “Isn’t it obvious?” Louis asked. “Ethon wants to help us if we become their dogs, and Darim wants to help us if we restore a relic.”

  “Ethon isn't bound to any pact that would stop them from sending their army to aid us while Darim is,” Vera countered. “The weapons and armor that the dwarves are willing to provide can give us a fighting chance, but with the elven warriors and mages there’s a chance Castilla wouldn’t be willing to fight at all.”

  Elijah doubted that, just as he doubted that the elves were willing to give any aid to Serenova. He’d seen the look in those elven eyes. They were not kind, and they were not sympathetic. They had arrived with a supposed goal, one that seemed to have already been discussed with others who wanted to claim the land.

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  “Fade, give me your report,” Vera ordered, bringing the focus to the Dreamweaver who’d been standing behind Louis silently. “Anything worthwhile.”

  “The dwarf was afraid when the elf made her counter-offer,” Fade explained tonelessly. She seemed tired. “There was anger in him, and some thoughts about old arguments from their respective forefathers. Grudges that can be brought up to spur more anger into them, but no deceit.”

  “And what of Lura?”

  “The elf felt fear when the dwarf made his initial offer of assistance to you. She dreads the idea that you have connections to other countries,” Fade continued, before pausing for a moment. “When Astral Gates were mentioned, her heart rate spiked. She knew the other diplomat well enough to picture their faces. Especially the man. A possible weak point.”

  “And what about the Castillan diplomats?” Vera pressed on. “Anything useful, before our little display?”

  “There was no fear before that. They both felt safe and relaxed,” the Dreamweaver reported, which was the strangest part of it all. “The man seemed more… excited than anything else, and the woman was furious when they first entered. Clear contempt for the dwarf.”

  “For that dwarf specifically or for the country he represents?”

  “Both. Before they left, there were clear visions of her imagining the deaths of the dwarven people.”

  Huh.

  A desire for the killing of a diplomat strong enough for Fade to see it meant that it was unlikely to stay a fantasy.

  “So, of the two, Castilla wants to be rid of Darim more,” Vera concluded. “And Ethon having unsaid dealings with Castilla, while Darim told us of them immediately, does point us in favor of the dwarves.”

  “Should we warn Hafrad?” Louis asked.

  “Giving him that warning directly might hurt our relationship, but some indirect pieces of advice are warranted here,” Vera supposed. Silence filled the room for a few seconds after, while she continued to think. “If nobody has any objections, I’d say we should go with the dwarves.”

  “... Does that mean we’re leaving for Darim?” Jack asked when nobody voiced their objections.

  “Not right now, though, with how time-sensitive this deal is becoming, I wouldn’t mind it if you could be on the road by this time tomorrow,” Vera replied, getting some agreement from Harper, who was fishing out several different documents from the stack. “Louis, take this to the scribes and instruct them to have a written contract before dawn. And bring in the armourer from the Royal Guard so we get the measurements correct. We need this to be perfect.”

  Objections were expected from the order, and Louis most certainly fought back against leaving to oversee the process, but the authority of the queen made the decision final. Fade left the room as well, after some words were whispered to her by Vera.

  “He’s not coming with us, I’m guessing,” Elijah commented when the door closed. Vera’s expression dulled as that small edge of worry seeped into her features. “You’re afraid we’ll be attacked.”

  “Fade’s warnings can’t be taken lightly, and Castilla just showed off their ability to come around any time they want to,” Vera explained. “If they have any inkling of this expedition of yours, and what will come from it, they will do their damndest to make sure the deal doesn’t go through. We might’ve done our best to make sure nobody in the castle is working for them, but this might just leak regardless.”

  Too dangerous to bring the prince, but not dangerous enough that it should stop Elijah and the others from venturing out.

  Some lives were just more important than others, he supposed. It was how the world worked.

  But, still, he wouldn’t have brought Louis with them either. The young man had spirit and an eye for an idealized version of freedom, but he had nothing to truly protect himself with. Unlike his sister, he had no magic to call upon, nothing that might aid him in battle. Fade would do her best to protect him, if the worst was to come, but depending on another to be there was a clear weakness to exploit.

  … Maybe something can be done against that.

  A gift he’d received months before, one that had been hidden under his bed and collecting dust. He’d planned on giving it to Grace or Jack when the time seemed right, but there was somebody else who needed it.

  “We can be ready to leave tomorrow morning, if you can get everything sorted with the dwarf before that,” Elijah said, idly wondering if Sasha wanted to come along as well. Even if she had hidden it well, returning to the city and leaving to visit a certain little girl had made her brighten up more than any moment they’d been on the road. “Also, I need an escort into the dungeon.”

  “Refilling your stores for the trip?” Vera asked.

  “Something like that.”

  “Well, it shouldn’t be any problem, I believe?” she said, getting a nod from Alin.

  “I can bring you down after dinner,” the Earth Mage promised. “For now, I have a herd of peers that I need to throw an extra bundle of assignments at.”

  With that, the meeting was over. Jack quickly left to join Sasha at the academy to see how Mila was doing. Elijah and Aleksi were destined to do the same, but first, there was a ring he had to bring into play.