Fireblood (Frostblood Saga #2)(87)
“But how could anyone know this?”
“Well, Pernillius devoted his life to recording the prophecies of Dru. She was—”
“A prophetess, I know. I understand enough. We need to destroy the throne with frostfire but keep the Minax trapped in a shard of the throne. And then what? A friend of mine in Tempesia found something that indicates a Minax can destroy another. Could I use the shard to kill the other Minax?”
“Only one who can master or control the Minax can use one against the other. What was the phrasing in the book?” He flipped a few pages and translated. “‘Only shadow can create shadow. Only shadow can move shadow. Only shadow can destroy shadow.’ It seems we cannot destroy the ‘shadow’ in the throne without the other one. The best option is to trap the Minax in the shard and remove it from the island completely.”
“And who is going to do that?”
“You, I hope. On the ship of your friend the king, if he is willing?”
I nodded. Arcus would surely agree once he knew that removing the curse from the queen’s island might be our best chance to prevent a war. If the queen was free of the Minax, she might change her position on Frostbloods. And I needed to take the shard back to Tempesia to destroy the frost Minax.
“We’ll need to get him back to his ship once the throne is destroyed,” I said. “I hear you know the tunnels well?”
“As well as the masters themselves.”
Some question lingered at the back of my mind. I turned the page to the illumination of frostfire destroying the throne, then stared, narrow-eyed, at Prince Eiko. “What a happy coincidence that the two people you needed to make frostfire ended up in Sudesia.”
“Not such a coincidence,” he admitted hesitantly. “I suspected you had royal blood after hearing that you melted the throne of Fors. You see, Pernillius believed only the gifts of two people of royal blood can make frostfire. When Nalani sent Prince Kai to recruit you, I suggested to him that if it turned out your situation in the Frost Court was unsafe, he should bring you here and I would smooth things over with the queen.”
“Lucky for you that I was in danger, then.”
“It wasn’t luck so much as probability. It was likely that you would be in danger. The Frost Court isn’t known for its acceptance of Firebloods. To put it mildly.”
“What about Arcus? The mysterious letter implying I was in danger?”
“I sent the letter to lure him here, instructing Kai to have it delivered before he left port and only if he was bringing you to Sudesia. He had no idea of the letter’s contents, so do not blame him. I gambled that you were the princess and, if so, I needed the king to come here so you could destroy the throne together. There was certainly no way Nalani would see past the Minax’s influence. She’d never agree to combine her fire with your king’s frost.”
“You lured him here to possible torture and death. Did you ever think about that?” I stared at him, the flames in my heart burning hotter.
He leaned in urgently. “I’ve done everything I could to protect him, as I have with you! I instructed the scouts to avoid the eastern edge of the island, creating false reports that it had already been searched. I assumed his ship was most likely to find a hiding place there. I’ve kept Nalani from questioning him until now. But you must understand, the risks to him were secondary to my goal. I did all this to protect my wife. I love her more than anything.”
This was too much. If what he was saying were true, it meant I did have royal blood, because Arcus and I had created frostfire when we’d melted the throne of Fors. If the book was right, I really was the queen’s niece. “You couldn’t just tell me all this from the beginning? You let me take the trials—risk my life—for nothing!”
“Not for nothing. Your training has made you stronger. And I needed the trials to reveal whether you were truly the princess.”
I pulled from his grasp and looked down at the book, forcing myself to take a moment to think. I hated being manipulated. I hated lies and subterfuge. He’d not only risked my life by letting me take the trials, he’d put Arcus in danger, too. My emotions were raw. My chest hurt, as if my very heart were bruised. I felt like a fool for not seeing through him.
I lifted my head and looked at Prince Eiko. He was watching me anxiously, one hand clutching an oval pendant that hung from his neck on a silver chain. As his thumb caressed the smooth ivory, I saw that it was a miniature of Queen Nalani, her distinctive features replicated with tiny, delicate brushstrokes. My heart gave a little squeeze. He wore an image of his wife around his neck. There was nothing deliberate about his nervous gesture, his hold on this small likeness that gave him comfort. It was clear that he truly did love her.
I let out a long sigh and asked myself one question: What wouldn’t I do to protect Arcus? I could hardly blame Prince Eiko for doing what I would have done in his shoes. Besides, we had a common goal. I needed the Minax to destroy the other one, and he needed to get rid of it.
“When?” I asked. Prince Eiko looked confused, so I added, “When do we melt the throne?”
He blinked and his lips curved in a tentative smile full of warmth and gratitude. “As soon as possible.”
“Arcus is being transferred to the prison tomorrow after the initiation. We don’t have much time.”