‘I stood slow, and a hush fell on that hall.
‘“To Prioress Charlotte,” I said. “To Keeper Logan. To Michelle and Micah and Tally, to Robert and Demi and Nicolette and all those who marched there, but did not march back again. To Aaron de Coste and Baptiste Sa-Ismael.” I raised my goblet and looked among the gathering. “To the courageous dead. And to brothers lost.”
‘A shadow fell over the hall then. But Greyhand stood and called “Santé!”， and soon all took up the shout. And we drank then, because we were alive and we were breathing, and even in darkest nights, that can be cause enough for triumph. The fare was fine, and the smiles were broad, and the peace I knew was complete. But after an hour or so, a hush fell over our number, and I turned to find four men in the Emperor’s livery behind me, a stout Sūdhaemi man with a craggy, battle-scarred face at the fore.
‘“Her Imperial Majesty demands your presence, Chevalier.”
‘To hear that title truly brought it home to me – what I was now and what I’d done. We marched to the Great Library, and I saw maids-at-arms on the door. Walking inside, I found the entire hall lined with soldiers, wooden figures scattered on the great map at their feet. Abbot Khalid and Seraph Talon were already waiting, Forgemaster Argyle and my old master Greyhand too. But my attention was drawn to the woman at the end of the room.
‘“Well met, Chevalier,” Empress Isabella smiled. “Our congratulations upon your ascension. We and our realm entire owe you a debt.”
‘I dropped to my knee, bowed my head to stop it spinning. I wondered what my mama and Celene might have thought of me then, to see me knighted before the Empress. My chest ached at their loss. But I knew they’d be smiling upon me from heaven’s shore, Amélie beside them. That they’d have been proud of me.
‘“You honour me, Majesty.”
‘“We do. But it is honour earned.” Isabella toyed with a silver ring on her finger. “De León. Lion in old Nordish. The goodly abbot informs us it was your mother’s name?”
‘I looked down to the signet ring my mama had given me – those lions flanking those crossed blades. “If it please Your Majesty, I did not know the monster who was my father. And my mother …” I sighed. “She never had the chance to tell me of him. But she told me the blood of lions flowed in my veins. To never forget it, no matter what else might come.”
‘“She sounds quite a woman.”
‘“… She was, Majesty.”
‘“You have our sympathies, Chevalier. But rise now, we pray you. We would hear of the Battle of the Twins from your own lips. How is it you unearthed the Forever King’s plan when all other eyes were blind to it?”
‘I looked to Khalid, uncertain, but he only nodded. And so, I spoke of all that had happened from the moment I discovered Laure’s hidden message. I left out Chloe and Astrid, of course, but told all else – the blood missive, our desperate ride from San Michon, the Wraith in Red, and the vow of the Forever King, ringing in my skull like funeral bells.
‘The Empress stood mute the entire time, and again, I was struck by how young she was. Isabella was a woman but in her mid-twenties, and yet she sat upon the throne of an empire. Her capitaines and aides-de-camp watched me like hawks, and I was conscious of the weight in the air, the scrutiny upon my every word. I felt a small fish then, in a great dark water. And in the end, Isabella turned to the Sūdhaemi man beside her.
‘“How is it de Fronsac did not know of this gambit, Nassar? What does our general in Avinbourg do all day, we wonder? How is it Capitaine Belmont and his scouts could not tell us the direction an army of ten thousand corpses marched until it was too late?”
‘“I fear I do not know, Majesty,” the man confessed.
‘“No? It seems there is much our commanders do not know, despite its being their business to do so. And were it not for the insight of a sixteen-year-old boy, Nordlund would already be overrun. How much of our empire is already thralled to these monsters? How much of our army? How many in our court?”
‘I glanced to Abbot Khalid, but his eyes told me to hold my tongue. I began to get an inkling of what was happening here. Looking more carefully at the figures on the map at our feet, I saw wooden wolves on the coast of Sūdhaem, wooden bears in the Ossway. A scattering of wooden roses inland. And my stomach sank as I realized what I was seeing.
‘“The other bloodlines have begun to strike.”
‘“De León, you will speak when spoken to!” Talon snapped.
‘“All is well, good Seraph,” the Empress said. “Were it not for the quick thinking of our young paleblood here, Fabién Voss would be marching on our capital.” She inclined her head to me. “It is true, Chevalier. Dyvok, Ilon, Chastain – all are on the move. The bloodlords of those dread lines fear being left behind if Fabién Voss stakes too deep a claim. So now, our enemies come at us not on one front, but four. And we know not whom we can trust.” Her eyes fixed me to the floor. “But it is not for naught we have named you our sword, Gabriel de León. And we shall call upon you soon to stand in defence of our empire.”
‘I kept silent then. I’d no inkling of the factions at court, the politics in play. I looked to the Empress, and beyond the beautiful dress and painted lips, I saw an iron fist in a silken glove. Astrid and her mother had been swept aside like deadwood in this woman’s path, and a part of me hated her for that. But it was not Alexandre III, Emperor of Elidaen and Protector of God’s Holy Church who’d ridden to Avinbourg’s defence.
‘“Merci for your testimony, Little Lion,” Khalid said. “Leave us now.”
‘“Little Lion?” Isabella asked, one eyebrow rising.
‘“So we call him, Majesty,” Talon replied. “A nickname, from when he arrived.”
‘Isabella looked me up and down, lips curling in a careful smile. “Not so little any more, we think.” She nodded to the seraph, then back to me. “We are pleased. You may go, and with our heartfelt thanks, Chevalier. May the Almighty bless and keep you.”
‘“Majesty, if it please … might I beg a favour?”
‘“Impertinent wretch!” Talon blustered. “Silence your tongue, de León, before—”
‘The seraph’s tirade was halted as Isabella raised a gentle hand. Instead of being offended, she actually seemed … entertained. “Little Lion indeed. Yet most would hold we have shown you favour enough?”
‘“I beg it not for me, Majesty.”
‘“Ah. Charity. A respectable trait for a true knight of our empire. Speak, then, Chevalier. Let us see your selflessness rewarded.”
‘I opened my mouth, but looking to Khalid, to Talon and Greyhand, I found no words would come. To beg this favour put me in peril, but I feared for others besides myself. Empress Isabella watched me carefully, eyes like knives.
‘“Leave us,” she commanded, glancing around the room.
‘I saw the Brothers look to each other, uncertain. And yet they obeyed, silversaints and soldiers, courtiers and handmaids marching out into the brittle night air. But as they left, I felt a touch upon my mind. So cotton-soft as to be almost unnoticeable. So silver-swift as to be almost imperceptible.