Golden Acolytes, I realize. What are they doing here? Though the Queen’s Reach Monastery operates close to Florendel, it has never been involved in the rule of Spring.
One of the acolytes catches my eye, a fae woman with short dark hair and startingly blue eyes. She’s staring straight at me. A soft smile graces her lips. I look away. Something about the disciples has always freaked me out.
Two knights standing on either side of the throne give me pause. The position establishes them as princeguard, but they’re helmeted like the royal family of Spring. And their armor is warlike instead of the usual ceremonial style that is tradition, one a shining amber, the other a deep turquoise.
Ezryn plants his feet before the throne. His voice is steady but loud: “Everyone except my brother. Out. Now.”
Immediately, the staff shuffle out the front and back doors, but the acolytes stay where they are. Kairyn says nothing, only tipping his head in a way that is both mockery and a challenge. There have been so many times throughout the years I wanted to punch him straight in that ugly owl helm, and I have a feeling I might get the chance.
But I hang back, letting Ezryn handle this his way.
When the acolytes still refuse to move, Ezryn’s voice deepens. “I said everyone.”
“Come on.” Rosalina tugs on my sleeve. “Everyone includes us.”
I look around at my crew. “Rosie, trust me on this. Ez might need us.”
“We must obey His Highness’s wishes,” Eldy says, as uptight as I remember him. “Chop, chop, we can wait for him outside.”
“Abandoning the Prince again, Eldor?” Marigold snaps. “Follow me.” She waves us toward the back exit of the throne room. As soon as we step outside, she yanks my arm and directs me to the wall.
A worried expression crosses Eldy’s face. “Marigold! This is highly uncalled for!”
“And so is letting that banished prince call himself steward. I’ve been watching over Ezryn and Kairyn since they were boys. I will not stop now.” Her eyes blaze as she taps a particular pattern on the wall. Suddenly, a lump of stone spits out a door knob.
She opens it and ushers us inside. The five of us are now crammed in a small room no bigger than a closet. But…
The far wall shimmers with translucent light. An enchantment lets us see and hear into the throne room. On the floor, there is a wooden hatch.
“Where does that go?” I ask.
“It’s an escape route out of the castle. This space is only to be used by the royal family for security reasons,” Eldy hisses.
“This is for security reasons,” Marigold snarls back. “Who knows what that mad boy will do to Ezryn? We might have to send the muscle after him.” She claps my bicep, lingering for a moment. I give it a pulse for her, and she thanks me with a wink.
Rosalina barely seems to be listening to us. She’s drifted right to the translucent wall, long fingers running along the shimmering line. “Is Kairyn dangerous?”
Eldy, Marigold, and I exchange a look.
“Not dangerous exactly,” I murmur. “Just unpredictable.”
“I will tell you only once more.” Ezryn’s voice filters through the enchanted wall. We’re positioned to the side of the throne, and Ezryn’s body is as still as ever. “Everyone but my brother, out.”
A female voice resonates: “With all due respect, High Prince, we are the Golden Acolytes. We answer only to the Queen herself, and in her absence, the High Clerics. Of which Prince Kairyn is one. And you are not.”
It’s the fae woman with the blue eyes who spoke.
Ezryn’s only tell is the slight tilt of his helm. “So be it. Let your followers listen then, brother. High Cleric you may have named yourself, but you have no dominion over my realm. You are not steward. Remove yourself from my throne and return to the monastery. Your banishment is not absolved.”
Kairyn tears up from the throne. Seven realms, he’s gotten big since the last time I saw him. His shadow covers Ezryn in darkness. “You can’t do this. I have saved Spring! I deserve to be named steward!”
For a second, I think Ezryn’s going to scream back at him. But he stays still. “Thalionor is steward. While he recovers and I appoint a new steward, I will retake command of Spring. See yourself back to Queen’s Reach or I will have you escorted there.” His voice lowers to a gruff whisper. “Do not test me, brother.”
Kairyn doesn’t move. His heavy breathing reverberates from beneath the helm. “I have quelled the goblin raids. I have rid the Queen’s Reach Monastery of corruption. I have brought peace to Spring!”