Den and taking flight.
“May I come in?” Bragador said.
“Please,” Alexander said.
Bragador sat in the chair next to his bed and sighed. “She’s stubborn and headstrong. I fear we will not be able to persuade her to stay.”
“I’m starting to get that sense as well. What can we do?”
“Perhaps if she were allowed to spend more time with you prior to your departure, it would ease the pain of your leaving.”
“It could just make things worse, too,” Alexander said. “Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to spend more time with her, but I don’t want to do anything that’s going to hurt her.”
“Thank you for that, but I fear she’s going to suffer no matter what we do. I had hoped that keeping her busy during your stay would distract her enough for her feelings toward you to diminish. Clearly, that hasn’t worked, so I would give her this time with you.”
“She’s your daughter, I’ll do whatever you think best.”
Bragador nodded sadly and fell silent. Alexander left her to her thoughts, waiting patiently for her to continue. After a few moments, Bragador shook off her feelings and with a deep breath, composed herself.
“There are other matters we should discuss.”
Alexander nodded for her to continue.
“Tasia has returned from the ship that fished her out of the water after her battle with Aedan. Her account is much the same as yours.” She paused, holding Alexander with her gaze very deliberately for several moments. “Perhaps it’s time to consider more drastic measures.”
“What did you have in mind?”
“Tasia can return and sink the ship carrying the box you fear contains the final keystone.”
“Princess Lacy is aboard that ship,” Alexander said, shaking his head.
“If your fears are realized, Phane will have the means to enslave the entire Seven Isles. Worse, the shade is still in possession of Aedan. He will no doubt make his move the moment Phane is able to open the box. Either way, we lose.”
“I’m well aware of that, but I can’t sentence Lacy to death, I won’t. She’s innocent.”
“Forgive me Alexander, but there is more to my plan, and I know you will not accept it, but I fear it is the only way to protect the future.”
“What are you suggesting?”
“Sinking the ship will accomplish two important tasks. First, it will cast the final keystone into the depths of the ocean where it will never be found, and second it will kill Princess Lacy, forever preventing her from opening the box. Once the ship is destroyed, Tasia will go to Fellenden and kill Prince Torin, her brother. With the appointed bloodline extinguished, the keystone will remain forever out of reach and the world will be safe from the threat of the Nether Gate.”
Alexander schooled his breathing, his blood running like ice through his veins. He willed the look of horror from his face and slowly shook his head, steadily holding Bragador’s gaze.
“Your plan is sound, as far as it goes, but I beg you not to go through with it. Such action is a violation of everything I hold dear. Both Lacy and Torin are victims in all of this. We can’t kill them for an accident of their birth.”
“Your view of history is short and limited,” Bragador said. “I suppose that’s to be expected, given your age and probable lifespan, but the threat you’ve described, and that I’ve come to believe is very real, is so great that it literally threatens the entire future. Countless generations going forward will suffer or simply never exist if we fail. How can we not consider every option available to us? What are two lives when weighed against every single life that will ever come after this moment?”
“They’re exactly that, two lives, each precious beyond measure in their own right, but there’s more to this than just their lives. The Old Law is the key to creating a future worth having and it must have a champion. How can I stand for the Old Law if I’m willing to violate it in the most heinous way possible when circumstances become difficult?”
“What good will the Old Law do the future if there isn’t one? I realize this is a hard choice, Alexander, but sometimes leaders must make hard choices.”
Alexander looked down, slowly shaking his head, almost in denial, as a tear slipped down his cheek. “Please don’t do this, Bragador. Please, let me find another way,” he whispered.
“And if you fail?”
He looked up at her, his face set in a mask of misery and anguish as