Fires of War (War and Deceit #4) - Erin O'Kane Page 0,69

would accept it if I was to speak with them.

It’s the high elves I’m not sure of. Or more specifically, Eldrin. He was captured and tortured for years by the humans. He’s never gone into details, but I’m sure the magicians were involved, if his hatred for them is anything to go by. Would he think I was betraying him if I was to accept the magicians’ help?

Feeling a headache coming on, I shut my eyes and rub my temples, sighing deeply. I’ll need to go back and speak with the others, which I know isn’t going to go down well. Another major issue comes to mind. The mages split from the king because of his treatment of his people. I know they want to change how the city is run, but that’s not what this fight is about, and they need to understand why we are all here.

“I’m not going to war against the king,” I clarify, lowering my hands as I meet his eyes. “The elf queen is my enemy, do they know that?”

Grayson nods, reaching for his shirt as he starts to get dressed. “We’ve seen the evil the queen is capable of, it’s spreading across the land.” He shakes his head, his face paling, and I realise he must have seen some of that darkness on his travels. “The Mother came to us, she told us to trust in you, that you will guide us.” This surprises me, although I don’t know why I’m so shocked. She appeared to Grayson in a vision when he first saved me, so it makes sense that she would appear to him again.

“We know the elf queen needs to die,” Grayson continues, snapping my attention back from the past. “If we have to work alongside elves in the process, then so be it.” Relief fills me, but I get the feeling he’s trying to decide whether to tell me something or not. I stay silent, watching him dress until he just sighs and meets my gaze. “The other high mages will try to convince you to help us once all this is over though.”

He doesn’t specify what help the high mages want, he doesn’t need to, I know already—the king. Frowning, I make a noncommittal hum and pull my clothes on, knowing the time for cuddling is over. My feelings about the king are too complicated to think about now, especially when we’ve got a war looming on the horizon.

“Do the other mages agree with this?” I ask. Grayson might have decided to trust me when it comes to the elves. I can even believe that a few of the magicians will have strong enough faith in the Mother to put aside their hatred and work alongside their enemy. However, what I struggle to believe is that they all came to this agreement. Who is going to keep them all in check?

That tightness in his jaw is back, so I know I’ve touched on a difficult subject. “The high mages came to an agreement.” The way he says it makes it sound like it wasn’t an easy or unanimous decision. He falls silent as he buckles his trousers, but as he reaches for his boots, he sighs and looks up at me. “They’re here to talk with you.”

I nod my head slowly. I half expected him to tell me this, after all, there were only two real options next—he was either going to ask me to go to the guild, or tell me the guild was here to see me. Seeing as they are propositioning me, I suppose it makes sense they came to me. This whole situation is crazy, my mind protests, part of me wondering how I’m so calm about this. “This isn’t just my decision, I don’t dictate,” I inform him as I finish dressing, working out the logistics of how we’re going to manage this meeting without everyone killing each other. “We need to speak with the elves and the high chief of the tribes.”

“There’s something else.” It’s his tone that alerts me to the fact that something is wrong. Before he just sounded wary, like he wasn’t sure how I was going to take his news, but now, something has changed. That sense of dread returns as I take in his serious expression and the apology in his eyes. “We have a message for you.”

“A message?” Confusion and fear fill me, who could be sending me a message, especially one that would cause this reaction