Then she said, “Under extraordinary circumstances, the High Council may approve of handing the reins of power to a sovereign who is still underage. These are certainly extraordinary circumstances, and I have no doubt that a unanimous approval will be forthcoming. Have you given some thought, Your Highness, to how best to proceed?”
Titus glanced at Fairfax—they had been talking about it before the other three arrived in the dining room. She nodded. He exhaled. “The Bane had long cut down anyone who might emerge as a threat to him. There is no one waiting to succeed him on Atlantis. It seems to me that the Domain must step in and play a large role in the near future, perhaps in the running of Atlantis itself.
“To do that, we will need, to some degree at least, the consent of the people of Atlantis. I propose that I take responsibility for what happened and provide a detailed narrative of the Bane’s many secrets. It will come as a traumatic shock to most Atlanteans, but truth is the only remedy in a situation like this.”
“I believe Mrs. Hancock has left behind an account of her story—and the evidence she had gathered—in a safety-deposit box with the Bank of England,” said Kashkari. “She was an Atlantean who had lost a sister to the Bane’s practice of sacrificial magic—her words will carry significant weight.”
“Lady Wintervale’s words will also carry a great deal of weight,” added Dalbert.
“Is she all right?” exclaimed Fairfax.
“She is well enough—she was held at the Inquisitory in Delamer. I have spoken to her, and she is more than willing to let the world know what the Bane did to her son.”
“Here comes the more difficult part,” said Titus. “The Bane had many loyalists who benefited greatly from their association with him. And there are Atlanteans who will feel resentful at their realm’s loss of power and prestige. At the intersection of those two groups we may expect to find mages who will be determined to ignore the truth, no matter how well documented. And they will wish to seek vengeance for what they consider an assassination.
“Mrs. Hancock is no more—and she left behind no living family. Lady Wintervale has no one to worry about except herself. What about you, Kashkari, are you prepared to take credit for having killed the Bane?”
Kashkari was silent for a minute. “I know I have done it, and that’s quite enough for me. I’m not willing to endanger my family to be known publicly as the one who accomplished the deed. Fortunately, my contribution in the matter can be obscured easily enough, but Fairfax . . .” He turned toward her. “Your role cannot be covered up.”
“No, indeed,” said Commander Rainstone. “The part of the great elemental mage will have to be told.”
Fairfax frowned.
“Your Highness can extend the protection of the crown to Miss Seabourne,” suggested Dalbert.
Fairfax blinked. “But that would require us to marry, wouldn’t it? We are not even of age.”
Becoming a princess consort, with all its commitments and obligations, was not what Titus wanted for her either. Not now, at least, not when she was at last on the cusp of achieving her dream of attending the Conservatory.
“If I may, I believe I have foreseen the solution,” said Kashkari.
All eyes turned to him.
“Do you remember, Fairfax, when we were on Atlantis, and I thought I had dreamed of your funeral?”
Fairfax nodded.
“You told me then it took place before the great Angelic Cathedral of Delamer, where only state funerals are held.” Kashkari looked around the table. “Since my sister-in-law passed away in Fairfax’s form, why not hold a state funeral for her? The Bane’s loyalists will not hunt for Fairfax if they believe her already dead.”
“That’s an ingenious idea,” said Dalbert. “No one besides those in this room knows that Miss Seabourne returned from Atlantis, and we will happily hold that secret.”
Iolanthe laid her hand on Kashkari’s arm. “Are you sure?”
He smiled a little. “I will need to consult my brother, of course. But in the main, I believe Amara would have been tickled to have such a grand send-off.”
Kashkari left to write to his brother. Dalbert departed on his many and often mysterious tasks. But Commander Rainstone remained at the table.
“If you don’t mind me asking, Your Highness, Miss Seabourne, what happened to Master Horatio Haywood and Miss Aramia Tiberius?”
“Master Haywood died defending us with a last-mage-standing spell. Miss Tiberius is currently with Atlantean authorities, I believe—she betrayed us.”
Commander Rainstone sucked in a breath.