with him?”
“And the rest of her crew,” Esther said, glancing out the window again. “Although I thought they would be back by now. Nevis believed that ye might have gone to the Isle of Secrets with Maeve. He was quite determined to find you both.”
“Maeve did go there.”
“Really?” His mother narrowed her eyes. “Now that I think about it, this is all yer fault.”
“What?”
She nodded. “If ye came here more often and kept me informed, I would have known Maeve was there.”
Brody sighed. “I didn’t know she was there until I got there this afternoon. When I go back, I’ll find Nevis and tell him to bring Ellie back home.”
“Ye should come back, too. Ye’re twenty-five years old now. ’Tis time for you to assume yer royal duties.”
“Mother—”
“I know, I know.” She waved a dismissive hand. “Ye’re going to give me yer usual excuses, but no one here cares if ye have to be a dog most of the time.”
He scoffed. “A canine king?”
“Better than no king.” She gave him a pointed look.
“Actually . . .” He shifted his weight, wondering how much he should say.
“Ye have news?” His mother stepped toward him, her eyes growing wide. “Did ye find the witch who cursed you?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, praise the goddesses!” Esther clapped her hands together. “Then ye can make her lift the curse!”
“Hopefully.” Brody frowned. “But we can’t be sure how this will play out. Cahira is very powerful.”
His mother grew pale. “Is she the one who . . . ?”
Brody nodded. “She destroyed our ship.”
Esther pressed a hand to her chest. “Ye mean she . . . she murdered my husband.”
“Aye.”
Tears glistened in his mother’s eyes. “She murdered my son.”
“Aye. And all the crew.”
Esther drew in a shaky breath. “So at last we know.” She closed her eyes briefly, and Brody reached out to grab her arm, fearing she was going to faint. “Is the witch on the Isle of Secrets? Where Elinor is?”
“Aye. Cahira is the queen. That’s why it’s so dangerous for Elinor to be there. As soon as I get back, I’ll tell Nevis to bring Ellie home.”
“Good.” Esther squared her shoulders and lifted her chin. “I will notify the admiral immediately. He can have our navy ready to leave in two hours. We will capture this witch—”
“Mother, we can’t manage this on our own. Cahira can destroy ships, and she has the Embraced army there with their magical powers—”
“Then what can we do?” His mother gripped her hands together. “We must have justice!”
“The kings on the mainland also have magical powers. I know them well, and I’m positive they’ll want to help us. After all, Cahira is planning to use the Embraced army to take over all of Aerthlan, so my mainland friends have a stake in this. It’s much better for them to defeat Cahira on the Isle of Secrets, rather than risk a war in their own countries.”
Esther nodded slowly. “All right. I’ll have Captain Chapman ready his ship right away. It’s small and fast. With a good wind, he can make it to the mainland by morning.”
“Excellent. With a small ship, he should be able to sail up the Ebe River to Ebton Palace.” Brody strode over to his mother’s desk and sat down. “I’ll write down everything I know, then Captain Chapman can pass it on to King Leo.”
He located a blank sheet of paper and dipped a pen into the inkwell. As he wrote, he heard his mother giving instructions to her guard. He’d just started a second page when he heard her let out a long sigh. “What?” He glanced up at her.
She was watching him with tears in her eyes. “That is where ye belong. At yer father’s desk.”
Brody swallowed hard and resumed his writing. This was never supposed to have been his place. His elder brother should have been the next king. Eddy had always been so quick at his studies and so brave at sword practice.
A knock sounded at the door, and servants brought in two trays of food. While the ink dried on his report, Brody sat at the table to eat with his mother. But she was so nervous about Elinor and the upcoming events, she hardly ate.
She set down her knife and fork. “I’ve ordered the admiral to have our ships ready. Are ye sure the kings from the mainland will help us?”
“Aye, they will.” Brody cut off a piece of roast beef and stuffed it in his mouth. “The kings of Eberon and Tourin