The King studied Grace for a long moment. She could see his intelligence. He was not a stupid man. She had no doubts he considered simply killing her. Removing all witnesses. Except she knew that would not be easy for him. It's almost impossible to kill an assassin with another assassin. Especially when the assassin is alerted to it. Grace was very much alerted to the possibility.

Plus, my mother would know. He would be dead within a week.

When the King still had not responded, Grace spoke again. "You have to have a target. A use for it. I would like to know the danger. It poses a very real and present danger to the world. A grown phoenix is a threat to the Realm and everywhere."

The King sighed. "Yes, Grace, I'm fully aware of the danger it represents. I too heard of problems down south in the Fae lands. All attempts to investigate the matter have failed, other than confirming there was a rebirth of a phoenix. I have closed the southern border and put plans in motion to secure the egg. I now have it and only I can assure it remains safe by locking the damn thing away. I will not risk my subjects or my realm. Since humans landed on this continent, we have scrabbled and died to gain the land we own. This egg is far too powerful for the world. I can only rest easy knowing I have it safe. I can trust no others. Surely you understand that?"

Grace watched both men for a time, looking for anything to give lie to his words. Eventually, she nodded. “Fair enough. Thank you for taking care of that spell caster and the hedge witches. They are important. Glenda will see it, too. Thank you." She rose and Looked back before exiting the study. "Your Highness."

*

Grace finished her tale and looked to Jason and Brian for their reaction. They were deep in thought.

“You think the King had something to do with Eric's death, don't you?" asked Jason into the growing silence.

"I do. Quinten knew about the tree killing Eric. The King knew and so did Sylvan. I never spoke of it to anyone. Yet they all know.

Eric was our companion. We owe it to him to discover what happened to him. He was killed by a fucking tree, Brian. A top-notch spell caster from a long Line of spell casters. Killed by a tree.

"There's more, and this is vastly more important. I travelled down south. Pulled my princess card and crossed the blockade the King has up at his southern border to the Fae. I went to Yanwey..."

Grace looked aside and blinked away the sting in her eyes.

“Yanwey is gone. Completely obliterated. Nothing but a crater. The male Phoenix was struck down. He transformed in the middle of a city.”

Both Brian and Jason gasped in horror. "No!"

"At the centre of the destruction, I found the empty impression of an egg in the obsidian. The egg was gone, and I believe it was found by Eric. He left there and headed directly back to Acron. He was killed there, and Daniel discovered him and recovered the egg. And I handed it to the King, fulfilling our oath. Knowing what I know now, I should have broken my oath and returned it to the Wilds."

Brian laid a hand on her arm. "No, lass. That would ‘ave killed ye.

Tore your very soul asunder. Ye had no choice. None of us did. We are all guilty. Complicit."

Jason nodded his head. "Grace, I'm so sorry. You had many friends in Yanwey. Such loss."

Grace nodded her head, feeling the sting in her eyes again. "There's more. It was King Arbuckle who sent Daniel's parents into the Wilds to locate and recover the egg. They were successful. My mother has confirmed it. Then the egg disappeared, only to show up in Yanwey.

This is far too much coincidence.

"Jennifer was heading to Yanwey, Brian. Syn is involved. More involved than during the witch war, I think. Troubled times are approaching. The fae gather their armies in the south, far earlier than we should. They will clash as always. All the fae together for war. And during a time when we have a missing male Phoenix and the fucking female egg sitting in Whitehaven. The amount of destruction that is poised to be unleashed has never been higher.

“I haven't had a vision in weeks. My last one was Daniel, standing before the Night and Light Fae, about to unleash incredible power.

That future needs to happen, and I don't know why. I'm very frightened, guys. Very frightened."

Ten...