“She is not what we need to deal with at this time,” yelled the king. “Why did you invite her to the palace?”
“I didn’t invite her,” answered the queen. “She just arrived. Kanis is like that. She only shows up when you don’t want her to.”
“Well tell her to leave,” scowled Avalar.
“I can’t do that,” retorted Alycia. “She is my sister after all. She claims that I refused to see her years ago when she visited. I cannot now tell her to leave.”
“That refusal was probably the work of Karaza,” replied the king. “It was perhaps the only sane thing that mage ever did.”
“It probably was Karaza,” conceded Alycia, “but she will still think that I refused her entry. If I tell her to leave now, she will surely believe that I hate her. I don’t want her to feel that way.”
“Then I will tell her to leave,” stormed the king. “I don’t care if she hates me. I do not want to have to deal with her with everything else that is going on right now.”
“Why let her bother you at all,” sighed the queen. “She is living lower down the tree. You will never run into her. Forget that she is here, and concentrate on winning support for the war. How is the council leaning today?”
“You are trying to change the subject,” replied the king.
“Yes, I am,” the queen said with a hint of humor. “Still, I do want to know how the council sits on this issue.”
“They vacillate,” sighed Avalar as his voice lowered to a normal speaking tone. “The citizens’ demonstrations are not helping any. Just when I think I have won a few converts, the demonstrations sway them back to an undecided position.”
“Who is behind the demonstrations?” asked the queen.
“I wish that I could find out,” replied Avalar. “I am sure that if the demonstrations stopped, the council would support the war.”
“I have never seen you in a dither like this before,” commented Alycia. “You always were calm and purposeful before. Why is this time any different?”
“Because I feel like we are running out of time,” admitted the king. “My opponents will win not only if I lose the council vote, but also if they can delay the vote long enough for Vand to attack the humans. We will need time to get our armies in place before Vand strikes. If we are too late, we might as well stay home and prepare to defend Elvangar.”
“You could force the council to vote,” suggested Queen Alycia.
“I could,” agreed the king, “but I will not leave their vote to chance. Too much is at stake. Besides, I have not gotten the ships ready yet. We don’t have enough ships to get our armies to the battle.”
“Use human ships,” shrugged the queen.
Avalar stopped pacing and stared at the queen. Slowly his face split into a large grin. He crossed the room and hugged Alycia and then kissed her.
“Of course!” exclaimed the elven king. “Why didn’t I think of that? There were quite a few ships in Angragar, and I understand that the Torak has a fleet of his own.”
“That will require human seamen to sail through the gates of Elvangar,” warned the queen. “Maybe that is not such a great idea after all. It might harden the council against this war.”
“It might,” conceded the king, “or might show them that the humans already know where Elvangar is and have no plans for its conquest.”
“Or you could sail for Angragar with a shipload of seamen to pilot the human ships back here and then load your armies,” suggested the queen.
“That would also work,” nodded Avalar. “I must make contact with Emperor Marak. His advice would be most welcome on this subject.”
“Who will herd the council while you are gone?” asked Queen Alycia.
King Avalar released his wife and walked to the railing. He gazed down upon the city of Morada in silence. Finally, he turned and faced the queen.
“I must talk with our daughters,” the king stated. “Have they returned from their lessons today?”
“I have not seen them,” answered the queen. “Shall I go look for them?”
“No,” Avalar responded. “I will go myself.”
Princess Alahara and Princess Alastasia did not want to get caught snooping on their parents. They immediately turned around and sped silently away from the throne room. When Avalar finally found them, they were sitting casually in Alahara’s room talking. They looked up in surprise as their father entered.
Chapter 9
Spies
King Avalar entered the chambers of Princess Alahara. The two princesses were sitting on the floor in a meditative state. The king closed the door and walked to the bed. He sat down and gazed adoringly at his two precious daughters.
“Father!” exclaimed Princess Alastasia, as if just coming out of a mediation trance. “How nice of you to stop by.”
Avalar merely smiled.
“You do not often come by to just stare at us, Father,” stated Princess Alahara. “Is there something on your mind?”
“There is,” replied the king, as if lost in his own thoughts. “I need to speak with the Torak. I understand that the Khadorans have a spell that allows this. Is that true?”
“It is true, “ answered Alahara. “It is called an air tunnel.”
“Will you create one for me?” asked Avalar.
“Alahara didn’t say that we knew the spell,” frowned Alastasia as she gently laid her hand on her sister’s arm to halt any verbal response. “You assume a great deal.”
“I assume little,” grinned the king. “You girls think as I do. Curiosity is at the core of your being. There is no possibility of you not knowing how to cast the spell. Do you not trust me?”
“We trust you with our lives,” Alahara answered quickly.
“But that does not mean that we won’t test you to understand you better,” chuckled Alastasia. “Are you planning a trip to Angragar? Alahara and I would like to go with you if you go.”
“I should be going to Angragar with armies of elven archers,” frowned the king, “but I fear that the people are not behind me on this. I need to let the Torak know of my difficulties. He must be aware that our arrival may be later than expected.”
“You do not sound as though there is any doubt about the elves joining in the war,” stated Alahara. “Is it wise to promise the Torak that our armies are coming if you are unsure?”
“I am not unsure,” countered the king. “The elves will join the Torak in this war, whether the people want to or not, but I will take the extra time needed to sway their opinions. They must understand that we have no choice.”
“Or you will lose your throne,” Alastasia nodded sadly. “Will the army refuse to march if the people don’t want this war?”
“Some of them might,” Avalar nodded, “but most of them will follow me. I should not trouble the two of you with such thoughts. You need to concentrate on your lessons. You will rule Elvangar one day. You must be ready to accept that responsibility.”
“Not trouble us with such thoughts?” echoed Princess Alahara. “How can you say that we need to be prepared to lead our people one minute, and that we should study magic the next? If you truly want us prepared to rule, then you need to start preparing us.”
“Alahara is right,” interjected Princess Alastasia. “We are not without talents of our own. Why are we not involved in your plans to prepare Elvangar for war? You do not confide in us when you should.”
King Avalar stared at the princesses for a long silent moment. His brow creased as if weighing some weighty decision. Finally, he smiled and nodded.
“You are correct,” Avalar said. “I have been treating you as if you were small children, yet it was the two of you who rescued me from the Island of Darkness. I guess that I have been trying too hard to protect you, but that is not the wisest path. You have both shown great intelligence, and you know how to handle danger properly. I must have more faith in you.”
“So you will tell us all that is bothering you?” prompted Princess Alahara, hoping to learn more about Aunt Kanis and why her father was at odds with her.