"It had to be Miranda."
"No, Miranda is Keritanima's puppet, your Majesty," he said calmly. "Miranda capitulated to Keritanima immediately before the attack, and it was clear that it was Keritanima doing the leading. Everything we have contributed to Miranda in the past actually came from Keritanima. She has used Miranda as a front to hide her own secrets, and it seems that Miranda was going along with it. I don't doubt that Miranda is good, but it's only because Keritanima trained her."
"I can't belive any of this," Damon Eram said hotly. "Keritanima is a half-witted little brat. She couldn't possibly do anything you've just said."
"Well, I think Keritanima felt that you'd feel that way, so she left me a letter. It just arrived about an hour ago, and it specifically demands that I'm to read it to you."
"Well? What does it say?"
Jervis unfolded the letter from where had put it in his pocket, then cleared his throat. "Dear Jervis," he began, giving Damon Eram a quick glance. "If you're reading this, then you're standing in front of the mirror talking with my father, just wondering what in the nine hells is going on. No doubt my father is very angry, and he can't believe a word of anything you just said." He looked up at Damon Eram's image. "Well, the truth of things it that I've beaten all of you. I survived my family's attempt to get rid of me, I survived the noble's desires to see Jenawalani on the throne, and I survived you, father. I've beaten you all, and now I'm free of you.
"So consider this a goodbye. I never thought it would thrill me so much to say that, but it does. I've worked for years to get to this point, where I could walk away from my family and never have to look back over my shoulder. And it's all because I left behind a kingdom that doesn't care if I come back or not. They don't want the Brat, they want that brutal little bitch Jenawalani. Well, I'm tired of dodging daggers thrown by her men, so I'm leaving. I've dotted my i's and crossed my t's, and made sure that nobody in Wikuna would be very happy if I ever returned to the Palace. I've undercut your position, father dearest. In just a few short days, you're going to find most of your trusted nobles and advisors dead. You'll be too busy protecting yourself from your enemies to worry about me."
"That little bitch!" Damon Eram suddenly exploded. "She did this?"
"Did what, your Majesty?"
"Jervis, there was a large round of assassinations last night. Alot of my best men are dead, and it's caused chaos in the administration. I'm still trying to get things under control."
"Well, I dare say that should prove to you that I'm not joking," he said mildly, then he continued to read. "Consider this an abdication of my title. Actually, consider it a resignation from the family. I don't want anything to do with any of you, so just leave me alone. I have a new life now, with people who love me, and what I have there could never compare to it. I know how happy this makes you, father. Now you don't have to worry about me anymore. Now you'll be able to play your games of intrigue without having to worry about who takes the throne when someone finally gets you. I'm sick of it, I'm sick of Wikuna, and I'm sick of all of you.
"I loved you, father. I really did. I loved you until you tried to have me killed. Now I want nothing more of you, and if we ever stand face to face again, I'm going to kill you. Remember that if you send people to try to find me. I am what you made me, and that means you know that I mean it. Goodbye father. I hope I never see you again.
"That's it, your Majesty," Jervis said.
"I can't believe it!" Damon Eram raged. "Keritanima did all of this! And I never suspected her capable of it!"
"She's fooled a great many people, your Majesty," Jervis said.
"Find her, Jervis!" Damon Eram snapped in fury. "I want her standing in front of me before the summer solstice! She's not getting away with this!"
"Is that wise, Majesty?" Jervis asked. "She's already demonstrated how dangerous she can be. I don't think chasing her would be the best thing. She has cut her ties. It is best if you just let her go."
"Oh, no," he said in a seething fury. "She's coming back and she's going to answer for this. And she is not abdicating her position," he hissed. "If she doesn't want to be Queen, then she's going to have to cut her own throat."
"That is a strange position to take, Majesty."
"No, it's not," he fumed. "If she's good enough to do all of this, then she's obviously good enough to be Queen. I'll want to kill her when I get her back here, but I have to have a competent successor for the Eram line to hold the throne. This qualifies her."
"She is hated among the nobility, Majesty. There will be friction."
"Not after everyone who opposes her is too terrified to gainsay it," Damon Eram said grimly. "Find her, Jervis. I don't care what it takes. You have my entire fleet at your disposal. I want her back in the Palace by summer."
"It will be done, Majesty," Jervis said calmly.
The mirror winked out, leaving Jervis with his thoughts. It was a mistake. Keritanima was good, and that made her dangerous. If Damon Eram took her back to Wikuna, he would have more than he bargained for.
With luck, she would kill him and take the throne. If she was leaving because she found love, then that meant that she wasn't as heartless as the other Erams. Maybe she could restore the dignity of the throne.
But he had orders, and a duty to perform. He would find Princess Keritanima-Chan Eram, whether she liked it or not. And the letter was the only clue he needed. She would have been almost impossible to find if she left alone. But a Wikuni travelling with a Were-cat and a Selani were very distinctive, and that would lead him right to her.
They were the only ones with whom she had enough contact at the Tower to form any bonds of love. And she had exposed her secret to rescue the Were-cat. If that wasn't an act of love, Jervis didn't know what was.
Though it was winter, the Grove of Talbon the Druid was a vibrant, lush place, full of bloom and life, sustained by his natural magical powers. Most Druids had such groves, for it was a direct link to their powers of the land, their magic of nature, and it enhanced their magical abilities. Nestled in what many called the Frontier, the vast forest separating Sulasia from Arkis, it stood as a rallying point for many of the woodland kin who laired nearby. The Fae-da'Nar respected Talbon, and his gentle nature and calm smiles made many of them feel at ease. He was relatively new to the Frontier, having been at his grove for only twenty years, but in that short time his grove had become a meeting place for many of the woodland folk, and many of them sought out Talbon for his wisdom and healing. Just as a priest was the caretaker of his flock of believers, a Druid was the caretaker of the beings of Fae-da'Nar, providing for their needs and making them feel more comfortable. Because they were beings of nature, tied to the land, Druids did not mind this duty at all. After all, when a Druid needed help, they were magically compelled to come to his aid. It was always best for the Druids to ease that compulsion by being friends with the beings they summoned, so as not to create friction. Talbon was especially liked among the humans who came to the Frontier, be them Druids, wanderers, hermits, or lone hunters, because he was a very personable and considerate fellow, and he was handsome. Many female Were-kin had secretly considered turning him Were just to have him, but such an act would be a terrible transgression against the laws by which they lived. Talbon radiated calm and assurance, and it echoed through his grove to soothe all who came to visit him.