Chapter Six

WE TURNED TO THE ENTRANCE where a tall man stood with his shoulders back and his hands behind him. His dark hair was slicked back, matching the pristine condition of the silver armor he wore. Even from this distance, I could see the harsh planes of his pale face, the stubble lining his square jaw, and the void in his gray eyes.

"General Blackwood," Dallas said, sitting up a hair straighter. "We weren't expecting you yet."

"Clearly." His sharp eyes snapped over to Dallas.

Tension seeped into every corner of the room, becoming almost tangible. I didn't know who this man was, but he was obviously important. Wanting to make a good impression, I swallowed past the lump in my throat and gestured at an open seat by Ardley. "Would you like to sit? There's plenty of food if you're hungry."

He bowed. "Thank you, Your Highness. A hot tea would suffice for now." He nodded at one of the wait staff, who quickly swept out of the room to gather General Blackwood's order.

The general strode into the room, and I wasn't sure what to make of the situation when he chose the chair opposite mine at the other end of the table. I could've just been on edge, but it almost felt like a challenge. Especially since his dark eyes never left mine as he sank into the seat.

This table looked like it could seat fourty or so people comfortably. I'd offered the chair by Ardley so that the general could be close to the group, yet he chose the farthest chair away. That distance stretched like a vast ocean. I almost sensed that Blackwood wanted to separate himself from the rest of us. Like we were guests in his home.

"It's been quite some time, Your Highness," Blackwood started. He reached for the steaming cup of tea that a server had just placed in front of him. "I haven't seen you since you were a baby."

Trying to recover from the odd feeling swimming in my gut, I smiled politely. "That is a long time. Far too long for me to recognize you, obviously. What was your name again?"

"Forgive me. I forgot to introduce myself. I'm General Angus Blackwood, second in command in the Water Fae army and a member of the Council of Doctrina."

"He's my go-to general," Imani explained, tipping her bald head in his direction. Imani was the head of the army, and she was also part of my personal security team. "He's an extremely skilled and strategic leader, but he could also learn to not be so serious. I'm sure you'll notice he's all business all the time."

Angus cracked a smile, one that didn't quite seem to reach his eyes. "I'm working on it."

I finished off a strawberry and said, "Well, I'm glad to see you were able to join us for breakfast. I'm eager to meet everyone and start learning all there is to know."

"Speaking of that," Angus started. "Have you already sent the call out for Water Fae?"

I paused, unsure of what exactly that meant, but before I could respond, Dallas answered for me. "She hasn't. We haven't explained all of that to her yet."

Angus's brow furrowed. "I see. What have you explained to her?"

A muscle in Dallas's jaw ticked, and I noticed Rance reach over beneath the table to squeeze her thigh. "She's only known who she is for a week, sir. There hasn't been a lot of time to explain all the ins and outs. That training picks up today."

"The first thing we have planned, General Blackwood," Jesiah started, "Is the call of the Water Fae." Jesiah turned to me and explained, "We need to let Water Fae know that you've returned and that they can come back to Morardia. That's step one of restoring the Kingdom."

I nodded. "Sounds like as good a place to start as any. How do we call them back?"

" You ," Angus said as he stared me down, "will call them back by essentially sending out an alert via water."

"Water Fae are connected by water," Dallas explained as she turned to me. "Do you remember when you and I trained, and that first night, I made you find me?"

"I remember."

I recalled when I'd been at Rune's family home for a week, secretly working on my abilities with Dallas in a secluded area near the estate. The first night we'd trained, Dallas had hidden and made me find her. Just when I'd been about to give up, I went out on a limb and called to the water to help me find her, and it did. The water led me right to her.

"It'll kinda be like that," Dallas said. "You'll reach out to the water and ask it to let your people know to come home. From there, it will alert all Water Fae via the connection between us."

I was actually relieved to hear this was how it was done. It sounded similar enough to what I'd done with Dallas, and knowing that I had a long, hard journey ahead of me, I was glad to know there was something easier and more familiar to start off with.

"Of course, when they all get here, you'll have to announce your intentions to them," Angus added. He sipped on his tea, and I didn't miss the slight tightening of his eyes as they held mine over the rim of the cup.

"My intentions?"

He waved a hand at the Fox Fae beside me. "Your plan to end the war once and for all via peaceful methods versus bloodshed."

"You sound as if you'd prefer the latter," Rune noted calmly.

"I'd prefer all avenues be discussed in detail for everyone's sake. I think the Princess will find that peace with Land Fae is not what many have in mind. And I'm sure the sentiment is returned."

"All the more reason it's important to get Water Fae back here," Jesiah stressed. "It's important for them to see her with Rune as a united team, along with all of the other Land Fae that have already joined us."

"Which brings up yet another issue," Angus pointed out.

I clenched my teeth in an effort to keep my composure. It seemed this guy had nothing but "issues" to point out. I mean, people had barely started eating, yet everyone's appetite had seemed to disappear.

Avana shifted uncomfortably in her seat, twirling a braid around her slender, brown finger. Ardley, who was usually carefree and easygoing, was oddly silent for once. The poor twins sat straighter with soldier-like posture, as though trained to do so when faced with authoritative figures.

The whole atmosphere had gone from being warm and inviting to a stifling, claustrophobic interrogation.

"Before we get to that," I said. "I'd like for my friends and me to have this chance to finish eating. I'd appreciate it if we could continue this conversation in another room after everyone's finished."

Angus dipped his head in understanding. "Of course, Your Highness. Forgive my rudeness. Please, enjoy the rest of your meal. Perhaps we could reconvene in the meeting room?" He glanced around the table at all the Land Fae, and when he met my eyes again, he added, "Privately? Just the approved personnel?"

My eyes narrowed of their own accord before I could stop them. This guy rubbed me the wrong way on all fronts, and his obvious distrust of Land Fae didn't help. At the same time, I couldn't entirely blame him. He'd been at war with them for a century, and he'd, no doubt, seen things I couldn't even fathom. His reaction to a room full of Land Fae was probably the best-case scenario, one I'd probably end up missing as more Water Fae showed up and gave their opinions.

With this in mind, I finally replied, "Yes. We'll meet then in a smaller group."

Angus rose from his chair, bowed, and left the room as swiftly as he'd entered.

As soon as he was gone, Ardley let out a low whistle. "Well, isn't he just a peach."

"Sorry about him, Bria," Imani apologized with a sigh. "He doesn't mean anything by that comment to bring approved personnel. All meetings like the one he's expecting to have are typically for certain eyes and ears only for security purposes. The more you interact with him, the more you'll see that he's harsh because he truly cares about Water Fae and what's best for them."

I nodded and gave her a reassuring smile. "No need to apologize, Imani. I'm sure he's just worried and wants to see things progress. Let's all just finish eating, okay?"

"Without the cloud of doom and gloom?" Ardley quipped, staring at a piece of sausage on his fork. "Gladly."