“It’s not much. With all this going on, we still have to prepare for war. At this point, you are my only hope, but that ink inside of you has yet to give us anything meaningful.”
“It talks, but I still don’t understand what it even is.”
The mention of war brought back flashes of Conrad. The word struck a certain tension in me. And now that I was in on their plans, I had to speak. There was no better time than now, and I thought it best to be direct. Tiptoeing around the issue would get us nowhere. Fortunately, we were clear of prying ears and eyes, and I felt confident I could bear the sleepiness a while longer.
But just before I spoke, Reinald asked Six to leave us to speak privately.
“Yes, fine, I suppose I’ll head out. Me being your assistant and all.”
The mage turned to shadow in an instant and melted into the floor. I wasn’t exactly surprised by such things now, but it was admittedly one of the less appealing ways for the mage to disappear.
“You had him leave, just for me?” I asked.
“He enjoys making fun of people. If it was too much for you, we can always arrange to meet again in a few days’ time.”
“I’m surprised you noticed, but thank you.”
“I sensed it. It’s how you’re holding yourself. Karen, if there’s something on your mind, feel free to air your thoughts.”
I took a deep breath—this topic was not simply a walk in the park.
“Is war a certainty?” I asked.
It was perhaps far too late to ask such a question, but it was a question I had to know the answer to. Reinald crossed his arms, and the corners of his mouth raised slightly. I could not read his thoughts.
“I apologize for pushing the point and asking such a question again,” I continued. “I know that you have your heart set on taking the throne, and I am still your ally. That remains unchanged. However...”
“You want to know why war has to be part of it.”
“You act as though war is inevitable. I realize that Princess Wilhelmina shows no signs of ceding the throne and that the emperor is a fickle man. I understand that it may seem like there are no other options, but is there really no way to determine a clear heir?”
“What are you trying to say?”
“I want to know if negotiations with the princess are a possibility.”
Rumor had it that the princess had not yet counted herself out of a potential shot at the throne. Much like her thoughts on the handling of Six, if her ambitions couldn’t be curbed, then war really was inevitable. Reinald had already resolved to walk the path he saw ahead of him, and I assumed that Wilhelmina was no different. Still, there was a unique trust between the two of them, understood only by them, and it led me to asking my question. At the heart of it, though, was a desire to pull from Reinald his true motives.
“I know the strength of your resolve, and that my question is largely for my own peace of mind...”
“If it helps clear any confusion or worry you feel, I take no issue.”
“Is it confusion, I wonder? I thought I was rid of that, but...I’m not entirely certain myself. If it appears that way to you, perhaps you’re right.”
Reinald did not look burdened. It was the same in Falkrum. And it was not that he remained unchanged, but rather his was a calm that came with having long been resolved to a particular fate.
“I assume you understand that the emperor and I do not see eye to eye?”
“From what I’ve seen of your personalities, yes. I, too, bear certain feelings for the man, and as long as I carry my friend’s keepsake, I doubt those feelings will dissipate.”
“Then your worries rest with Wilhelmina. Or no... Is it your brother you wish to save?”
“Yes. I’ve been able to avoid the issue until now, but I have to face it. My brother is not the type to betray the princess’s trust. Even if he were to change sides, he would still be known for having first sided with the princess. The backlash would be considerable.”
“Your brother is a coward, but he’s no fool. The moment he sided with Wilhelmina, he would have known there was no going back.”
“I know. I know, but...it’s not so easy for me to just accept that.”
I didn’t want to just give up. I took a deep breath to cool my head.
“Just the other day, my younger brother announced that he would move and spend some time living with my older brother.”
“Oh?”
“Please don’t misunderstand. He made the decision himself. Arno and I made up our minds and followed our own hearts, but there’s still so much Emil doesn’t know. He said he’d be no use to anyone like that, and so he packed his bags.”
While Emil was with Conrad, he had seen two of his older siblings take opposite sides to one another, and he’d experienced a world shaped by those decisions. Arno and I had both stood our ground, but I had to imagine that Emil heard all sorts of different opinions at school. Emil wanted to understand us, his brother and sister, and so he made the decision to spend some time with the Kirsten family. He said, to quote the young man, “I need to do this,” and he was sure of himself. I could not stop him.
Emil took Jill with him as protection, and preparations were in place for him to train his guard dog while he was living with the Kirstens. Wendel was left feeling a little lonely, of course, but he was at least glad they’d see each other at school.
“Emil, too, is doing his best to face the present moment. I have to learn from his example.”
“You don’t want to just cut ties with your older sibling. A feeling I have trouble grasping.”
If Reinald could sort things out with Wilhelmina, it would be one less thing on his plate, and anything that helped him to focus on the emperor was not a bad idea.
“I understand it would be folly to tell you to simply stop what you’re doing,” I said. “But I do not think it wise to take on both the emperor and your sister at the same time. Is there no way for you to join forces with her, even if the alliance is temporary?”
“Perhaps you want me to say that armed conflict is something we should refrain from engaging in?”
“It is why I brought this question to you.”
“Do not think I’m trying to belittle you. It is in daring to voice our thoughts that we can reflect on what we see as the status quo. Reconsider the inevitable, even. I need people by my side who are cautious, and it gladdens me to have realized just how necessary you are.”
The hint of a smile on his face never wavered. He had seen and experienced a great many things since we met, but that calm, cool expression of his had never once faltered. I felt as though I were glimpsing the very core of his person.
“If a war should start, then so be it,” Reinald said. “I will not waver, not even if it means the spilling of blood, be it that of the emperor, Wilhelmina, their ardent followers, or the people who call this place home.”
When he spoke, there was a flash of almost childlike joy across his eyes. It did not strike me as odd, nor was it particularly surprising. I didn’t think he was lying. He spoke with a calm clarity, as if those were the only words for the moment. They were a reflection of his determination. Words spoken by one whose path was set, and words that did not need to be repeated.
I closed my eyes and took another deep breath.
“I’m glad to see you aren’t shocked,” Reinald said. “Having come this far and seen this much, I would have been shocked had you expected anything else.”
“I like to think I’ve come to get a sense for who you are.”
The feeling in the air was nostalgic. I thought back to before I moved to the empire, when I’d rushed to a guard house to help Sven and Nico, only to quickly find myself in very deep trouble. When Reinald had arrived, he’d seen to it that an imperial by the name of Lang—and some of his co-conspirators—were executed. Afterward, he had also played a key role in the murders of Falkrum’s king and Marquis Rodenwald. I had thought of him not as a hero then, but the polar opposite. Now I knew I’d been right.
He’d allowed me to see this side of him, to brush against the hopes that were rooted in his heart.
“Do you stand a chance in taking on the emperor and Princess Wilhelmina at the same time?” I asked.
“Good question. At present, my sense is that we’ll need a little luck on our side.”
He could not say with any clear certainty, but in saying he believed he’d “need a little luck,” he was revealing a certain confidence. The idea of being the underdog in this battle did not seem to worry him—if anything, he welcomed it.
“I thought you the type to pick fights where the odds were more in your favor.”
“As they were in Falkrum. But here the box is an uncertainty, and nothing is definite. With that at his command, the emperor can see me slaughtered. What good is the most powerful of armies then? That’s the state of my forces.”
“But if the box is destroyed, you see a path to victory?”
“Not for certain. I am not so stubbornly self-assured, nor do I want to fight a war that leans on the box’s support the way past emperors have. My father and sister may put their faith in it, but I think their faith to be the height of folly.”