Chapter 211: I Don’t Like This

"But if we refuse," Thorne said, "if we see through his gambit, then he’s forced to escalate. He’s forced to do something more dramatic. He’s forced to reveal what he truly knows."

Draeven nodded slowly.

"Which is why we let him remain in the palace for now," the First King said. "We let him believe his strategy is working. We investigate the girl. We investigate him. And when we have all the information we need, we make our move."

Kaelen returned to his chair and settled into it with a thoughtful expression.

"There’s another problem," he said. "The council will have heard about the shattered windows by now. They’ll be asking questions about what happened in my chambers."

Thorne’s jaw tightened at the reminder of exactly what had happened in Kaelen’s chambers.

"The servants saw Morgana arrive," Thorne said, his voice tight. "They’ll be talking. The gossip will spread. By this evening, half the palace will know that she spent the night with you."

"And by tomorrow evening," Draeven added, "the council will have heard the rumors. They’ll be demanding explanations."

Kaelen shrugged, completely unconcerned.

"Let them demand," he said. "We can control the narrative. We can say it was a magical experiment. We can say we were testing something. We can say...."

"We need to be careful how we frame this," Draeven interrupted. "If the council learns that Morgana is a witch, if they learn that her magic is uncontrolled and destructive, they’ll demand we send her away. They’ll declare her a threat to the palace and the kingdom."

"She is a threat," Thorne said bluntly. "But she’s OUR threat. And we protect our own."

"Exactly," Draeven confirmed. "So we need a story that explains the shattered windows, explains why Morgana was in Kaelen’s chambers, and doesn’t raise questions about magic or witchcraft."

Kaelen leaned back in his chair, a slight smile playing at his lips.

"Say it was a storm," he suggested. "A magical atmospheric disturbance. Something in the nature of the kingdom that affects the palace in unpredictable ways."

"The council won’t believe that," Thorne said. "Not without more explanation."

"Then we give them a partial truth," Draeven said, his strategic mind clearly working through options. "We say that Morgana was undergoing medical treatment. We say that her condition caused some disturbance. We say that we’re investigating what happened and will provide more information when we understand it ourselves."

"And the fact that she was in my chambers overnight?" Kaelen asked, his tone clearly amused by the implication.

"We say you were monitoring her condition," Draeven replied smoothly. "That she was unstable and required constant observation. That you were protecting her and the palace by being present."

Thorne made a sound that was somewhere between a laugh and a bitter snort.

"The council will never believe that," he said. "But they might accept it if we present it with enough authority."

"They will accept it," Draeven said coldly, "because the alternative is admitting they don’t understand what’s happening in their own palace. And no council member wants to appear ignorant."

Draeven returned to his desk and settled into his chair with the bearing of a man who had just made a decision.

"Morgana needs to learn control," he said, his golden eyes fixed on Kaelen. "Before her magic becomes more dangerous. Before she destroys the palace. Before someone outside our circle realizes what she is."

Kaelen nodded slowly.

"It won’t be easy," he said. "Her magic is responding to stimulation, to pleasure, to intense sensation. Teaching her to control it in everyday situations will be difficult."

"Then it’s fortunate you have a vested interest in keeping her safe," Draeven said, his tone carrying a note of amusement.

Thorne’s dark eyes flashed dangerously.

"So you get to be alone with her," Thorne said, his voice carrying an edge that could cut glass. "Teaching her. Helping her. Spending time with her."

"Someone has to, brother," Kaelen replied, his tone deliberately casual. "Unless you want to volunteer?"

Thorne stood abruptly, his chair scraping backward violently.

"Bastard," he said again, but this time the word carried more venom, more frustration, more raw need than before.

He turned away from Kaelen, unable to look at his brother’s satisfied expression any longer.

Draeven raised his hand slightly, a gesture that commanded attention and authority.

"Enough," Draeven said. "We all have roles to play in this. Kaelen will help Morgana learn to control her magic. Thorne, you will investigate the girl Carrick brought. You will determine who she is, what she represents, and whether she’s a threat to Morgana or the kingdom."

Thorne turned back to face his brothers, his dark eyes burning with suppressed emotion.

"And what will you do?" he asked coldly.

"Manage the council," Draeven replied. "Manage Carrick. Keep the palace stable while we navigate what comes next."

He paused, and when he spoke again, his voice carried a note of promise.

"And rest assured, brother, Morgana’s time is not exclusively Kaelen’s. Once her magic is under control, once she understands what she is and what she can do, we will all have roles to play in her training."

The implication was clear, even if unspoken.

They would all have time with her. Eventually.

But Kaelen had gotten there first, and that was going to be a source of tension between the three kings for the foreseeable future.

***

Thorne moved back to the window, his entire body radiating tension and barely-controlled rage.

"I don’t like this," he said quietly, his dark eyes fixed on the palace grounds below. "I don’t like the idea of her being alone with any of us. I don’t like the idea that one of us gets exclusive access to her training. I don’t like the idea that one of us is getting everything while the rest of us wait."

"You’re right," Draeven said, his golden eyes assessing his brother. "Which is why we’ll rotate her time. But for now, while her magic is unstable, while she’s learning the basics of control, Kaelen is the logical choice."