Dastan pressed his hand to his heart and bowed. “Thank you. And since you’re aware of my victories I suppose it’s fortunate that we’re meeting on friendly ground, isn’t it, your grace?”

King Gaius smiled. “This couldn’t be more true.”

“And this is Elan,” said the emperor, patting the boy’s back and prompting him to perform the Kraeshian greeting. “I like to think of him as my most trusted vizier, one whose opinion is always invaluable to me. In all his twenty-three years, I don’t believe he’s ever told a single lie. Correct, my peach of a boy?”

“Correct,” Elan agreed. He stood as if sewn to his father’s sleeve, like a child afraid of getting lost.

Elan really was so sweet, so without guile, and Amara had always hoped they’d one day become close. Yet despite his gentle nature, he was still a Kraeshian male, raised not to show an iota of respect or regard to his sister or any other woman.

“Unfortunately, Ashur, my youngest son, isn’t here to greet you. But I’m sure you had plenty of time to become acquainted with him during his stay in your little kingdom.”

Every muscle in Amara’s chest clenched up at the sound of her dead brother’s name. To steady herself and keep from keeling over, she took a sip from her glass of sparkling wine.

“I did indeed,” Gaius said. “Ashur is a charming boy, you must be so proud of him.”

Instead of nodding proudly, as he had when introducing Dastan and Elan, the emperor winced a bit and then pursed his lips. “Ashur reminds me of his mother in so many ways. Always gallivanting around the world, searching for treasures.”

“Is he successful in his quests?”

“Not nearly often enough to justify the time and finances necessary to fund these little excursions.”

With that, the emperor gestured for his guests to take their seats at the table and eat of the feast. Amara watched as Gaius’s two bodyguards filled their plates with piles of food, and when Felix caught her looking, he grinned and winked at her.

She didn’t find his boldness offensive, but rather took it as proof that he hadn’t been to very many formal banquets before.

As the guests tucked into their meal, the emperor drove the conversation, informing Gaius about a new structure currently being built in the Jewel, an auditorium that would play host to poets, singers, and theater troupes.

“My, that sounds wonderful. Culture is so important to the vitality of civilized countries,” the king said.

“I’m surprised you think so,” Amara said, taking the opportunity to speak up. “Especially since artistic endeavors are discouraged in Limeros.”

Gaius lifted his goblet and swirled his cider around thoughtfully. “That is true, princess. Our radiant goddess did not approve of frivolity or flights of whimsy, and if Limerians are anything it’s loyal to our beloved goddess’s laws. However, having lately spent so much time in Auranos, I’ve come to realize that the arts have the ability to elevate the spirits of citizens during difficult times. Art gives them hope. And without hope, what is there to live for?”

“Well said, Gaius,” said the emperor, spearing a chunk of fried squar fish and dipping it into a spicy shanut sauce. “And please excuse my daughter’s boldness; I was not aware she’d be joining us today. But, yes, hope is a beautiful thing—and I love beautiful things!”

The guests talked and ate happily straight through until dessert. When the servants had cleared all the plates away, the emperor leaned back and patted his large belly. “Now, Gaius, my friend. Tell me, why are you here?”

The king raised his brow a tiny fraction of an inch. “I’m here, your eminence, to get to know you better. To understand your intentions. I know you soon plan to conquer Mytica.”

Amara stifled a gasp at the king’s unexpected bluntness and gazed around the room to see the others’ surprised reactions in the moment of echoing silence that followed. While the king’s two guards remained as composed as the sentries they were, she did notice a momentary raise of Felix’s brows.

The emperor acknowledged this with a nod. “I must confess, given its size, Mytica hasn’t been a high priority for me. Your country would make for just a tiny speck of dirt on my map. But yes, Ashur’s great interest in your history and legends drew my attention. Your shores are a mere leap from my Jewel, so the cost and effort to acquire the land would be minimal. And then there are your vineyards, which are reputed to produce the finest wine in the world. I think it would make a nice little addition to my empire.”

“I see. And when were you and your sons planning to visit my lovely speck of dirt?”

The emperor laughed. “Let’s not talk strategy, Gaius. Today we sit around this table as friends, not enemies.”

“As a fellow leader I admire how confident you are that Mytica would be so easily captured.”

The emperor smiled, drained his glass of wine, and signaled to a servant to pour him another. “Dastan? I believe this is your area of expertise.”

“We have great reason to be confident,” Dastan said, taking over for his father. “Your army is currently scattered across all of Mytica, and your coastal defenses are laughable at best. We outnumber you one hundred to one.”

King Gaius nodded cordially. “You’re right, of course. With those statistics on your side, Kraeshia would easily conquer Mytica.”

“Good, then!” the emperor said. “We’re all aware of the situation between our two lands, and it seems we’ve no more business to discuss.” He stood up from the table and placed his hands on his hips. “Now, if you’re here to surrender your country in person, you will save much gold and the lives of many of your people.”

The king frowned. “Surrender? I think you may have misunderstood me. I did not come here to serve Mytica to you on a golden platter.”

“Then explain it to us again,” Dastan said. “What, exactly, did you come here for?”

“I came to issue you a warning. A friendly one, for now. And also to make you an offer.”

The emperor’s jovial expression faded, though he looked no less pompous than usual. Amara bit her bottom lip, fascinated by what might happen next.

Her father sat back down at the table. “A warning, you say.”

“Yes.”

“You, the king of a land as tiny as Mytica, have a warning for me, a leader who has conquered a hundred kingdoms?”

Gaius smiled calmly and allowed a moment of silence to pass before going on. “I have to assume that Prince Ashur shared some of his favorite Mytican legends with you, didn’t he? Before he left for his visit?”

Elan nodded, clearly eager to contribute. “There were two legends he loved. The one of the magic of the elements trapped in rocks. And the one about immortal hawks that travel to other worlds. Rocks and hawks.”

“That’s correct, Elan,” said King Gaius, nodding with smug satisfaction. “You’re speaking of the Kindred and the Watchers—two of the most important figures in two of our most fascinating legends about the unlimited magic that can be found in my kingdom.”

“Are you trying to tell us that these legends are true?” Dastan said smoothly.