I stand straighter, making sure to meet all their eyes at least once as I talk. "We don't know for sure the High Fae have returned, or who they might be. Maybe the Fae figured out another way of bringing the Druid's back. Instead of banking on a gamble, why not work with what you know."
"And what might that be?" Niam asks.
"You know the Fae want their people freed," I say. "That's not an unreasonable request. It's one you would be fighting for if the roles were reversed."
Levi attempts to interrupt, but Fen kicks him under the table.
I stifle a grin and continue. "What if, instead of releasing all the slaves, you turn them into paid workers instead? Give them a share of the profits, or maybe a share of the land. The economy could still function, with some tweaks, and the Fae would be free citizens. It might placate the Druids. It might be enough for a truce."
Niam taps the table with his finger. "And what if the Fae don't want to work for us once they are free? Do we force them?"
I don't have a chance to answer before Levi voices his objections. "Even if they do stay, how do we keep them in line? How do we keep them from using their magic against us?"
I clear my throat, gaining their attention. "Where I am from, there are many rules governing even free citizens. If we apply the same principles here, we can determine a few things: Citizens cannot leave their realms without very good reason and approval from their lord. They must pay for their own housing and food, so if they want to live, they must work. Fighting, or using magic without permission, is illegal, and will be punished by prison or worse."
Niam and Zeb raise their eyebrows, impressed. Have they not considered this before? These concepts seem so simple to me…
But then, I remember the curse. The curse that prevents them from learning things from Earth. The curse that keeps them stuck in their ways. And for the first time, I realize, I am not bound by such things, and this gives me power.
Dean frowns. "This won't work. You can't change a system that's been in place for centuries overnight without war."
Asher shrugs. "I don't see a better way. Given none of our options are optimal, let us vote on Ari's idea."
Levi scowls.
Niam nods. "Let us vote then." He glances at me, sympathy in his eyes. "The idea does have merit, Arianna, but it would cause upheaval. And if the Fae decide to invade despite what we do, we will be undone. I vote against freeing the slaves."
Dean leans forward. "The things slaves do in my realm, the pleasures and entertainment they provide… I find it hard imagining free men doing such things. I must vote against."
Levi nods. "I vote against as well."
Asher clears his throat. "Ari's plan could result in the least amount of bloodshed amongst our people. I give it my support."
Fen nods. "I am never one to shy from war, but I do not relish death if it can be avoided. I vote in favor of Ari's plan as well."
Zeb deliberates a moment, chewing on his lip. "If they will stay and work with us, for us, then I also vote in favor of freeing the slaves."
All eyes turn to Ace. His vote will determine the future. So much rests with what he is about to say. If we go to war, I might never be able to make peace with the Fae, and the slaves will never be freed. And if they follow Levi's idea of hunting the High Fae, my own life will be in peril.
I hold my breath and wait.
Ace sighs. "Perhaps, it is time the Fae were free. Perhaps—"
The castle trembles with a loud rumble. I grab the table, steadying myself. The brothers stand. Ace jumps up and turns to the windows behind him.
They burn with light.
The glass shatters. The wall tears open. And there, in the night sky, I see fire.
The phoenix.
Riku.
Everything happens in a heartbeat.
The spirit strikes with a flaming claw, smashing into Ace, sending him flying across the room. He hits the far wall with a deep thud, his burned flesh torn open across his chest and legs.
Sparks of fire catch on the wall banners, setting them ablaze.
I don't think. I just run to Ace, to help him, to pull him away from the fire now spreading in the room.
Fen yells at me to stop, but it's too late. The phoenix strikes again through the open wall, hitting a pillar in the center, causing the ceiling to fall around us. I jump forward, evading the falling rocks and scraping my knees hard on the stone floor.
The room is in shambles. A wall of debris separates Ace and me from the other princes. Fortunately, it has blocked the ruined wall as well, keeping the phoenix away. Through the stone, smoke and dust, I hear the spirit screech and the princes yell.
I worry for Fen, for Asher, for Baron, but I can't do anything to help them right now. Yami trembles on my shoulder as I inch closer to Ace. The fire has spread throughout the room, a raging inferno around us. "Ace, we have to get out of here before we choke on the smoke or burn alive."
His eyes open slowly, and he nods. "Help me stand," he says, his voice cracked and fading. His body is burned and bleeding. His flesh smells cooked. Images of Daison fill my mind. I push them away.
I lift his body as gently as I can, but the man is heavier than he looks, and has very little strength for standing on his own. I sag under his weight. As we stumble forward, I realize I will not be able to do this much longer.
"Yami, can you help?" I whisper, hoping Ace is too out of it to wonder why I'm talking to myself.
Yami jumps on my arm and breathes a burst of blue flame at my skin. It burns and I yelp, nearly dropping Ace, who groans from pain. I look back down at my arm and see a dark blue mark forming there, a tattoo, like the kind the Druid's have. I whisper the incantation for illusion and it disappears from sight, but I feel the effects of the mark. My body is stronger, filled with new power. I lift Ace higher, and we move forward easier than before, entering a long hallway.