Page 37 of Stranger's Choice
“I can see years into the future, but the Emperor is concerned with what will happen in the next few days, the next few months.” Auraelie took a sip of her tea, savoring the delicate flavors before she continued. “I am usually only sent to a person here or there, if the Emperor is suspicious of them or feels like he has not sent me to them for too long. The only exception is his son.”
Much to her frustration, Sebin did not pounce on this detail. “I suppose it is unnerving, when he is used to knowing the future of any visitors, to have a foreign prince from a world away be protected against that power.” Sebin tapped a finger against the cup in his hand. “You specifically mentioned Marsone and Pianti. Are you giving me a warning, Auraelie?”
She loved the way he said her name. His accent gave it an exotic sound. Or perhaps it was simply that few people ever called her by name. Most people called her Oracle, if anything. The fact Sebin had gone out of his way to learn her name, even when he was still pretending not to speak the language, mattered to her. What she had told Heolin was true, hewaskind, but it did not do the prince justice.
For everything he had done for her, he deserved plain speaking. “You didn’t show up in their futures. But every person I scanned for the Emperor, save one, had blanks in their future that my power could not penetrate. These gray spots obscured the turning points my magic can interpret and judge in order to identify the probable paths. The Emperor and I both think they are related to you.”
“So the threat I pose in the Emperor’s mind encompasses his entire court.” Sebin tilted his head to the side and drummed his fingers against his cup. “Save one, you said.”
Auraelie nodded. “Nothing I told the Emperor is worrying in and of itself, but the uncertainty is something he cannot tolerate. He will assume the worst. Especially if you introduce blank spots into his heir’s future.”
“Prince Peroen? He is the one without gray spots?”
“I only scanned his immediate future, the next week or so, but there were no gray spots. I think, no, I know, it is because I am telling you right now not to seek him out. The Emperor distrusts his son, though I have never seen any reason for his fears. If you stoke his fears, the Emperor is liable to act rashly. Your insistence on traveling outside the city will not reassure him. You can’t risk meeting with Peroen.”
“No, I suppose not. But I will have to make at least one more trip out of the city. I’ll wait a week or two and see if I can allay the Emperor’s fears in the interim. Maybe I should approach the earth sprite ambassador and try to reinforce the impression that I am interested in trade with the magical races.”
That easily, Sebin agreed with her. Even if she hadn’t seen Peroen’s future herself that morning, she would have believed his agreement. She knew he wasn’t brushing aside her concerns or dismissing them as irrelevant. If anything, he felt no need to dwell on her request because it went without saying that he’d do as she asked. Auraelie set down her tea, finally comfortable enough to ask a question. “You sound as though trade is not your true intent. Isn’t that why you traveled to Pynth?”
Sebin smiled. It wasn’t one of the genuine smiles she occasionally saw during their evenings together, but one of his court smiles, all charm and geniality.
“Of course I came to Pynth for trade. My journey across the ocean had nothing to do with preventing my father from marrying me off.” He dropped the court smile and shrugged. “I wouldn’t object to establishing a trade treaty with the empire or with any of the magical races, but I don’t expect anything. Moial does not have much to offer in exchange.”
Auraelie should have pushed more for what his intentions were in the empire, trusted that he would tell her the truth if she asked if he was organizing a rebellion. But she could not let the mention of marriage go by without comment. “You crossed the Storm Barrier to avoid marrying?”
“To avoid the marriage my father had planned for me, I would have attempted to navigate the Barrier on my own.”
“That bad? She wasn’t pretty enough for your taste? Not rich enough?” Auraelie hoped Sebin knew she was joking. She did not for a moment believe that those would be the deciding factors for him.
He snorted. “Too pretty and too rich. According to everything I ever heard about Lady Celedra, she is an entitled, narcissistic brat. My father is a fool for even considering the match, for she is likely to be the next queen of Daalj, and I would have to live there with her.”
“Your father is a fool for wanting you to be a king? You are not his heir, correct?”
“My older brother Aster is the heir. But if I became Celedra’s consort, I could no longer govern Moial. My father and brother enjoy the privileges of rank, but they leave most of the work to me. Father should have looked for a Moialan lady to match me up with, like he did for Aster. Maybe he’ll realize how much he relies on me while I am away.”
Auraelie crossed her arms. “You would rather do all the work of governing your kingdom, unacknowledged, than rule alongside a beautiful woman.”
“I would rather deal with my father and brother, whom I know how to handle, and protect the people of Moial from their mistakes than go to a kingdom that has been under the rule of an admirable king for years and be stuck with a virago as a wife.”
Auraelie wasn’t sure how to respond to Sebin’s impassioned speech. But she remembered what comment had sent them down this conversational track. “Heolin won’t help you.”
Sebin took a moment to follow the leap back Auraelie had taken. “He doesn’t need to help me. I’ll actually attempt to negotiate with him to maintain my ruse.”
“No, he won’t negotiate with you. He is the magical races’ ambassador to the Emperor, nothing more. He will use that to refuse to deal with you, for he dislikes you.”
A crease appeared between Sebin’s brows. “I have only talked to him once. Lately, I get the impression he avoids me.”
“Ever since I regained consciousness in your bed, by any chance?”
The wrinkle smoothed out. “He is mad at me on your behalf?”
“Yes. I tried to tell him that I am fine, that you are kind to me, but I didn’t want to risk saying too much. I know you are using your relationship with me to accomplish something at court, even if I don’t understand your plans.”
“You don’t need to prioritize my goals. I will only use our supposed relationship with your permission, Auraelie. If you don’t want me to spread such rumors, then I’ll stop.”
“No. You are helping me as much as yourself. Just understand that Heolin is perhaps the only person at court who will react negatively to those rumors.”
“He may be the only one who will react, but Auraelie, there are other people who despise the situation you are in. The situation the entire empire is in. They know speaking up will accomplish nothing without taking other steps first, but they are there.”
That reassurance affected Auraelie more than she would have thought it could. What did it matter if people felt bad for her, if they did not act? Then she realized what Sebin had revealed. She stared at him and saw the answer in his eyes.
He would not risk saying the words aloud. He would not put her in the position of knowing for certain something that she was treaty-bound to inform the Emperor, but he was searching for people ready to revolt against the Emperor. Hewasthe turning point that might lead to her freedom.
