"Senior palace appointment," Elara said. "Yes."
She looked at the document.
The amendment for the ninth prince was the only strengthening in the entire sequence. Every other alteration in the archive had been a weakening or a falsification. One strengthening, in a child with a flagged deficiency, administered eight months ago.
She had been trying to place it in the structure since she'd found it.
Now she had the context.
"She used your son," Elara said. "Not against you. As a demonstration." She looked at the sixth consort. "She wanted you to see that it worked. That the magic was real and effective. That she could do what she said she could do."
The sixth consort looked at her.
"So that when she came back," Elara continued, "and asked you for something in return, you would already know the answer was yes."
A long pause.
"She came back three months ago," the sixth consort said. Very quietly.
"What did she ask for."
The sixth consort closed her eyes briefly. Opened them.
