Klyn leaned back in his chair, clearly tired. His shoulders slumped downward as we continued to talk and finish our ales. He did not seem to be a lot older than me. But, having been on this earth for hundreds of years, I know that you cannot rely on appearances alone. Something told me not to underestimateKlyn.
“So, you have the pleasure of being Queen Octavia’s security council?” I politely asked to get the conversation moving. I felt like Klyn might doze off onme.
“Yes, you could call it that?” henodded.
“How long have you been doing it?” Iasked.
He smiled and laughed until he picked up his ale. Klyn took a long sip before setting the charger down and leaning back in hischair.
“Seems like forever, River. We will just say that it has been a longtime.”
“May I ask how old the queenis?”
“She would kill me herself if I shared that information,” Klyn said with asmile.
I nodded and laughed. Fair enough. He did not have to divulge thedetails.
“River, please forgive me this evening. I believe I might be coming down with something, and I must return to the castle,” Klyn stood and reached into hispocket.
He set some Royal Darick coins down on the table, more than enough to cover the cost of both of our ales. I stood up andnodded.
“It is no trouble at all. It was nice to sit down and relax,” I said and then gestured to the boys that were still playing. “And I learned about the game that is played aroundhere.”
“Yes, it is quite the game towatch.”
Klyn stood there for another few moments watching me. He reached into his pocket again and produced a few more coins and offered them to me. When I did not hold my hand out to accept them, he stacked them and set them next to mycharger.
“For supper. I have been a terrible host this evening, please permit me to purchase you your supper,River.”
Klyn lightly touched my bicep as he walked by me. I stayed on my feet until I saw him leave the pub. I sat back down and watched him walk across the street. He climbed into the carriage that had waited for him, and then it took off for thecastle.
My attention went back to the stacked Royal Darick coins. I stared at the coins with a mix of love and hate for them. They were what drove my father to kill. They were within touching distance. I thought about what my father would do to get his hands onthese.
Was there anything that he would not do to touchthese?
When the barmaid came by, I pointed to the coins for the cost of the ales and told her to keep whatever was leftover. I picked up the stacked coins and put them in my pocket. By the time I left the pub, the sun had gone down, and the boys had gonehome.
As I walked back to Geoff and Edwin’s place, I thought about my visit with Klyn. It was an interesting visit. We spoke about a game boys play in the streets mostly. That was most of the conversation. But there was more to the visit, Ifelt.
Perhaps I hadn’t noticed it the first time we spoke because there had been a group of other candidates around, but I had a very noticeable sense of ease around him. In a way, he reminded me a little bit of Merc as far as how easy it was to be around him. Almost as though I had known himforever.
I strolled along the cobblestone streets of Town Square on the day of the festival. I came upon the Drishane Memorial that had been arranged for the victims of the massacre. The massacre that my father caused. I crouched and touched the stone that made up thememorial.
I feltguilty.
This was such a wonderful town, and my father decimated it years ago. He murdered an entire town in minutes. He left some of them clinging to life. Some of them struggling to turn. I was there that night and tried to save some from an afterlife of more torture, atleast.
I took a deep breath and stood. When I looked away from the memorial, Queen Octavia and Klyn stood on the opposite side, just a short distance away. I nodded at them and then turned to go partake in some of the festivities. As I headed toward the bread cart, Queen Octavia’s current men bustled towards the memorial withflowers.
I would see them tonight, I wascertain.
The start of the pageant neared, and some of the castle organizers were near the platform. Many of them helped some of the candidates decide on what trousers to wear, and some even combed theirhair.
I glanced at the platform where her current men were standing. Each wore black trousers and were shirtless. They were a mix of body types, and all looked young. The one on the end looked particularly young. They were all muscular or had visiblemuscles.
“River Kulver,” a woman that was near me called myname.
I turned to faceher.
