“Is that all?” I blurt. Then, realizing that may have sounded snarky, I add, “How many kingdoms are there?”
“There are nine official kingdoms, but there are also great swathes of Ulfaria which have yet to be discovered. The magicians tell us it is a big place.”
“Seems like it.” An ornate silver jug sits on a table beside me, with two matching goblets. “Drink?”
Sian shakes her head, so I pour just one, for myself. The liquid is tart and slightly bitter, but not unpleasant. It soothes my parched mouth.
“Okay, so there are several kingdoms. This is the forest kingdom,” I say.
“Yes. So the previous Forest King was killed by enemy spies, and his Omega queen disappeared. The kingdom was in turmoil.”
“Who killed the king?”
“No one knows for sure. But we think it was the Stone King, acting covertly to take our kingdom for his own. The Stone Kingdom lies on our borders. The king who rules there, the Stone King, is wily and a powerful mage. He doesn’t attack directly. He uses magic and poison, assassins and spies.”
“I see.”
“Once the king and queen were gone, the kingdom was in chaos, overrun by Slythin.”
“Slythin?”
“They’re huge, terrifying creatures which slither on their bellies and have long, sharp fangs.”
“Like snakes?”
“Snakes?”
I suppress a sigh. “Never mind. So, the Slythin are attacking. Then what happened?”
“The Hunter King just appeared out of nowhere. He was young, wild, barely a man grown. He was some kind of orphan, an outcast who never spoke, and lived in the woods.” She leans forward and whispers, “They called him the Wild One.” She straightens back up. “He took a sword, vanished into the forest, and conquered the Slythin single-handedly, reclaiming the forest and our kingdom. Came back bearing the biggest Slythin-tooth anyone had ever seen. It’s mounted in the Great Hall. The people were so grateful to be saved, they crowned him their new king.”
“Wow.” My mind is reeling, trying to absorb all this new information. “What happened to the kidnapped Omega queen?” I’d love to talk to another Omega since that’s apparently what they think I am.
Sian gives a little shrug. “She was wounded when her mate the king was killed and disappeared, never to be seen again.”
“And no one investigated?”
“The Stone King has great magical powers,” Sian says with a shudder. “There was no way to question him without offending him and risking war. We couldn’t risk it. The country was already weak from the Slythin attacks. At least, until the current king came and banished them somehow.”
“How did he banish them?”
“No one knows. He went into the forest and returned with a great fang. Proof of his triumph.”
I can totally imagine the hunter doing that. Warmth swells in my chest. I place a hand over my heart.
Sian presses her lips together, suppressing a smile. “Our king is the greatest warrior in the kingdom. A good hunter, as well.”
“Yes, he is.” I murmur. “Is it hot in here?” I grab my cup and gulp down more of the sweet liquid. “But he doesn’t talk much, does he?”
“He can talk. He just doesn't, much,” Sian says. At my disappointed look, she adds, “He will if it's important to him.”
Great. I guess I'm not important enough.
“No one knows his name?” I ask.
“It's possible he doesn't even remember it,” Sian says. “No one knows who he is or where he came from. There’s no record of his family. He is truly the Wild One.”
The Wild One. Yeah, that tracks.
