“With his advisors?” she asked.
“I realize I’m a poor substitute for such stimulating company, but I’ll do my best to fill in for the king.”
“You’re much too pushy, Lore.” Her softer tone told me she was relenting.
“You admire that, don’t you?”
She huffed again. “Let’s get this over with.”
I held out my arm, and when she took it, I escorted her down the hall and the stairs and into the dining room with her guards and ladies in attendance. Inside, I held out her seat and waited while she took it before sitting beside her. Her ladies arranged her napkin on her lap and made sure she was settled before taking their own chairs on her left.
Erisandra arrived with her staff before I could offer Reyla wine.
“That’s my son’s place.” The glare Erisandra sent me should’ve skewered me to the wall.
I smirked. “It’s my seat at the moment. My ass has warmed it.”
She grumbled but dropped into her own seat, her ladies fluttering around her, each sending matching glares my way.
“Serve us,” Erisandra barked.
The staff scurried from the room and started bringing out floating trays loaded with a variety of offerings, placing each on the table.
We ate with only the clink of the cutlery echoing around us.
Until Reyla gasped, gaping at her plate, swallowing hard.
“Is there something wrong with your meal?” I asked.
“My meat. It’s . . . crawling.”
It was not, but . . .
Erisandra smirked, watching Reyla with sly satisfaction in her eyes.
Leaning close, I whispered for Reyla’s ears alone. “I believe the dragon sitting across from you is crafting glamour.”
Reyla flattened her back against her chair and growled. She swiped a blade from one of the sheaths on her side and started to rise from her chair.
I laid my hand on hers, urging her to remain seated. “I suggest another way.”
“Killing herwouldmess up the room,” she whispered.
“I could handle this if you’d—”
“Leave it to me.” As she returned the blade to the sheath, aferal look took over her face. “Can I borrow something from you?”
Clever. “My shadow is yours. Always.”
“I like that about you Lore. You’re not one bit stingy.”
When it came to her, I was, but I couldn’t point that out. As a high lord in this court and the highest on the king’s personal staff, I was more than welcome to join the family on any occasion, but I was pushing it by taking the king’s seat in his own dining room. I’d no doubt hear about this later.
Fierce concentration took over Reyla’s face before a chill breeze swept through the room. Did she realize how powerful she was? Few learned to call power this quickly, let alone send it back out to make anything around them perform at their command. Yet this woman was mastering her skill within days. I could only imagine what she’d be able to do when she’d learned to harness full lightning and nullify.
My shadow left my right side where it had hovered since I sat, cast to the floor by the chandeliers hanging above the table. It slid away from me and rounded the end of the long table, slithering down the other side.
I sat back and drank my wine, watching with a sardonic smile on my face. Erisandra had never outright scorned me, though I was sure she ached to discover how she could get away with it without being chastised.
