Savine frowned at Raikin. “Was he alone? Did he say where he came from?”
Raikin slowly nodded his head. “I was informed there was a body with him. He was decomposing in a way that shouldn’t happen to a young fae with so much essence left in his body. The trauma to his head suggested a weapon made of iron.”
Savine’s eyes widened. “Carriages without moose?” Raikin nodded.
“See that Darby prepares a private meeting space.”
“A wise choice, My King.” Raikin slipped away, speaking to the guards who turned with the filthy prisoner and led him out of the throne room.
Savine dismissed his court, leaving through a side door as he followed Darby into an outdoor hallway that led to another segment of the King's Residence. Try as he might, he always thought of it in that way now, with the playfulness Avery brought to the word.
“The guards are making the man more presentable for you and they’ll meet you in the city view room. Is there anything you need?” Darby asked.
“Bring something hearty for the man. Raikin has reason to believe that he came through the portal. He’ll most likely be hungry. Avery has suggested that most of the area on my father’s map would be wilderness in her world. If so, the man may be starved.”
Darby pursed her lips. “We should assume he went through on the old king’s orders. If so, he is your enemy.” She took Savine’s hands in her small, pale green hands. “Please, Savine, be careful meeting with such a man. We know now that your father was dabbling in powers that aren’t meant for a fae. Who knows what he’s done to these folk to be able to send them through a portal and back like that.”
Savine shook his head, trying not to dismiss her worries, but there was no reason to fear this fae. “Don’t fear. Just bring the food up once the man joins me.”
Darby bowed low, leaving Savine alone in the hall. The cool breeze brushed past him and he inhaled the faint scent of the forest. What he wouldn’t give for some time alone with Avery in the forest instead of dealing with constant disasters like this.
He felt down the bond. There she was. Running, he thought. She felt light, happy, and free. Mentally, he stroked that bond, sending his love down it. It was easier now, always feeling her close, even when she wasn’t near him. Always being able to connect to her, to be reassured that she was safe, she was happy. Thinking back, he wasn’t sure how he survived those two separations without this deep connection to her.
She responded down the bond and it felt as though she were dancing in his soul. Goddess alive, he didn’t know how he’d survived so long withouther.Without this better half of himself.
Savine took one last long, deep breath, scenting the moisture on the cedar boughs and went back inside. He made his way to the city view room. It was empty, which was what he hoped. He looked out the paned windows that provided a view of Orofine below. The city was bustling with folk, even though the weather was turning brisk.
So far, the city had seen a steady stream of nomadic groups enter the city, seeking help or looking for reassurance that Jasper was actually gone. Many of the folk he’d met were in poor health, desperately in need of food after being forced into a lifestyle that they weren’t accustomed to. He could see one such group, making their way to the gates of the city, loaded with supplies that Savine prayed would last through the harsh winter. This group, like so many, wanted to return to the nomadic lives that they’d been denied under Jasper’s regime, and Savine hoped that many of them would find solace in the free and open plains of the Middens next summer.
A knock on the door caught his attention, and Savine called for the folk to enter. Raikin led the way into the room, a few guards and the cuffed man behind him. The man was bathed, hair still damp, and his clothing was fresh.
He looked at Savine with hatred in his eyes as he spat at Savine’s boots.
“You don’t deserve the crown atop your head,” the man hissed.
Savine felt nothing but cool distaste as he looked at the emaciated man. The man despised him, had served his father loyally, yet what had it gotten him in the end? His essence was so faded that the whorls on his skin were but a ghost of what they should be.
There was something familiar about the man. No doubt, Savine would have seen him around Orofine if he’d served Jasper in any close capacity.
That was it. He was a former guard for his father. “Kinlon, isn’t it?” Savine said, his tone soft.
The man sneered, tugging at the chains that held him back. “You betrayed your father and your folk! How dare you wear the boughs and antlers.”
Savine quirked his lip into a half-smile. “The Goddess and the folk of Latiah seem to think otherwise. Despite your treasonous words, no harm will come to you in this room.” Savine directed the guards to let the man sit. Raikin called for Darby, and she brought in a tantalizing stew. The scent of it made Savine want some for himself, despite having recently eaten.
He didn’t give in to the temptation as he watched the man dig into the dish. Kinlon moaned and slurped, shaking as if he couldn’t survive another moment without sustenance. The chain between his handcuffs was just enough length that he was able to feed himself, but not enough to cause harm to himself or Savine and Raikin.
The sight of the man eating with no dignity made all thoughts of eating disappear. He looked at Raikin, who wore a revolted look on his own face. Wordlessly, he watched the man finish his meal.
When Kinlon was finished, he turned his attention back to Savine. His face had splatters of stew meat caught in his beard, and his eyes had a spark of disgust. “I suppose I’ll soon die frompoison. In any case, I hope you rot in the depths of the Abyss. That you will feel no relief for what you have done to Latiah.”
The guards moved in closer, weapons drawn, but Savine waved them back. If this man did take Savine’s life, he would be joining him in the depths of the Abyss. There was no lesser consequence for killing one’s sovereign. And that was what Savine had become. He had absolute power over this nation, over his folk. Including this nobody who detested him so palpably.
“You best watch your words. You won’t be the first to find the trees will act out my punishment for me,” Savine said through gritted teeth. “Raikin, will you see the guards out? I believe we should have a private conversation with Kinlon.”
Raikin stood and ushered the guards out of the room, latching the door behind them. “My King?” The question in Raikin’s tone was heavy with meaning. He knew what Raikin was capable of doing to draw answers from this man.
“Not yet, Raikin. Feel free to ask questions, though.”
