“My lord, see to your client,” the king rumbled to theslender guy.
He tried to do that, but Edgar sidestepped him again.
“I am a peer of your realm, sir,” he said to the king.
“Every person in this room is a peer of my realm,”Noctornoreplied.
Well then.
There you go.
Dad seethed, “That’s franklyoutrageous!”
“I suggest you collect yourself,” the king advised.
Dad-not-Dad swung a pointed finger our way and shouted,“They aren’t even of this—”
I got tense.
I felt Mom’s hand jump.
I also felt Loren get tense beside me.
And Edgar started choking.
As in, a fit of coughing that was deep and guttural and hurtjust to hear.It did this to me, and I didn’t like the guy.
“Get him water,” the queen bid softly.
Someone rushed to Edgar with a glass of water, but he lashedout, the tumbler went flying, water splashing all over the marble floor, theglass shattering, and he’d gotten himself together enough to state, “I will beheard!And they areliars!Swindlers!Frauds!Theydo not even come from this—”
He started choking again, worse than before.
But something struck me when he did it this time.
Because…
Oh my gods.
Was this…?
I sat forward and looked toward Mom.
She sat forward and looked toward me.
We turned back to Edgar when he tried to force out, “Theyare from a—”
Gasps all around, including from me, when a bubble of bloodbloomed from his mouth.
“My word,” Aunt Mary murmured in horror.
“Call a physician,” the king bid.
But Dad-not-Dad was now opening and closing his mouth, noblood coming forth, however his eyes were bugging out.
I wondered if he was choking, but he stood still, calm(ish), and it hit me that he was moving his mouth like hewas trying to speak.
However, no words were coming out.
