My breath was ragged, and there were dark circles pooling beneath my eyes, but I cared little for how mad I probably seemed to the twelve clueless men blinking back at me. Changing out my stained tunic wouldn’t bring Naria back any faster. Neither would shaving the rough stubble from my jaw.
“Sire?” Sir James spoke gently. “Perhaps, if I may, we could consider holding another meeting tomorrow, once you’ve had some rest?” He wrung his hands together. “There are some… rumours bubbling around about you being unwell?”
I scoffed out a laugh.
“Maybe a good night’s sleep will help you?” he went on,voice weak. “After all, I’m sure the Queen of Ryntook would feel more comfortable continuing to host us all if—”
“Queen Cora is the only person willing to help me,” I cut him off.
“Yes, but the only entrance we know of to the faery kingdom is many, many miles from here.” He nudged his glasses up. “It would be unreasonable to ask the Ryntook royal family to provide you with an army of their own. Especially considering they barely have enough soldiers left to protect their own borders. As Queen Cora said, the oceans have been ravenous these past years.”
Or my aunt and the other merfolk freaks had, but I kept that thought to myself.
“So if I order a rider to be sent to Drothmore tonight,” I dug my palms into the table, “you will stop him from leaving the palace? Is that what I am hearing?”
“Sire…” Sir James winced.
“I asked you a question!” I boomed. “Will you ignore a direct order from your king?”
Across the room, a rickety chair scraped against the floor. “May I have a moment alone with the king?” a tired voice sighed.
My head whipped towards the speaker. Sir Ewan – my father’s, and now I supposedmy,oldest and most trusted advisor leaned against the table to help him stand.
Not waiting for my response, the other men filed out of the room, exchanging mumbles and odd looks until the door clicked shut and Ewan and I were alone.
“Are you going to tell me what I want to hear?” I scowled. I didn’t have time for a lecture, and while this oldman may have once been like a grandfather, right now, he was just another advisor-shaped obstacle.
Ewan frowned. “I’m going to tell you what you need to hear.”
I tsked.
“Forget the girl,” he said sternly. “She’s a distraction. You’ve not been yourself since the day your father brought her into the palace. And while we indulged your whims with her kingdom, now she’s run off, we won’t let you chase her.”
“She didn’t run off,” I snarled.
“We all saw her at the Oceans Ball,” he sighed. “She was all over that man, fae or not.”
“That wasn’t real. He tricked her.”
“And she told you that, did she?” He hobbled closer. “You’re not the first powerful man to be taken advantage of by a desperate woman. Pretty women tell pretty lies all the time, my boy. You already gave her a kingdom. What are you going to give her now? You want to lose yours too?”
When he clapped a hand against my shoulder, rage crackled like an incoming storm in my chest.
“Let her go, son.” He leaned closer. “It’s what your father would’ve wanted.”
Lightning struck the side of the palace, making the old man yelp.
“My father is the last person I aspire to be.” My voice was as fierce as the booming thunder outside. “And unless you want to lose your job, you’ll take your hand off my shoulder and not disrupt my meetings again. You’re dismissed, Sir Ewan.” I motioned with my chin towards the door.
Ewan’s lips parted before he drew his hand away, andnodded slowly. But before he left, he glanced once more at the now-clear sky outside, and then back to me, his eyes narrowing as if piecing something together.
“If you have more to say then speak, damn it,” I hissed at him.
The man studied me for a moment before huffing out a scratchy laugh. “Forgive me,Your Majesty.” He spoke with a glint in his eye. “But one wonders why you would need an army when it appears you already have everything you need to save her.” He glanced at the window again pointedly.
My breath stilled. Once again, something roared in my chest, my fingers crackling with the power I couldn’t stand.
“You know nothing,” I breathed.
