Casimir gripped his fork. “All the leaders and those who need to.”
“Next course!” Orion barked, his booming voice causing Ava to jump.
The staff hurried to remove the plates and moments later brought in a small bowl of what appeared to be plain broth.
“…the fuck is this?” Quinn whispered under her breath.
Ava bit her lip to keep from laughing and took a sip of soup. It tasted like barely flavored water. This dish was absurd. The whole damned meal was absurd.
As the group ate their third course, Orion spoke again. “Did they say anything? What other information do you have?”
“Not much. Andras had apparently made promises to Deidamia. She was furious we took Igneothenia back. Then she said something about him seeking revenge against his brethren. We don’t know what that means. But it seems Andras was using Deidamia for his own purposes and we must figure out what that is.”
Orion’s face remained impassive, though Ava could have sworn something subtle flashed in his eyes as their soup was removed and replaced with a tiny piece of meat topped with sauce.
Changing tactics, Ava said, “I heard you were good friends with my father.”
Orion’s jaw ticked. “Yes.”
“Do you know why he burned so many of our texts?”
He painstakingly cut a small piece of meat with his fork and knife. Lifting it to his mouth, he chewed slowly, swallowing and taking a sip of wine. Jareth and Seraphina had been silent the whole meal. Not helpful in the least.
“I didn’t know he did that,” Orion said after a few minutes.
Ava stayed quiet, unsure what to say now. She took her own bite of meat and choked it down. It was overcooked and had no flavor.
Ava,Luna spoke into her mind.You seem stressed. What’s going on?
“I’m fine. Orion’s being cagey and this food is terrible. We’re going to starve here.”
Aro said he’ll come maul the king for you if that would help.
“Tell him to calm down. If Cas has to be calm, so does he.”
He said that’s boring.
Ava rolled her eyes.
“Did you just roll your eyes at me?” Orion asked her accusingly.
Ava tensed. She hadn’t even realized she had done that. “No. I apologize. It was Luna. She was talking to me.”
“Luna…” Jareth said, speaking for the first time. “That’s your beast’s name?”
“It is.”
“Where is she?”
“I don’t know. Outside in the forest I suppose.” She turned back to the king. “I’d like to hear about your friendship with my father.”
“I do not see the relevance of this. He would often visit here. We were friends.”
But Ava’s gut told her he was lying. He knew something and wasn’t going to reveal it willingly, especially if it painted him in a bad light. They would have to get creative while they were here to get any information.
The conversation paused as they ate their main course. Dessert was brought out, again something small and flavorless, some type of bland pudding. Frustrated, Ava set down her spoon, refusing to take another bite of the abomination. She could cook much better than whatever this was. Did Orion actually like it?
Dinner was proving to be a disaster, Ava’s first attempt at diplomacy with Caelestia not going at all how she’d hoped.
