Page 22 of Crownless Heirs

That got Callan moving. He took the stairs slowly, step by step, watching Maelan carefully, as if he was dissecting him.

“Why her?” Callan pressed. “Why an outsider? If you can make me understand, I can make everyone else understand.”

Maelan was waving his hands as he spoke, as if that might help untangle the mess in his head.

“I was minding my damn business, Callan. I was in the forest when she literally stumbled into me.” He scoffed, shaking his head. “She’s more God than she knows, but her aura shines like pure sunlight. You’ve seen it too, haven’t you?”

He gestured to the room, as if it could somehow contain the magnitude of her presence.

“Mortals can’t see it, but we can.”

Callan remained silent, watching.

“She’s extraordinary.”

The words just fell out of his mouth, but they were the truth.

“I had to know why a God was walking around the mortal realm, dressing like one, acting like one.” And then she kept surprising me. She’s connected to all this destruction. The darkness that here—calls to her, but I don’t know why yet. What I know is that she’s important.”

Maelan turned away, gripping the edge of the throne. His fingers curled too tightly.

“And I can’t let her go.”

A long silence hung between them. Then, Callan sighed and rested a firm hand on Maelan’s shoulder. “I think it’s more than that.”

Maelan swallowed, not answering because Callan was right. There was more.

“Am I doing the right thing here, Callan?” His voice dropped, as if speaking the words too loudly might make them real. “I think she’ll make a great queen. I’d never ask if I didn’t believe she’d lay her life down for our people. But for gods’ sake,” he dragged a hand down his face, shaking his head, “she thought I was a pet.”

Callan froze. Then he burst out laughing. “You let yourself be treated as a pet?! Maelan, are you serious?!”

“That never leaves this room,” Maelan snapped, leveling him with a deadly glare. “I swear, Callan, if you breathe a word of this, I will tie you up and leave you to be eaten by the riddle tree.”

But Callan was already gone, bent over, clutching his stomach, laughter rolling out of him in wheezes. “You! Oh gods, you slept at her feet?! Did you eat from a bowl?! How about a belly rub?”

Then Callan’s eyes lit up, and he could barely keep himself together. “Maelan, did you… please tell me you didn’t use a box!”

Maelan turned bright red, mortified. “No, I didn’t, Callan! I have some dignity!”

Callan couldn’t stop laughing. He tried, he really did, but every time he looked at Maelan’s face, it sent him wheezing all over again. Maelan had enough. He punched Callan’s arm.

“Ow! What the fuck, Maelan?!” Callan yelped, still laughing as he rubbed his arm.

So he punched Maelan back. That was all it took. Suddenly, they were chasing each other around the throne, taking wild swings. Maelan vaulted over a small table. Callan tripped over it, sending it crashing to the floor in a spectacular mess.

“Too bad you’re too Slo—”Maelan started right before Callan punched him straight in the stomach.

As Callan’s laughter reverberated through the throne room, Maelan doubled over.

Just then the doors to the throne opened and Kyron walked into the room.

Callan straightened, his face cold as he spoke “What do you think your doing in here?”

Callan began to approach Kyron when Maelan grabbed him by the shoulder. “It’s okay, Can you give us a moment?”

Callan started to object, but Maelan’s glare indicated the matter wasn’t open for discussion. With a slow nod, he made his exit.

Maelan sat on the step before the throne and suspiciously eyed Kyron as the doors shut. “Why have you come here?