25. Night God #2
Germaine started to say something, but Allain spoke first.
“Excellent. On your way out, will you tell Nata we’re ready for her?”
Red hit her cheeks. “ The king was staunch in his demand.”
“Then he can take it up with the prince. The prince is always staunch in his decisions. They can battle it out. You have a royal statement to release. You do your job and allow us to carry on with our afternoon’s business,” Allain retorted.
After she shot Allain a venomous look, I worried my lip as she flounced out.
Then I went to sit down beside Allain .
“I don’t feel good about this,” I told him.
“Never you mind, Mistress Laura ,” he replied.
I was minding very much as the door opened and Nata came in.
She was very pretty.
But now, there was no attitude. She seemed nervous and guarded.
“Come and have a seat, Nata ,” I invited. She did that, and I asked, “ Would you like some water or coffee or tea?”
“I’m good,” she said.
“Excellent,” I mumbled, and turned to Allain because he’d started each interview.
He raised his brows.
Okay then, I guessed it was me who was going to start this one.
I also knew why it was me.
Nothing for it, I got into it.
I turned to her. “ Perhaps we should first dispense with the elephant in the room.”
“You know,” she whispered.
“It’s of no consequence,” I stated. “ However , I have some say in what’s happening in this room and the being I’ll select to work with Aleksei , Allain and me. What I have no say in is what happens at the Catalogues .”
She lowered her gaze. “ Right .”
Yes, she’d seen the writing on the wall.
“I’ve looked at your résumé, and your role evaluations, which are all stellar,” I said.
Her chin lifted. “ I like what I do.”
“You can tell. You don’t really have the, erm…well…experience we’re searching for in regard to this position, but it’s my understanding detail is essential to the work you do,” I guided her to fighting for it, if she wanted it.
“As an intern, I was second assistant to the head curator at the Musée Histoire de Guerre for six term breaks during uni. That means this work spanned two years. Yes , I was second, and it was only for what amounted to six months. But the curator has a staff of nearly thirty, and she was working on an exhibit that had items from thirteen different realms the first year I was there, and another huge one on Pre - Unification weapons the second. It was busy. A lot was expected of me. I had important responsibilities. She wrote me a stellar reference, and I’m certain would do so again. ”
“I’m sure,” I replied.
“She wanted to hire me after I graduated. I got the offer from the Catalogues , the enchanted moonstone of working in my field, so I took that instead.”
Well, it was good to know, if she decided to move on, she might have somewhere to move on to.
But it sucked that it wouldn’t be her first choice.
“And I’m young,” she went on, clearly having given this some thought.
She glanced at Allain then back to me. “ But I don’t feel my age is a detriment.
Yes , there are things I’ll have to learn, but I’m quick, and it’s a personal goal for me to do my job well, pull my weight but also take initiative.
So instead of my age and inexperience being a detriment, I believe I’ll provide energy, fresh outlooks and an understanding of different generations of the citizenry of Night’s Fall that will be beneficial to you.
Not that you aren’t of my generation,” she said hurriedly (this was true, though she was younger, being twenty-seven).
“ It’s just that”—another quick glance at Allain —“things can be a bit stuffy and outdated. I looked at the numbers, and nearly ninety percent of people aged thirty-five and younger feel the king is out of touch.”
She scooched to the edge of her seat, now animated.
“What you did today, with his royal highness, was very brave. And if you don’t mind me saying so, I personally think very beautiful. I’m not sure how the males will react to it, but many females have been conned by—” she cut herself off.
“I understand,” I said quietly.
She squared her shoulders and got over it.
Good for her.
“We felt for her,” she said. “ It’s all over the tapes. And there were some who were getting upset that it wasn’t made clear that she was also a victim in that mess, and she paid the most of anyone,” she continued.
“We do have a PR Director , leading a rather large team, who guides the royals in such issues,” Allain put in.
Nata sat back, now seeming dejected. “ I know. I didn’t mean to infer I’d overstep my bounds.”
“Actually,” I said, “ I’m new to this too.
It’s already been a ton of learning, and it’ll be more.
No matter who’s selected for this role, I’ll be relying heavily on his highness, and Allain , and so will she.
I take your point. The prince and Allain are old hands at this, they know it inside and out, but fresh perspectives never hurt. ”
She brightened.
“It must be asked, considering your field of study and the work you now do, would it not be a disappointment to shift gears like this?” I inquired.
She stared a second before she glanced meaningfully around Allain’s office and came back to me.
“I haven’t had very much time to think about it.
I’ve always had a passion for history, but it’s never occurred to me I might have some small part in making it.
Since Allain approached me, I keep asking myself that same question, Mistress Laura .
But every time I think about it, all I can think is that it would be exciting.
” She gave me a tentative smile. “ And the hike in salary would mean I’d be in a position to buy my own flat in a year, rather than the three my current saving schedule would allow. ”
Future-thinking. Thoughtful with her money. Considered . Forthright . Ambitious .
All right then.
“Okay, now, I’ll turn it over to Allain , who can describe some of the duties involved and we can chat about them,” I said.
We did this for half an hour, but I’d already made my decision before Allain even got started.
If we could get around the king, I wanted Nata to be my aide.
She had just over four hours to prepare for an important interview, and she made it clear she used them well.
She spoke her mind. She wanted the job and let that be known.
And she was right. Instead of the two of us bumbling along, she was sharp, motivated, would help me forge my path, but as she and Allain spoke, she gave clear indication she respected him, was eager to learn from him, and would defer to his experience when necessary.
When we were winding down, a sharp knock sounded at the door, and then it opened.
Aleksei strode in.
We all rose. We all curtsied (well, Allain bowed).
Aleksei ignored this, came right to me and kissed my cheek when I rose.
“Hello, darling,” he greeted.
“Hey,” I replied.
He turned to Nata . “ Nata , lovely to see you.”
At first, she gawped.
She got it together, bobbed and replied, “ You as well, your highness.”
“Allain,” he said last.
“Your royal highness,” Allain replied.
“I’m sorry to interrupt. I thought you’d be done,” Aleksei said to me.
“We were just finishing up,” I told him.
“I’ll return some text comms while you do that,” he murmured, kissed my cheek again, and then went to an armchair in Allain’s huge office. He sat, crossed his legs and pulled out his Palm .
Seriously, just sitting in an armchair returning texts, he was gorgeous.
We finished up, and I walked Nata to the door personally.
“We’ll make a decision soon,” I promised her.
“Great and… Mistress Laura ?”
“Yes?”
“Thank you,” she said very quietly but with deep meaning.
“I’m glad I got the chance to know you better,” I replied.
She nodded and walked out.
The minute the door closed on her, Aleksei requested, “ Allain , may we have your office for a few minutes?”
“Already leaving,” Allain replied, and he was. He stopped at me. “ I can work with Nata , I believe very well.”
He was impressed too.
I was thrilled we agreed.
I nodded.
He left.
I turned and gave out a little scream because Aleksei was right there.
“I’ve called a family meeting,” he announced.
Terrific.
Ugh.
I was about to say something, but it was then I saw the banked amethyst fire burning behind the stars in his midnight eyes.
So what I said instead was a soothing, “ Aleksei .”
“Do you know the story of the first True Heir ?” he asked.
Oh hells.
“Honey,” I whispered, because I did. Everyone in Night’s Fall did.
He launched in anyway.
“There was no king. We were still a clan. The Starknight clan. But the chieftain was a despot. The beings were suffering greatly under his rule. Due to the strength of his dragon, he was unbeatable. As such, he had absolute power. And he wielded it viciously. Entire tribes were wiped out. Beings starved while he feasted. He executed anyone who didn’t agree with him. ”
“ Drahko .”
“Everyone looked to his son to end their plight. He also had a powerful dragon, but not powerful enough to defeat his father. He despaired for his beings. So much, he left the Clan Caves , and as an act of sacrifice, on horseback rather than flying, he embarked on the treacherous journey to this very isle to beg the Night God to intervene. The Night God heard his pleas and infused in him the power of all the skies, this magic showing in his eyes. His dragon had vulnerable sheet wings hued blue. With this magic, he had webbed wings of purple. His dragon was handsome. With this magic, deadly spikes protruded from his head, down his spine and along his tail. His claws grew sharp as razors. He returned to the Caves and challenged his sire. He killed the king, took the throne, and the people knew abundance and harmony again.”
“Aleksei.”
“We discussed it and made our decision this morning, Laura . It was a considered decision. And in the end, the right one.”
He’d been moved as well about the response of Naylyn’s family.
“Yes, however?—”
His tone was deteriorating, and a little of the Aleksei who lost it on me the night of the gallery sparked through.
Okay.
This wasn’t good.
“I warned them,” he reminded me.
“Maybe we should?—”
“They do not trouble my mate.”
I stopped trying to calm him down.
He took my hand in a firm grip.
“Come, love, it’s time for my father to meet the True Heir .”
I wasn’t certain what that meant, considering his father had a hand in creating that True Heir .
But still…
Farg .