Chapter 21 #3
He grinned. “Well, if our presence woke the gods, I’m sure we would’ve won them over with our stunning personalities.”
I laughed. “I was thinking last night that your interest in the tunnels almost feels like divine intervention.”
“It does feel that way, doesn’t it?”
I nodded. A few moments passed, and I peeked over at him. He was quiet as he picked through the fruit, handing me a plump grape and then a dewy slice of melon. “I know we have to talk. You don’t have to delay it any longer.”
“We do.” Leaning back in his chair, he dragged his teeth over his lower lip as he continued rooting through the fruit.
“Something I didn’t go into a lot of detail on this morning was something my father shared with me last night.
Every member of the Guards of the Crown, from here to Evaemon, are being checked for possible involvement or knowledge of what the others were doing. ”
“Have others been discovered?” I asked.
“None believed to have been directly involved so far,” he said as I took the strawberry he offered, and he picked up a piece of roasted meat for himself.
“But there have been a few who suspected that something was going on with those working with Alastir. And some expressed concern about your presence.”
“Well that isn’t that surprising, is it?”
“Not really, but it leaves me wondering exactly how much they truly knew of what the others planned.” His fingers folded around his glass. “My father even believes that the ones involved with the attack may have spoken openly with those who weren’t, basically infecting others with their nonsense.”
Alastir’s and the other’s beliefs and words truly were like an infection, but was it one that could be cured?
As we ate, I thought of those who had first attacked me.
“The people who were at the Chambers?” I said, and Casteel stilled for a moment before picking up a napkin and wiping his fingers clean.
“Once they realized what I was, one of them asked the gods to forgive them.”
A cruel, tight smile formed over the rim of his glass as he took a drink. “They won’t.”
“I…I hope they do.”
His brows lifted. “That is too kind of you, Poppy.”
“They didn’t kill me—”
“They wanted to.”
“Thanks for the unnecessary reminder.”
“It sounds like a very necessary reminder,” he replied flatly.
I resisted the urge to throw the piece of cheese I held. “Just because I hope they’re not wasting away in the Abyss for all eternity doesn’t mean I’m okay with what they tried to do to me.”
“Well, I do.”
I ignored that. “They were obviously very misinformed.”
“So?”
“What I’m trying to say is they weren’t like Alastir or Jansen or those who wore the Descenter masks.
Their minds were made up. Nothing was going to change that.
” I tossed the piece of cheese onto the platter.
“But the ones at the Chambers? The others who may have known something was going on, or have concerns? Whatever opinions they’ve formed can be changed.
It’s not a…fatal infection. They’re not the mindless Gyrms or the Craven. ””
“Sounds pretty fatal to me,” he commented.
I took a shallow breath. “If the people in the Chambers had changed their minds before it was too late and they had survived, I wouldn’t want to see them killed now.”
Casteel opened his mouth as he lowered his glass to the cream-hued linen covering the table.
“I know what you’re going to say. You would see them killed.
I would see them given a second chance if they were misled.
And after ,” I stressed, “they were punished appropriately. It’s obvious they were taught or…
indoctrinated into this way of thinking.
And those who may have known what the others were involved in?
The ones who have concerns now? That can be changed. ”
He eyed me as he dragged his fingers over the rim of his glass. “You really believe that?”
“Yes. I do. People can’t be killed simply because they have concerns.
That is something the Ascended would do,” I told him.
“And if we believe that people aren’t able to change the way they think and what they believe or how they behave, then what is the point of giving the Ascended a chance to change their ways?
What would be the point of hoping for change in anything? ”
“Touché,” he murmured, tipping his glass to me.
“You don’t believe that people are capable of change?” I asked.
“I do,” he admitted. “I just don’t care if they are if they’re the people who’ve harmed you.”
“Oh.” I picked up another small cube of cheese.
That wasn’t exactly surprising to hear. I moved onto something we really hadn’t discussed, not even when it was brought up with Jasper.
“Well, you need to start caring. I don’t want people killed because they don’t trust me or like me. I don’t want to be a part of that.”
“You’re asking me to care about those who potentially had knowledge of those who have not only betrayed me but also betrayed you,” he countered quietly. “I believe the technical term would be that they committed treason against me and you.”
“Yes, but having beliefs or concerns that have not been acted upon does not immediately equal treason. If there is evidence that they were aware and did nothing, they should, at the very least, have a trial. Or is Atlantia no different than Solis when it comes to due process?”
“Atlantia believes in due process, but there are exceptions. Namely—you guessed it—treason.”
“Still, if people have been misled, they should be given the chance to redeem themselves, Cas.”
His eyes flared an intense shade of amber. “You’re not playing fair, Princess, knowing how much I love hearing you call me that.”
The corners of my lips curved up just the faintest bit.
He tsked softly. “Already wrapping me around your finger.”
I fought the smile. “I’ll only wrap you around my finger if you agree with me.”
Casteel laughed at that. “I agree,” he stated. “ But …my condition is that I agree to hear them speak—to state their case. They’re going to have to be really convincing if they have any hope of surviving.”
My shout of victory died a little before it reached my lips. “I don’t like your condition.”
“Too bad.”
I narrowed my eyes.
“Sorry,” he demurred, not even sounding remotely apologetic. “What I meant to say is that we’re compromising between our two wants. I’m meeting you halfway here. I am giving them a chance.”
I wasn’t sure what chance he was giving, but this was a…compromise. It was also a definite improvement. “Okay. Then I will meet you in the middle.”
“You should since you’re practically getting what you wanted,” he remarked with a grin.
I kind of was, but I wasn’t confident that many would be able to convince him.
Casteel was quiet for a long moment. “And I am serious about giving people a second chance. To allow them to prove that they will not be a concern to us . But if they act upon their feelings, or I suspect they will, I cannot promise I won’t intercede in a non-violent manner.”
“As long as your suspicion is rooted in evidence and not emotion, I can agree with that.”
His lips twisted into a half-smile. “Look at us, agreeing on who to kill and who not to.”
I shook my head. “Which is a conversation I truly never expected to take part in.”
“But you’re so good at it,” Casteel murmured.
I snorted as I toyed with the stem of my glass. “Well, hopefully, it won’t come to that.”
“I hope the same.”
“What about Alastir’s or Jansen’s family?”
“Jansen didn’t have any family still alive, and Alastir’s living members have been contacted or are in the process of being notified of his involvement,” he said. “I don’t believe we will have any problems with them, especially when they learn what happened to Beckett.”
A sharp slice in my chest accompanied the mention of the young wolven’s name. Then I thought of Alastir’s great-niece. “What about Gianna? Since he hoped you’d marry her, do you think she could also be involved in this?”
“To be honest, I can’t answer that for sure. I haven’t seen Gianna in years. When I knew her, she was strong-willed and kind of did her own thing. But she would be a virtual stranger to me now,” he explained. “She isn’t here, by the way.”
“Hmm?” I murmured, attempting to appear disinterested in that little piece of knowledge.
Casteel smiled at me, and the dimple winked into existence. Apparently, I hadn’t been that convincing. “I asked Kirha when I saw her this morning. Gianna’s in Evaemon.”
I was a little relieved, but also strangely disappointed. I wanted to see her. I didn’t even know why.
“There’s something else we need to talk about before we inevitably meet with my parents.” Casteel finished off his glass, and having a feeling of where this was going, I tensed. “We need to discuss your claim to the throne.”
It felt like the floor rolled under my chair as I swallowed. A ball of uncertainty rested heavily in my stomach.
Casteel set his empty glass down and leaned back in his chair as he studied me.
“You have the blood of the gods in you, Poppy. How much and what that truly means is unknown, but what is clear is that the kingdom is yours. Alastir knew it. My mother recognized it. And despite what my father said about her reacting with emotion, he realizes what it means. The bonds with the wolven breaking and shifting to you is further confirmation. The Atlantians you saw on the street when we entered Saion’s Cove?
Many who saw what the wolven did were confused, but word of what you are has already begun to spread.
It will reach the capital before too long, especially if the Elders have been contacted. ”
“Do you…do you know what has been said about the trees of Aios? I’m sure it was noticed.”
“It was. From what my father said, the people see it as a sign of great change.”
“Not something bad?”