Chapter 24
“Where the fuck is he?” Quinn whispered, sitting on Ava’s left.
They were seated in the opulent dining hall, ivory curtains billowing in the breeze of the open windows. A crystal chandelier hung above them, glittering with thousands of tiny gems. The light wooden table stretched across the room atop a cream-colored rug. They were the only ones there.
They’d been waiting for half an hour and King Orion had yet to show up.
“This is just like him,” Casimir murmured from Ava’s right.
“Do you have something to say, brother?” Jareth chided from across the table.
Casimir glowered at his brother. “It’s disrespectful to your guests to show up late for a meal.”
“That would matter if the guests were important,” Orion’s voice boomed from the doorway, his wife quiet beside him.
Ava tensed as she turned to Casimir’s father, dressed in the colors of his kingdom. A gilded crown embedded with diamonds sat atop his blond hair. His gaze paused on Ava, scrutinizing her with the same golden eyes as Casimir.
His wife wore a flaxen gown, the glow of the chandelier causing the beading woven through the skirts to glimmer as she moved.
Everyone, aside from Jareth, rose from their seats, bowing and curtseying their greetings.
“Your Majesty,” Ava said, dipping her head.
Orion barely dipped his in return as he strode to the head of the table and took his seat. Seraphina took her place to his left, across from Quinn. She didn’t say a word, just like at the ball.
Ava addressed the queen. “It’s nice to see you, Your Majesty.”
Seraphina studied her. “It’s nice to see you as well, Your Highness.”
Orion snapped his fingers at a nearby servant. “Where is dinner? You should be setting our plates before us already.”
Ava picked up her crystal goblet and took a sip of wine, trying to hide her shaking hands. In Saxumdale, it had been considered rude to talk about war over dinner and they’d waited until dessert. But she didn’t know the rules here. No one had explained them.
Minutes later, the first course was set before them.
A boiled egg in an elevated cup with a sprig of some type of greenery on it.
The egg was so small, it would only take two bites to eat.
Ava’s stomach growled, missing the hearty meals back in Mosshaven.
Maybe the next course would be more filling.
“So, Ava,” Orion began, setting his fork down. “Since Thorne couldn’t be bothered to seek my help himself, and wasn’t very forthcoming in his letter, why are you here?”
Ava cleared her throat. “My brother is busy overseeing the safety of Monterre.” She almost added a sarcastic remark about reminding him they were in the middle of a war, but knew it would do her no good. “As for why we’re here…First—”
Orion cut her off. “Start with the archives. You need access. Why?”
Ava looked to Jorrar, who said, “The book Ava’s grandfather left for her has been able to teach us how to create and use portals. However, there is a section at the end in an ancient language. We need it translated.”
Orion assessed Jorrar closely. “First thing in the morning, someone will escort you to the archives. What else?”
The first course was removed and the next was placed in front of them. The smallest salad Ava had ever seen. She tried not to groan at the measly portions.
“Something is not right with Deidamia and Andras,” Jorrar said.
Ava studied Orion, gauging his reaction and trying to determine if he knew anything.
Orion took a bite of salad, mulling over Jorrar’s words. “Explain.”
“Andras killed Deidamia,” Jorrar said bluntly.
Jareth’s eyes widened in surprise. But Orion didn’t seem phased in the least.
“How do you know this?” he asked, almost bored.
Jorrar gestured to Ava and Casimir. “They saw it happen.”
Orion pinned Ava with a piercing stare. “How?”
Ava had already finished her salad, hands now in her lap. “We watched him rip her heart from her chest.”
“When? Where?”
“When we were helping another kingdom get their home back.” She emphasized the word ‘helping’ as she looked at him pointedly. “It was in Igneothenia. A couple of weeks ago.”
“Did anyone else witness this?”
“One of our captains, Raine, and the general of Igneothenia’s armies.”
“Who else knows?”
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.
“Your Majesty.” Orion didn’t acknowledge her as he continued to eat. “We need your help in this war. Even with the combined armies of the three other kingdoms, we don’t have enough forces.”
He didn’t say anything. Jorrar gave her an encouraging nod.
“They have made creatures that can nullify magical abilities. They were also able to open a temporary portal and brought more forces in before it closed.”
That got his attention. His eyes snapped to hers. “And how did this happen?”
“At their camp. We were there and unfortunately, Andras got a hold of my blood. Luckily it wasn’t a strong enough portal to last long. But it was enough to cause issues.”
“Why were you there?” Jareth asked. “Are you so reckless you would put yourself in that situation? And you’re asking for our help?”
Temper barely contained, she snapped. “I was saving your brother’s life…after he was kidnapped and tortured for almost a month. Just like I was. Maybe if you were willing to help in the first place, these things wouldn’t have happened.”
Jareth went still, surprisingly silent, but Orion radiated fury. “Your manners are still abysmal, Your Highness. Demanding our help when your general obviously can’t do his job and needs to be rescued.”
“That general is your son,” Ava seethed through her teeth. “How could you be so callous you wouldn’t even care to help your own family? Do you have any idea what we’ve all been dealing with down there the last few months? Of course you don’t—”
“Enough.” Orion stood from his seat, Seraphina following. “I’m done with your impropriety. Search the archives for whatever you need, but tonight’s dinner is over.”
He was gone from the room before anyone had a chance to respond.
Ava released a groan and put her head in her hands. They would never get him to agree to help. She would try every day while they were here searching their libraries, but she wasn’t hopeful.
Casimir put a hand on her shoulder, his thumb swiping back and forth. “This is going much worse than I expected,” she muttered.
Quiet laughter came from Jareth.
“Have something you’d like to say?” Ava asked.
“Honestly, that was the most entertaining dinner I’ve had in a long time. No one ever talks back to him. And you doing exactly that was quite amusing. Are you always this insolent?”
Ava threw her napkin down. “I’m running out of patience. War isn’t looming anymore. It’s here. We don’t have time for your father’s pride to get in the way.”
He shrugged, then pointed at Casimir. “I assumed you would be the one causing problems. That we’d be in a fist fight before the night is over.”