Chapter 1 The Voiceless King
The Voiceless King
The Ever Kingdom, twenty turns earlier
It was a wretched thing to realize the boy meant to be the prize of the Ever was made of weakness. Worse was knowing he did not need to be. No, the heir of the Ever Seas had all the potential to rise even more brutal and formidable than myself.
The moment his sea voice was revealed, I knew this heir could be a legendary king. With my own voice never shaping beyond tidecalling and summoning, my reign had been one of brutality, spent proving my right to wear the blood crown through strength and cunning.
The boy would do the same, but with his ability to poison, well, he would be a limb in my legacy of power. I already removed any threat standing in his way of claiming the blood crown, or so I thought.
Seemed I missed the largest threat of them all.
Right here, within my own palace.
My jaw tightened the longer I observed the cove. From the window, I could make out Oline—the mate I’d taken for a strategic purpose—splashing about in the shallow waters with the boy, laughing, playing.
Each sound grated over my flesh like a dull blade.
The boy was four turns and had little desire to please me. No. The heir desired her approval, her affection. Her love.
Oline was a beautiful sea witch, stunning with her vibrant sea foam eyes and skin like the sands of her cove. She had been affectionate, obedient, and pious as my royal mate before the heir was born.
Since his arrival, her spine had straightened and my word was always questioned. The woman thought she knew best on how to bring up the heir. She insisted, actually insisted, he would be taught compassion. Oline had some twisted belief a gentle heart would make him a greater king.
I shuddered at the thought.
A compassionate Ever King? The kingdom would fall to ruin and my line would be the shame of the seas. But what aggravated me most was no one, certainly not a mate who’d long ago fulfilled her purpose, demanded anything from an Ever King.
The heir would be raised in the traditions of the Ever, not in some glittering womanly dream where love and hope blotted out the brutality of this kingdom. She was a fool. One sign of weakness and my bloodline would be devoured.
This corruption needed to end. Trouble with ridding my court of such an influence came from Oline’s connections.
As the only daughter of the most powerful sea witch, forcing her away from my heir the way Harald had done with his mate, was not so simple.
Oline would never take coin, what use would she have of it?
She’d never leave the boy.
But Lady Narza had power even I did not wish to trifle with, certainly not to lose the influence of the mantle she’d offered my house by taking Oline as a mate.
With the gift Narza bestowed my bloodline, I vowed my hands would do no harm to Oline.
The Lady of Witches never said harm could not befall her daughter at the hands of another.
Perhaps I was a fiend, but I could not see another way to save my legacy from shame. For the sake of the Ever, for the sake of the heir, today I would destroy the compassion my mate had planted in his heart.
I peeled away from the window and stormed into the corridor. Two guards stood outside the door.
“Fetch the mate,” I snapped. “I must speak with her.”
Chatter out in the hallway signaled her approach. I stretched my fingers, then curled them into fists. Much the same as she coddled the heir, Oline treated servants like they were not here to cater to the royal house. She was a plague of goodness. It needed to end.
When the door unlatched, I schooled the tension of my face into something cool, unfeeling.
“Thorvald.” Oline’s voice was sweet, but beneath it was a touch of venom. “You called for me?”
I clasped my hands behind my back. She did not falter beneath my gaze, merely crossed her slender arms over her chest, chin lifted. Always defiance with this damn woman.
“Where have you left the heir?”
Her lip curled. “I left Erik, our son, with Alistair. We will be leaving for the House of Mists on the morrow. My mother craves a visit from her grandson, and frankly, I crave a visit with her. Alistair is helping him pack his satchel.”
“You did not ask if you could take my heir.”
“I do not need to ask to take our son to his grandmother.” Oline tilted her head to one side.
“You know, Thorvald, if you would make an attempt to open your heart to our boy, I think you’d find these ridiculous fears you try to hide about his ability to lead the Ever would all be for naught.
He is strong, intelligent, and will be a just king.
Why can you not see it? I don’t think you even try. ”
“Ah, but I have tried, Oline. Unfortunately, all I see is a spoiled, entirely ordinary boy who cannot even kill a fish.”
“Because you force him to be cruel!” she shouted.
“If you explained it is how he can test his voice, he might be more willing, but you force him to harm creatures when he does not understand why. He already carries such loyalty to the Ever and sees all its creatures as part of that kingdom he loves. It will be his greatest strength, that honor and loyalty, but you continually try to twist it into—”
Oline’s words choked off in a scream when the back of my hand struck her across the cheek.
I’d honored the agreement with her mother during our time together. Doubtless, the stun on her face was proof enough I’d never been violent with the mate. Such promises no longer mattered. Before she had time to steady herself, I yanked on Oline’s hair, tilting her face back.
Her face was speckled in red splotches from my strike, but her eyes burned like dark fire.
“You have my thanks for giving an heir to the Ever, but you are no longer needed. In fact, you’ve become a hindrance to the progression of our kingdom. Some might see that as treason, Oline.”
Her vibrant eyes widened. “Thorvald, what are you doing?”
“Making that boy into the king my legacy deserves.”
She screamed and fought when I dragged her by her hair out of the royal chambers. The two guards standing watch at my door looked at the royal mate with a touch of horror. One man nearly stumbled when I shoved Oline into his arms.
“Take Lady Oline to the gardens. Secure her there, with blades if you must. I will not be long.”
The man swallowed thickly, cast a wary glance at my mate, then dipped his chin. “Aye, Highness. Come along, Lady.”
“Thorvald,” Oline shouted, voice broken. “Don’t you touch him. Thorvald, please, leave him.”
Her knees buckled, tears coated her cheeks, but the guards held firm and half walked, half dragged her toward the private gardens she’d spent so many days tending and growing with the heir. The moment the door cut off her pleas, I turned and made my way to the boy’s chamber.
Today would prove if he was a king in the making or an utter disappointment.
“I wanna, um, I wanna take that one ‘cause Grandmaj likes ‘em, Ali.”
“Alistair, my young prince.” Alistair sniffed, his long nose in the air, but placed a large coral shell into a satchel with too much affection in his expression for the heir. “And I think the Lady of Witches will appreciate such a find.”
The heir giggled with delight. Pathetic.
The boy had a bit of blood in his eyes like mine, the sharpened teeth for brutality, but his hair had grown lighter than the inky shade of my own. His expressions favored Oline and he had little instinct other than beautiful things and playing the days away.
I stepped into his bedchamber. “Leave us, Alistair.”
The old fae jolted. His rounded middle drew in like he held a long breath. “My King.” The steward dipped his chin. “I did not see you.”
“Leave us,” I repeated.
Alistair looked back at the heir once, gave the boy a small smile, then bowed at the waist before striding past me.
“Papa.” The boy kept his gaze pointed at the floor. “You comin’ wif us to Grandmaj?”
“No one will be going to the House of Mists from now on.” I lifted the shell he’d planned to gift Lady Narza. The urge to crush it on the ground was there, but I refrained, setting the shell back on the satin coverlets of his small bed. “Come with me to the gardens.”
A touch of curiosity brightened his eyes. “Maj said we was gonna play seek and find. Wanna play, Papa?”
“No, and you’ll do as you're told when we arrive, am I understood?”
The boy flinched, but after a pause gave a small nod.
Together we entered the corridor. No words were spoken as we walked, not until we passed my brother, Harald, and his son.
The heir could not contain his excitement at the sight of his cousin.
“Tay!” The boy practically squealed. “We’re goin’ to the gardens and playin’ seek and find.”
My nephew grinned. “I wanna go. Think Auntie Oline’ll hide those sweet cakes again?”
The heir gawked like he’d never even thought of such a thing. “Hope so.”
“Tait’s gone and gotten all gangly, my boy.” Harald ruffled his son’s dark hair until Tait snickered and pushed away his father’s hand. “You’ll find him in an instant.”
I stepped between the heir and his uncle. “No games today, brother.”
Harald sobered. We shared features, but he was broader and shorter and never gave up the cruelty he kept inside. Only to me. To the kingdom he was the softer brother. But I knew better. Harald Songtaker kept his violence for the shadows.
One day, I had no doubt, his cruelty would break free and no one would be able to stop it. I could hardly stand the wait.
“All right, Thorvald?”
“All will be well.” I nudged the heir in front of me, disregarded Harald’s boy, and kept moving forward. “We will speak soon enough.”
I said nothing more and led the heir to the back doors where the sprawling, fragrant gardens had always been his sanctuary. After today, I hoped they would summon violence and rage. As though on instinct, the boy began humming and touching the velvet leaves of blooms and vines.