Hosting the King #2
“I think what my husband is trying to say is that there are too many humans in power and we need to make sure it doesn’t upset any tenuous balances here.” Luella shares a smirk with Katria. I would expect the Elf King to be insulted by this bold yet playful comment, but he merely smiles.
“If anything, I’m saying that because there are humans in power, we have been able to achieve a balance—a peace—not seen for centuries in this land, and it should be preserved at all costs.” Eldas reaches for his goblet.
“To peace, then.” Katria doesn’t miss an opportunity to toast with the Elf King, and my chest swells with pride.
“To peace,” I echo, joining in. Luella does as well.
“Where will we hold this council?” Katria asks.
“There is a city central to all four kingdoms,” Eldas says.
“The city-state of Evalon,” I surmise.
The Elf King nods. “A neutral ground, central to all. It’s where the councils have been held in the past. I think it should be safe to conduct our business there once more.”
“Four kingdoms?” Katria sets down her goblet. “I thought there were five—elf, fae, vampir, mer, lykin.”
“There hasn’t been a word from the vampir in thousands of years.
” Eldas shakes his head grimly. “The most recent reports say their mountain cities have been found in disrepair, empty. All signs point to the vampir dying off long ago. Which is unfortunate, but unsurprising; they were always weaker than the rest of us.” He sighs.
“Weaker?” Luella asks. She’s a natural healer, so I’m not surprised she’s taken an interest.
“Not physically weaker, magically. The vampir’s magic was strong only around the full moon.
The rest of the month, they had little to spare, which was what led them to be so secluded…
that seclusion seems to have been their downfall,” he says gravely.
“Making it all the more important for those of us remaining to band together.”
“If there was some ill that befell the vampir, we should investigate,” Luella says.
“A matter for the council,” her husband replies.
“Agreed on all fronts.” Katria takes a bite of food, chewing over her thoughts as much as the meat. I can almost feel what she’s going to ask before she asks it. “Is there no possibility that they’re still alive, though? Should we at least try to go searching for them once more?”
Eldas shakes his head. “When the Blood Moon happened months ago, I had hoped for some signs of life. If anything was to be the catalyst for their return, it would have been that. But there has been no change and no word.”
The Blood Moon. According to the astronomers in the new Court of Stars, it is a rare celestial event that happens once every five hundred years. The moon turned, aptly, blood red.
Blood Moon is a terrifying term for something that cast the world in an almost romantic haze.
The memory of Katria laid out under me, outlined in soft pink, flashes before my eyes, stirring a need deep within.
The color was almost the same as the aster crown she wore the first night we danced.
Pink aster for sensitivity and love. Purple for wisdom and royalty.
I had given it to her as a sign of my affection—as the queen I hoped against hope that she could be.
I never imagined that she would become queen in her own right.
“The Blood Moon was once the pinnacle of celebrations for the vampir,” I say; both Luella and Katria hang on my words. “Their festivals were legendary during any full moon, as their powers were incredible, but during the Blood Moon especially so.”
“What would the vampir do with their magic?” Luella asks. “I’ve heard they needed blood.”
“Only a little, according to record. Using it, they would scry into the future or gain other magical insights into a person,” Eldas answers cryptically. “If they were not celebrating the Blood Moon, then all signs point to the vampir having vanished from Midscape long ago.”
“Four kingdoms, then,” Katria says after a moment of consideration. She holds her goblet out to Eldas a second time. My lady, focused and determined to continue diplomacy. “Let us commit to a Council of Kings in the coming years.”
“Indeed.” Eldas toasts her again and they drink.
The rest of the night exceeds all expectations.
By the time Katria rises and takes her leave, my throat is sore from all the discussions I have had with Eldas.
The man can actually be quite talkative once he warms up.
The hall stands with the Fae Queen, bowing their heads to her as she and I depart.
The Elf King and Human Queen take their leave soon after and head in the opposite direction, to the guest wing of the castle.
At one of the tables on the way out, Katria pauses to give her sister a peck on the cheek.
Laura is seated next to Shaye and Giles, across from Hol and Felda.
Even though Katria is the one with fae blood, Laura fits in seamlessly.
She regularly demands to know when Vena will come up with a ritual to allow her to stay permanently in Midscape.
The glass shard around her neck that allows her to be here for several weeks at a time is clearly not enough for her.
When Katria and I are finally alone, she heaves a monumental sigh. Formality slips from her shoulders and they sag slightly before straightening once more. She walks easier in these secluded halls. “I think that went well.”
“I think that went amazingly.” I wrap an arm around her, pulling her close. My fingertips graze her chin; I tip her face up to mine and place a gentle kiss on her lips. “You are amazing.”
“I’m trying.”
“You’re succeeding.”
“I just hope I’ll be able to give them the information they need for Aruna. Even though we’re both children of two worlds, her childhood will look nothing like mine. And it’s not as though I grew up practicing magic. I’m not sure how useful I’ll be.”
“Eldas was telling me you have already been immeasurably useful to them.”
“Really?” Her expression relaxes with relief, the knots in her brow easing.
“Truly.”
She wraps an arm around my waist. The feeling of her side flush against mine is familiar. And yet it gives me a rush every time. “We can talk more about our guests in the morning. I am exhausted and wish to think of only you.”
“Depending on how exhausted you are, there are a few ways that we could think on each other,” I say with a sultry note. She chuckles.
“I’m not opposed.” Katria coyly glances at me through her lashes.
I’m surprised but delighted. I expected her to be too tired for such entertainment following the banquet.
We arrive in her chambers. The rooms are completely different than when Boltov occupied them. She spent months carefully planning, removing, scrubbing, and rebuilding the royal rooms to fit her—to fit a new age of the Aviness family ruling the High Court.
“Before any of that, there’s something I want to talk to you about.” Katria glances from the bed to the desk and heads for the latter. I follow.
“Business can wait, my love. You’ve done enough today.”
“This can’t wait any longer,” she says thoughtfully, opening a drawer of the desk and pulling out a wooden box I’ve never seen before. Katria runs her fingertips over it lightly, reverently. She seems uncomfortable and on edge.
I take a step closer to her, trying to offer strength by my presence alone. I can’t imagine what has her suddenly so nervous when she has already faced the Elf King and Human Queen tonight. Everything should pale in comparison to the stress of that.
“Davien, I…” Her words fade. She bites the nail of her thumb, worrying it. I kiss her temple lightly.
“Take your time,” I whisper. She does. I can almost feel her gathering her thoughts, putting them together one by one. I would wait an eternity for her if that was what it took.
“You…we—” She sighs and curses under her breath. “This shouldn’t be this hard.”