Chapter 14
Gaelin was gone by the time I woke up the next morning. The table on the balcony was covered in fresh fruit and breakfast foods for me. I walked into the sunshine and took a seat in front of the feast. If it weren’t for the events from last night, I would have thought this to be romantic, but I knew it was a symptom of his ever-growing guilt. I ate in peace before dressing for my big day.
My hand still throbbed and ached something terrible. The mark on my chest was even worse thanks to the ulyrium blade. I bandaged my injuries and headed out to find Levos. He was tucked away in one of the service halls making out with a human slave I didn’t recognize. I cleared my throat, trying to be subtle. He turned with a growl of aggravation. Once he saw it was me, he calmed, motioning for the young girl to be on her way.
I had almost allowed myself to forget that he was an alfar. He was kind to me, but he used humans just as much as the others. My heart broke a little seeing him for who he really was. He walked over to me with a smile on his face. I tried to regain my composure, but I failed miserably.
“Hey, you’re not looking too well. Should I walk you back to your rooms?” he asked, taking my shoulders in his arms.
I shook my head, refocusing. “What’s happening with Filo?”
He smiled his charming grin at me with a little laugh. “You will be happy to know that Gaelin brought the contract to the king this morning. There’s going to be a gathering in a few minutes to confront Filo and the dark alfar.”
“And you weren’t going to tell me? I deserve to be there, to see this,” I snapped.
He took a step back, seeming surprised by my aggression. “We just figured you’d want to sleep while you heal.”
“Stop assuming what I want and just ask. For heaven’s sake, I know I am a worthless slave, but I’m still capable of thinking for myself.”
“Gen, where is all of this coming from? I don’t find you worthless and I am certain you can think for yourself. You made that very clear with the Filo situation.”
I rolled my eyes, trying to keep my composure in check. Play the game, dammit. “Sorry, I’m just in pain and tired. Can we head to the meeting now?” I walked past him towards the main hall.
Levos followed behind me without uttering a single word. When we got to the door, crowds of alfar were waiting to be invited inside by the king. A few smirked at me as I entered. Erendrial and the rest of his company approached the door, walking with pride and power.
Erendrial looked at me, raising an eyebrow as if to ask why I was present. I smiled at him. holding my head high. He stopped and gave me a curious look of amusement before returning to his group.
“How’re your injuries by the way?” asked Levos.
“They hurt and I can’t bear to look at my hand, but I will be fine. Thanks for asking,” I said flatly.
He exhaled in frustration. “What did you want to tell me by the way?” he asked.
“What?”
“The day the dark alfar got here. You came into the castle out of breath and excited. You said I wouldn’t believe what had just happened to you. What happened?” I thought back to the dragon-like beast.
“I ran into a dragon, or at least a smaller version of one, in a lavender field.”
“A ragamor you mean. The dark alfar travel on their backs. They are unable to mist into the court thanks to our runes, so they must have ridden their ragamor beasts to get here.”
“So, it’s not a dragon?”
“A smaller version of one, I suppose. It can’t breathe fire, but they are extremely strong and deadly. No one has seen an actual dragon for years. The ragamor were created by the same dark magic that runs through the veins of the dark alfar. That’s why they can control them.”
“And what is misting and runes?
“Misting is another little gift from their disgusting god. They can dematerialize their physical form, turning into a black mist and traveling to a destination of their choosing. The runes are magic symbols that we put on the entrances of our kingdom so they can’t mist in unannounced whenever they feel like it.”
“Good to know,” I said, realizing the massive bear I was poking.
“The ragamor are beautiful creatures, though deadly. You should feel lucky that you only saw it flying by. If you had a closer encounter, you might not be standing here.”
I swallowed hard, remembering the feeling of the armored scales that I traced my fingers across. The way the creature nuzzled me as if I was its owner. Don’t say another word, Gen.
“Yes, lucky,” I responded.
The large doors of the meeting hall opened, revealing the king and Gaelin inside of the room. The alfar began to funnel inside, taking their seats around a large rectangular table.
“I have a little present for you,” Levos said, leaning into my ear.
“You know how much I love presents,” I replied, sarcastically.
“I had Gaelin place my chair directly across the table from Erendrial. You will be standing behind me so you will have a front-row seat to his devastation.”
I genuinely smiled at him, excited for the takedown to begin. “My favorite gift yet.”
He laughed, leading me to the chair.
As everyone settled in, I stood behind Levos steeling glances at Erendrial when I could without being detected. The king signaled for the room’s attention as the doors closed us inside.
“Thank you all for attending. I will get directly to the point. Today’s meeting will not consist of strategies for our attack against Otar and his forces, as previously discussed. After recent developments, I have decided that we will move forward with Lord Atros’s plan for the attack without any disagreement from anyone at this table, including our dark alfar guests,” said King Lysanthier.
“Pardon me king,” said Erendrial, “but this was to be a mutual arrangement when it came to the attack and how we should move forward with Otar and his remains. Lord Atros and I have come to an agreement that benefits both kingdoms and our desires to understand this enemy better.”
“There will be no more negotiations. If Otar’s body falls on our land then it is ours, and only ours, as stated in the treaty. All infantries will defer to Lord Atros for instruction from this point on,” said the king.
Erendrial leaned into the table, perhaps trying to work out where his negotiations had faltered. “We have complied with all your requests. This was to be a mutually beneficial arrangement,” said Lyklor.
“Yes, it was. Until a most interesting discovery has come to light, revealing your court’s true nature.” The alfar looked to one another, trying to decipher what they all had missed. “It has come to our attention that members of the dark court have been conspiring with my own subjects in order to gain influence and inside information regarding our private affairs.”
The light alfar gasped, looking at each other as if to accuse one another. I kept my eyes on Erendrial, gleaming at his undoing. He stared at the table, as if trying to piece it all together. His head rose as his attention locked onto my broken hand and then to my eyes. He leaned back in his chair, lacing his fingers together in front of him, still holding my eyes with his. I didn’t back down.
“Lord Atros has brought to my attention a blood contract that was forged between the dark court and a member of our own, Lord Filo Uytum,” the king continued. Filo looked panicked as the table turned to stare. “The contract allows safe passage for Lord Uytum to enter the Kingdom of Doonak. It promises marriage to a dark alfar of high standing and access to any resources the dark court has in return for compliance and full disclosure of any information pertaining to the inner workings of the light court.” The room quieted.
Erendrial’s eyes were still on me as he spoke. “And when was this contract discovered?” asked Erendrial.
“It was discovered in Lord Uytum’s private chambers, during our dinner banquet last night” replied the king.
Erendrial smiled. “Clever girl,” he said softly.
“Excuse me, Ambassador Lyklor?” said the king.
Erendrial’s eyes finally left mine, returning his attention to the king. He knew it was me. That this was all me. I reveled in that knowledge, yet something inside of me shook with fear.
“May I see the contract please,” asked Erendrial. A guard approached him with a yellow piece of parchment. He took a moment to look it over before handing it back. “I can assure you that I have never laid eyes on this contract. If there was an arrangement made with Lord Uytum and someone within my court, this is the first I am hearing of it. I have had no direct contact with Lord Uytum besides the interactions that have occurred in this room.” He was calm and smooth when it came to public speaking. If I didn’t know how deceptive he was, I might have believed him just now.
The king waited a few moments before responding. “Since there is no specific name on the blood contract, Lord Uytum, would you like to use your last moments to speak the name of your accomplice?” Filo looked terrified. He didn’t look at any of the dark alfar. I could only imagine he feared their punishment far more than anything the light alfar could do to him.
“I made the deal unaware of who I was communicating with. They never revealed their name or face. I have failed you, my King, and for that I beg your forgiveness,” said Filo.
The king looked unmoved. He flicked his first finger to signal to the guards. Two alfar approached either side of Filo. “You will have to face your fate for your treachery in whatever afterlife you end up, Lord Uytum,” said the king. One of the guards unsheathed a ulyrium sword, swinging the blade at Filo’s neck. With a hard thump, his head fell to the floor. I couldn’t help but jump.
Blood pooled at the base of the chair as his headless body slumped against the table. My mouth fell open. I had never actually seen someone beheaded before. I turned from the sight, meeting Erendrial’s eyes. He tilted his head as if to ask, ‘satisfied?’ I gave him a small smile, trying to hide my discomfort.
“Ambassador Lyklor, as you can see, we no longer trust your judgment in this matter. Please be comforted that Lord Atros is our most trusted general. He will lead us to victory,” said the king, standing from his seat. The other alfar stood in respect. “Please enjoy our hospitality before the battle commences two days from now. If any other foul play is discovered, you and your members will be dealt with accordingly.”
The king left while the other alfar stood around, still in shock at the betrayal. One of their own had made a deal to leave their court to work with the dark alfar. I waited by the wall behind Levos, keeping my head bowed and my eyes to the floor. He spoke to the other alfar as if he were just as surprised as they. Erendrial left the hall without saying a word to anyone. I smiled. Take joy in the little things, Gen.