Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
JAX
I tug at the golden tip of my white tunic. The sleeves are too short.
It’s uncomfortable.
Also, extremely inconvenient for hiding stuff up the sleeve.
I’ll have to be extra careful when extracting the dried Jin flower that’s safely tucked inside of my too-short sleeve.
Shit.
“Ey, boy,” the man who runs this establishment says and points his finger at me.
He wears the same tunic I and the other staff members do. But his is bloodred instead of white.
Which makes the golden dragon weaving on his back look much more regal.
Bloodred would look so much better on me than white.
“Why are you standing there here? You are supposed to be behind the bar! Mixing the drinks!”
“I was just fixing my uniform, sir,” I say.
I flex my sweaty palms.
“It looks fine,” the fae grunts. “Go behind the bar! Those drinks won’t mix themselves!”
I lightly dip my chin and hurry past the manager into the main space of the Golden Dragon.
Quickly, I duck under the counter and get inside the bar. One of the three stations is empty, so I settle there.
The other young fae already working don’t even lift their heads to look at me.
Good, good. If they’re not paying attention, then they don’t see shit.
In front of us, a large table is set up in the middle of the dimly lit room. It’s full of food, from seared asparagus to walnut-stuffed plums and sticky quinoa pudding.
Over a dozen fae occupy the table, taking up every seat. Each of them wears a regal silk tunic the color of their family, their hair tied in elaborate buns and braids decorated with gold brooches shaped like their family crests.
I’m not sure I’ve ever had seen as much silk and gold in one place. Even in Father’s home back in Emera.
At the head of the table, dressed in black Ezkai leathers, sits the most powerful fae in the whole country.
The Ezkai General, Kitajo Hiromasa.
My target.
He’s damn handsome, I can admit it. Not much older than thirty years old.
But with Decarios, the looks can be deceiving. Even human and dwarf Decarios don’t age the same way us mere mortals do.
Considering this Ezkai General has been ruling for a century, he must be at least a hundred fifty.
Hiromasa has the aura of an ancient soul. It’s in the depth of his dark-as-coal eyes.
His presence is larger than the room itself. I don’t need to be next to him to feel it.
The power he exudes.
Yet, he doesn’t look evil to me. I’ve seen enough evil people of all three races to recognize one.
This man is an Ezkai General, the whole country bows to him, and yet he wears a pleasant smile on his lips and treats the people at his table, and those who serve him, as if they are his equals…
Stop that.
I drop my head down and focus on cutting the bright purple dragon fruit into thin slices.
I’m only making things worse for myself.
No point in looking at him, trying to read his personality and decipher what kind of man he is.
It’s not going to help me.
He has to die. It’s the only path to my freedom.
If Kitajo Hiromasa walks out of this dinner tonight, I’ll be enslaved by Ghost for the rest of my damn life.
I’ve heard what happens to those who fail an assignment they were tasked with by Caligos.
Sweat drips down my back.
The room is stuffy, and hot from all the mouths breathing the air.
Of course, it’s not the heat that makes me sweat.
It’s the job ahead of me.
Stealing? A walk in a park.
Conning and lying? My second nature.
Getting into places I’m not meant to be in? Easy as slicing a pie.
Assassinating the ruler of the country? Well…
I guess there’s a first for everything.
Only the Ezkai General and the bold fae on his right pay any attention to the staff that serves them.
It’s a relief that nobles are concerned with themselves alone. Makes them easy targets.
“General, some House Dzuni members have expressed their concerns over the new law you’re about to pass,” a fae with white-as-snow hair, wearing a plum-colored silk tunic, says.
“Is that right, Nobleman Harushu?” General’s tone is light. Both of his eyebrows rise in amusement. “And why is that?”
“Well, General, there are concerns…about what may happen if we try to control one of the largest Caligos business ventures,” Nobleman Harushu says. “Besides, King Francis’s concerns were valid, too—”
“You’re afraid of ruffling feathers of some criminals, Nobleman?
” a fae in sky blue tunic asks. Signs of age are showing on her beautiful beige face.
Yet, her gown is the most revealing out of all the fae at the table—the naked back and deep V-cut at the front reveals much of her luminous skin. “What a shame.”
“It’s easy for you to speak, Noblewoman Gadhi,” Harushu says. “Your slice of Ekios is not heavily populated by Caligos. If the law is passed, you won’t have to deal with protecting against the uprising. Unlike others like myself, who rule heavily Caligos popu—”
“And who’s fault is that, Nobleman Harushu?” Noblewoman Gadhi challenges.
Tension between the two nobles is palpable.
Before it bursts, the General speaks. “Noblefolk. You don’t have to worry about the retaliation of a criminal organization.
You’re House Dzuni, under the protection of me and my Ezkai.
You don’t believe I would act without putting proper arrangements in place to ensure my government is protected?
” He looks around the table. “Aside from that, it saddens me to hear such objections. What kind of General I would be—what kind of House Dzuni are you—if we’re afraid to pass laws that inconvenience the criminals?
I’m serving people of high morals and honor, not those who choose to live outside our prosperous society. ”
Chatter rises around the table. Some nobles are nodding their heads in agreement while others are shaking theirs. Fear and worry show in the deep lines that form between their eyebrows.
These people are insufferable.
As if the criminals are the only issue.
The real danger and harm is these silk-wrapped bloated worms. They govern over lands where hardworking people are trying to make meets end.
And yet, they still starve. While here their government is, feasting.
“Speaking of the folk you serve, General—what about those loyal, honorable folk with high morals? Have you thought how this law will affect them? Many Ekions are set in their old ways and already have issues with some of your fresh ideas. I sense they won’t be too happy to see that whores from the streets are considered equal to merchants, fishermen, and other artisans,” a fae with sand-colored hair and a blood-colored tunic says.
“Nobleman Akitake,” the bold fae on the General’s right says sweetly. “You, just like the rest of the folk at this table, enjoy the company of Caetras. I’d expect you to have higher respect when speaking about the mater.”
“Don’t compare Caetras to those pedigree-less mutts from the streets. It’s an honor to be chosen and train to be a Caetra—”
The bold fae interrupts Nobleman Akitake: “Well, think of this way, then, Nobleman. Once the law is passed, more folk will be able train to become Caetras. It’ll benefit us all—more entertainers to keep you nobles from boredom.”
A couple of chuckles go around the table. Nobleman Akitake purses his lips, but doesn’t argue.
“You have more proof than you need that shows just how well Ekios has been doing over the last hundred of years, Noblefolk. We’re already doing better than Wetra, and in ten years we’ll surpass Emera, too,” the General says.
“The old ways are old for a reason. It’s time for Ekios to fully open up to the world and enter the new era of prospering and innovation that will make sure we thrive for centuries to come.
This law is another step closer to that future. ”
“Innovation,” Nobleman Harushu sneers. “Changing something that works is a waste of time and resources. It’s a fool’s errand. We’re balancing a very dangerous line here, General.”
The air in the room shifts. Silence falls around the table.
Even the servers dotted around the nobles pause.
Driven by my curiosity, I inspect the faces around the table. Everyone is tense.
Noblefolk are prideful and lazy. But they’re not stupid.
Yet, somehow, this one managed to cross a line everyone knows better than to cross.
“Indeed, Nobleman Harushu,” the General says. He still wears the same pleasant expression, but there’s a threat in his voice as he speaks. “You’re threading a very fine line here.”
Recognizing his misstep, Nobleman Harushu bows his head deeply. “Please forgive me, General. I didn’t mean to offend your honor.”
The General watches the nobleman while the rest of the table watches him.
“I’m sure you didn’t,” he finally says. “But as you’re so eager to advocate for the old ways and us following Ekiosh traditions, I’ll have you and your family exiled from Jaakii for disrespecting your Ezkai General.
Your exile will last for nine full moons, or until I reign no more, whichever comes first. Only then are you allowed to come back to the city and claim your seat at House Dzuni back. ”
Hot damn. That’s a tough punishment for a tiny misstep.
Not that I’m rooting for the Nobleman Harushu, who sounds like an old crone who clings to his glory days in the past as tight as an infant clings to Mommy’s boob.
No shouts, arguments, or dramatics.
Deafening silence lingers around the table while the General gestures for two Ezkai.
Nobody utters a word as Nobleman Harushu rises from his seat and Ezkai escort him out of the premises.
“This is the loveliest plum blossom wine I’ve had in a while,” the bold fae on the General’s right says, turning a half-filled glass between his fingers.
“Mm-hmm, I agree, Taaslord,” Noblewoman Gadhi says. “It’s the special one they produce up in the northern mountains, in very small batches. The water they use is why it has that crisp, fresh note at the end.”
“Lovely,” the Taaslord says. “I need to get a bottle of it for my collection.”
He gestures for one of the servers.