Chapter 26
Chapter
Twenty-Six
Wraith looked between Gerard and Elias.
Gerard frowned and glanced towards the door, as if worried Konrad might reappear. “I do not know if this is a good idea.”
“Oh, come on!” Elias grabbed his arm and gave him a little shake.
“She is a good girl and will not hurt you. And wouldn’t it make sense for you to meet her, since your job is to protect us?
Part of that should be assessing potential threats.
You can check her out and determine for yourself whether or not she is actually a danger to us. ”
Gerard hesitated. “It will not harm anyone?” he asked Wraith.
Wraith shook his head. “No. I promise.”
Gerard stared at him for several long seconds. “Okay, then. As long as it behaves.”
“She will!” Elias looked expectantly at Wraith.
Wraith bit his lower lip, gaze flicking to Gerard. But it wasn’t like Gerard could actually hurt Umbra, even if he wanted to. Wraith had jumped on top of Umbra when Konrad had drawn his dagger, but that had been instinct. The dagger would have gone straight through her.
Wraith chanted, “Come to me, Umbra. Come to me. Come to me.”
He never had to push his will into his words and make it an order for Umbra to come to him. She always wanted to be by his side. However, Wraith did have to order her to leave, as she was always reluctant to do so.
A ball of dark shadows appeared before him. Gerard drew in a breath. The shadows swirled, taking the form of his hellhound.
“Hello,” Wraith said.
“Hello!” Umbra said. Of course, only Wraith could hear her. She glanced around quickly before hopping into Wraith’s lap, despite being far too big for it. Wraith fell half backwards.
Elias laughed. Gerard stared at the hellhound. His jaw tensed. Umbra jumped off Wraith’s lap.
“It’s so good to see you again, Umbra,” Elias said. “I hope the grumpy dragon king didn’t scare you off.”
Umbra barked and wagged her tail. “He didn’t scare me! I’m very brave!”
Wraith smiled. “Umbra says that she wasn’t scared and that she is very brave.”
“Of course. You’re such a good, brave hellhound,” Elias said.
“I am!” Umbra’s tail wagged.
“She can talk?” Gerard frowned.
“Only to me because I’m her creator,” Wraith said.
Umbra lay on the ground before them, tongue lolling.
Elias reached out to touch her, but his hands passed straight through her body. “Ah! I really want to pat her!”
“You can’t?” Gerard asked.
Wraith shook his head. “Only her creator can touch her or be touched by her.”
Gerard stared at Umbra as if thinking. “So does that mean she would be unable to attack anyone?”
Wraith nodded. “She can’t touch and thus can’t harm anyone. Although, I suppose she could technically attack me—”
Umbra jumped to her feet and barked. Gerard sat up straight, fingers moving towards his dagger sheathed at his waist. But Elias’s hand shot out and gripped Gerard’s wrist, stopping him.
“I would never attack you! Never!” Umbra said. “Not in a million eternities! I love you with everything inside me!”
Wraith stroked her. “I know you’d never hurt me. You’re such a good girl, and I love you too.”
Umbra lay back down, resting her head in Wraith’s lap, which Wraith patted. Elias laughed, and Gerard exhaled.
“See, Gerard. She is just like a big dog.” Elias gestured to Umbra. “Nothing to be scared of. Konrad was just being silly.” Then he leaned towards Umbra. “You’re just a big old sweetie, aren’t you?”
Umbra’s tail wagged faster.
Then Elias looked at Wraith. “So you know how you can talk to ghosts.”
Gerard’s eye widened, and his gaze snapped to Wraith.
But Elias just continued, “Does that mean you could ask them for information, like how they died or who murdered them? I’m just thinking that such a skill could be very helpful with finding out who is plotting and working against the treaty.”
“I could ask.” Wraith shook his head. “But it is rare for them to remember their death, and those who do tend to get very confused about the details. The living world becomes less fixed for them, and what is truth and imagination blur. You can’t trust what the dead say.
“I met a distressed ghost who told me her jealous sister stabbed her in her sleep. She kept screaming and yelling about wanting bloody revenge. Her rage was so strong that she had physically manifested somewhat. No one could see her yet. But they could hear her enraged cries. She could also throw objects.” Wraith paused.
“But then I discovered that she and her sister had both died in a house fire that started because of a faulty chimney. Turns out, the sisters hated each other in life. So when she’d tried to remember how she died, I think she just came up with a story that made sense to her.”
In the end, Wraith had forced her on. There was no changing her mind about what had happened. She just kept screaming and searching for her sister so she could hurt her. “I doubt questioning the dead for information would be very helpful.”
“That’s a pity,” Elias said.
“I could try though.” Wraith could ask the dead dragon king about what had happened to him. “But don’t get your hopes up that I will find out anything useful.”
Umbra lay on her back, and Wraith stroked her belly.
“She really is just like a dog,” Gerard said, awe in his voice. “Just like a normal dog.”
As the afternoon continued, Wraith found himself listening more and speaking less. He wasn’t always sure what Elias and Gerard were speaking about. But Wraith didn’t mind not really following. It was just nice to be around those who didn’t seem to dislike his company.
Gerard and Elias talked about the treaty and other attendees at the peace assembly. Wraith didn’t recognise many of the names.
Elias then talked about a woman named Colette, who had been at the assembly but who now was with her family in Voltaria.
Apparently, she was in correspondence with a Lord Wolf, which her family were a bit concerned about.
Soon Colette would likely join Elias and Gerard in Draconia once the peace assembly was finished.
Wraith let their voices flow around him.
The light began to fade from the room, and Gerard stood. “We should get ready for dinner.”
“We’ll see you soon, Wraith and Umbra,” Elias said. “It’s been nice spending time with you both.”
“You too,” Wraith said.
Gerard nodded, and they left.
Wraith sat with Umbra, who now slept, on the floor. Wraith stroked her.
“So maybe my husband despises me. But Elias is very nice. He’s my friend.
” Wraith smiled. “My first human friend.” He let out a laugh, hardly believing he’d made a living, human friend!
“And Gerard wasn’t so bad either. Not as friendly as Elias.
But he didn’t seem to hate me. Or you. Maybe …
maybe life in Draconia won’t be so bad.”
Umbra’s foot kicked out in her sleep.
Wraith yawned. It had been such a busy few days. Just yesterday, he’d married. And honestly, he’d never spent so much time just talking and being around the living before. He’d enjoyed the afternoon with Elias and Gerard. But now his mind and body felt so heavy.
Wraith lay on the cushions and closed his eyes. He pulled Umbra’s sleeping form against him. She snuggled close, and Wraith draped his arm over her. A little nap would do him good. And who knew, maybe this would be his bedroom for the rest of the peace assembly.
As he dozed, Wraith was vaguely aware of voices outside the room.
At some point, he woke, no idea how late it was. Candles in the corridor had been lit. The room he was in remained dark. Probably the servants did not wish to disturb him. Or they did not wish to go near the necromancer and his hellhound.
Wraith stood. Even if he did not think Konrad wanted to share his room with Wraith, Wraith still needed his belongings.
He had to change. He was still in his wedding attire.
Washing would also be nice. He left the room.
The two guards on duty, who’d been standing outside the door, entered as he left.
But two other guards stepped towards him.
“King Consort Wraith,” one of the guards, a short, stocky man with a thick beard, said. “I am Karl, and this is Lina.” He gestured to a muscular woman with her hair tightly tied back. “We are your personal guards. It will be our job to protect you and see you remain safe.”
Wraith blinked. “Oh. Okay.” He paused. “What … what should I … um …” He’d never had personal guards and had no idea how to go about having them. “What do I have to do to?”
The guards blinked at him.
Then Lina said, “You can act as you normally would, Your Majesty. We will follow you, assess any risks, and step in if we believe you are in danger. We will strive not to get in your way or impede you as you go about your business.”
Karl stared at Umbra, hand resting on his sword.
Wraith did not like how Karl’s gaze remained fixed on Umbra. “Depart,” Wraith said, making it an order by pushing his will into the word. Umbra immediately disappeared.
He knew that no sword or dagger could harm Umbra. Still, the idea that someone would try made him nervous. He began to walk in the direction of Konrad’s room. He kept glancing back at the guards who followed him. Wraith pressed his lips together.
This will definitely take some getting used to.