Chapter Twenty-Six #2
Queen Perialla moved first. Nicias quickly went with her, pulling out the chair directly opposite Austin for her to slide into, and though Tristan’s father reached for the spot next to her, Nicias took it.
The two men exchanged a look. Tristan’s father lost and retreated to the next seat over.
While that was going on, King Micythus sat next to Queen Perialla, opposite Kas.
“Prince Hal, Prince Tristan,” Queen Perialla greeted them. “It is good to see you well. Thank you for hosting us.”
King Micythus followed with his own greeting, similarly polite and stifling.
“I was expecting to host a prince and princess tonight, not a king and queen,” Hal remarked.
Looks of distress flashed across both groups, even across the king’s and queen’s faces.
This time, it was King Micythus who spoke first. “My daughter has been killed,” he said, earning startled looks from the queen’s group—and one furious one from Desor. “Our northern border is beset by ghouls. Some have grown tremendously powerful. One attacked her carriage.” He grimaced. “She died.”
“I am sorry to hear that,” Hal said.
“My son is dead,” Queen Perialla said. “He was commanding our northern defences. A ghoul tore through his camp and killed him.”
Queen Perialla and King Micythus exchanged an almost sympathetic look.
Kas leaned close to Austin. “They each had only one child, and both have lost their partners. Their kingdoms are without heirs.”
“I’m here to personally request aid,” Queen Perialla said to Tristan. “Before the ghouls grow even stronger and overwhelm us.”
King Micythus cut in. “I would like to request aid, given that my situation is more dire.”
Nicias’s brows rose. “More dire? You have a formidable army and all the power of the Solas family protecting your lands.”
The woman on the far side of the King leaned forward, fixing a harsh look on Nicias. “And you have an ocean full of merfolk surrounding your kingdom, killing the ghouls for fun. One more will make no difference to you.”
The table dissolved into argument.
Austin turned to Tristan, somewhat confused. “Ghouls are aquatic?”
Tristan mirrored Austin’s confusion. “In their initial stages of life,” he explained, looking puzzled himself. “You killed one when we first met?”
“That little worm? That was a ghoul?”
Tristan nodded.
“They’re…rather easily killed, no?”
Understanding filled Tristan’s eyes. “For you, yes. But not for men. They feed on living creatures and grow strong from their life force. Once they begin to take on the shape of men, they are very powerful.”
“They also eat your memory,” Nicias interjected.
“So they can grow strong without anyone even knowing they exist. We have to attack them in groups, and the only thing that works against them is enchanted blades. Of which the Zatic Empire has many, and we have very few. If they grow strong enough, they can even match merfolk.”
The idea of that worm hurting Tristan was impossible to imagine.
“You can come along for a trip, no?” Nicias asked Tristan, casual and friendly. “And bring your men.”
“So that you might have him for your attack on us?” the woman on the far side of King Micythus cut in once more.
“Do you think we’re stupid? We know you had intentions toward our princess, yet you refused to match your prince to her.
Instead, you wanted him to marry her to conquer us instead.
And now you intend to simply attack. Well, it will not be so easy for you—”
“Lyla,” King Micythus cautioned.
Lyla leaned back and shut her mouth.
“I wasn’t trying to make any match,” Nicias replied. “And neither was Queen Perialla. Tristan already has a partner, as you can see.”
Austin listened to the arguing, beseeching, bickering, and boasting as food was served and drinks brought out.
Entertainment and dancers filled the floor, but nobody at their table took much notice, instead continuing to argue.
Lyla began saying how dire Asar’s situation was now that they had no heir, to which Nicias pointed out they also had no heir.
Lyla replied that King Micythus was young and would have more children.
Nicias pointed out Queen Perialla was the exact same age as the king, and would do the same.
The arguments continued to grow inane, both sides beginning to accuse the other of being the true cause of their plight. If they didn’t have to man their shared borders for fear of attack, they’d have quashed the ghouls before they became an actual problem.
Austin leaned back, his food barely touched, his nerves worn thin. It was as though he was trapped in an accursed board meeting.
Chancellor Desor scowled often at his glass of wine and occasionally at Tristan.
His attempts to speak to Tristan were met with blank stares and dismissive remarks.
When he finally leaned in with his attention fixed on Hal, Austin had the bizarre image of poison pouring straight from Desor’s mouth into their ears.
“We can support you against the monarch,” Desor said. “Once the ghouls are dealt with, that will free up a large portion of our army. We’d be willing to station them here to protect the city from attack.”
Hal had been listening to the bickering with far more attentiveness than Austin, but this remark brought a rigid, cool expression to his face.
Purposeful, practised disinterest slid into place.
“You wish to protect me from him? By taking my strongest supporter up north? Sounds to me like helping you will create the ideal conditions for an attack against me.”
“Connor isn’t going to attack you,” Austin said.
Hal looked at Austin. Austin stared back, wondering how one made a reassuring expression. He abandoned the idea immediately. “He’s really antisocial,” Austin elaborated. “He’d hate having to be responsible for a city. All he likes to do is surf and read books. He’s very boring.”
Hal seemed very interested in Austin’s take. “I do get reports of Adonis frequently buying novels. I wasn’t sure if they were for himself or his mate.”
“Nothing would surprise me more than learning Adonis could read.” Scorn burned Austin’s tongue.
Tristan’s hand settled on his thigh under the table, warm and steadying.
Austin turned his chin pointedly away from Hal, ending the conversation before he grew more annoyed.
Tristan inclined his head towards Austin, studying his face, likely trying to gauge his mood. Austin knew that he’d taken particular notice of him not eating the food. “It’s fine,” Austin reassured him. “I’ll eat once we’re back home.”
Home. There it was again. The pesky word coming unbidden to his tongue and falling out of his mouth. “Your estate,” Austin corrected.
Tristan hummed. “Do you have a preference for who I should help?”
“Do whatever you like,” Austin said. “Personally, I think they should just get married and sort out their own problems. If the ghouls are coming ashore in Asar, send troops armed with those magic daggers from Zatic to man a defence there and kill them before they grow strong.”
Tristan went still for a beat. “Who should get married?”
Austin gestured offhandedly to the king and queen opposite them.
“Hm.” Tristan straightened. He raised a hand, and the table fell abruptly silent.
“I’ve thought about your predicament, and I believe I will have to abide by my brother’s philosophy regarding it.
Solutions that come solely from outside aid never last. You must be able to maintain the peace, which will not happen while you are fighting.
I’ll send the entirety of my Troop to both your lands to hunt down the rogue ghouls that are plaguing you and get the problem under control, but only under a certain condition. ”
Austin’s heart began to race. He wanted to reach out and physically cover Tristan’s mouth, but he couldn’t do that with everyone looking at the merman!
“What condition?” Queen Perialla asked.
Tristan gestured between Queen Perialla and King Micythus, as offhandedly as Austin had. “Get married.”
A note of confusion preceded the silence, and some ghastly spirit had obviously possessed Austin because rather than shutting Tristan up, he heard himself add, “He means to each other.”