Chapter 20. Pretend Queen.
William Barren sat at the head of the table, his two companions—whom I had the pleasure of never meeting before—sat by his side: I could only hope at least one of them was reasonable.
At least a dozen warriors stood by the wall of the hall, eyeing us like prey.
Barren’s eyes flickered with excitement as he watched us emerge into the courthall. His pale lips stretched into a crooked smile when I sat across from him; he fixed the stray strand of greasy hair that fell onto his eyes before the room erupted into a ringing laughter.
“Cordelia, Cordelia...” William laughed, leaning on the back of the chair that looked awfully similar to a throne. “Our dearest Cordelia.”
Francis sat in the chair next to mine, gesturing for our friends to follow his lead.
“Oh, Cordelia!” Barren’s laughter wouldn’t stop. I was sure he was going mad—not that he hadn’t been mad already...
The man—with gray hair, blue eyes, and light skin—sitting at Barren’s right, picked up the laughter, as though the reason for such an odd reaction was as bright as sunshine. The woman at Barren’s left remained quiet.
Our gazes met for a split second before she averted her dark—almost black—eyes. Her coily hair sat in a bun at the nape of her neck. A barely visible blush appeared on her brown cheeks.
I’d seen her before, back at the palace. I wished I could remember on which occasion.
“What is it that amuses you so, Your Grace?” Francis’ lips stretched into a smirk as he crooked his head, watching the two men laugh.
“Oh, merely the amount of companions you’ve graced me with.” Barren narrowed his eyes at his right hand, silencing the man at once. “Afraid for your safety on human grounds, orphan boy?”
Florence sat by my right side, her knees brushed mine when she glanced at me with concern. Roxanne, Ash, and Simon settled into their seats as well.
“Surely six vampires cannot be that intimidating to your army.” Francis mimicked William’s position, leaning back on his—rather ordinary—chair. “Are you afraid for your safety, given you surrounded yourself with warriors, William?” Francis countered.
I refrained from rolling my eyes at his provocative nature.
“Why, since your letter stated you wished to discuss war plans, I assumed it was only right for the commanders of the last human armies to attend.” Barren sipped on his wine, his gaze averting to me.
“Cordelia,” he tsked. “I’ve waited for you to make an appearance ever since the attack. What took you so long, dear?”
“War can make one rather busy,” I said. “I’m sure you understand.”
“Ah! Of course!” Barren chuckled. “Tamira here,” he pointed at the woman by his side.
“Had her hands rather busy after the Wurdulacs murdered her commander and half of the Royal army.” William’s lips turned into a thin line before he continued, “After your kind failed to come to our aid as you agreed upon with our resting Queen.”
I forced my heart to stay put at his provocations, yet the ache still spread through my lungs.
“The deal was not yet in place when the palace was attacked.” I kept my voice even, remembering the last conversation Mother and I had.
“The Queen promised us weapons at the following full Moon, the deal was to be sealed at the exchange.” Needless to say, Faris had no way of knowing the palace’s walls had been compromised.
Yet the guilt of our failure still clawed at my mind.
I supposed that was Barren’s plan all along. “Let’s get to the matter at hand—”
“Have you heard of Timothy's sad end?” William topped off his goblet. “We learned of his disappearance right before the attack, can you believe that?” He emptied the cup in one gulp. “Right after you left.” His eyes narrowed on me. “Some might not believe in such coincidences.”
The commanders glanced at Barren in unison before their gazes fell on me. A piercing silence broke through the air.
“Are you accusing me, William?” I crooked my head to one side, annoyed that I even allowed him to entertain the topic instead of dominating the conversation as was planned.
A bright laughter bounced off the walls of the courthall as Barren wiped an imaginary tear from his eye.
“Of course not, dear,” he wouldn’t stop laughing.
“We both know you aren’t capable of hurting your dearest sweetheart, let alone murder him.
” He glanced at Francis, a smirk coercing his lips.
“You were such a lovely couple...” Barren sighed, his eyes locked on Francis—who, surprisingly, kept quiet.
“It pained me to learn of your change–of–being, truly.” William’s hand fell onto his heart before he let the evil words spill.
“Though, I must admit, Sandra was a nice replacement.”
My mask of indifference slipped for a split second before I managed to gather my racing mind. My teeth pierced the inside of my cheek, letting the blood soak my tongue.
“Such a lovely, innocent soul Sandra was,” William murmured.
My nails dug into my palms underneath the table.
“A little naive, sure, but always so lovely.” William’s piercing gaze bored into mine.
He sat at the head of the table, his head crooked to one side: taunting me, begging for a reaction I refused to let loose.
“Alas, the Gods are unfair to us sometimes, aren’t they, dear?
” Barren sighed. “I hope Sandra and Timothy have reunited in the afterlife. Shame I am not to witness it.” He nodded.
“I can fix that for you,” Francis seethed before I managed to gather my thoughts.
My heart raced. The back of my throat ached.
I taught you better than this, daughter, my mother’s voice swept through my mind. How could you let him talk to a Royal daughter in such a manner? She scolded. How could you fall for his traps so easily?
“Always so eager to throw out threats, orphan boy,” William tsked. “I was merely sharing my appreciation of young love.”
Would his army follow my orders were I to murder William right now?
“Did you invite us to waste time, William?” I said instead.
Barren eyed me as though seeing me for the first time. “Why, yes.” He looked surprised. “I merely wished to see you, dearest, given I don’t see how you can be of any help—”
“Do you always talk so much?” Ash’s voice broke through the space, interrupting Barren at once.
Barren eyed his new opponent, looking them up and down. “And who are you?”
“Ash.” They stretched their hand towards Barren in greeting before changing their mind as William attempted to grab it; his face reddened with embarrassment when his hand met empty air. I struggled to contain my amusement. “I came here to speak on behalf of Faris’ army,” Ash added.
“An army!” Barren mused. “You heard them!” He turned to Tamira and the man I still didn’t know the name of. “They have an army,” William chuckled. “What do you need me for then?”
Every pair of eyes turned to me. I filled my lungs before executing my memorized speech: I only had one chance, and I could not waste it.
Please be the fool I think you are.
“I came to collect what remains of the Royal army, along with what remains of yours.” I rested my arms on the table.
I learned a long time ago: the only way for Barren to agree to anything, is he must feel as though it was his choice all along.
And, oh, how I loved playing that game. “I am the last of Royal blood standing, both armies are now rightfully mine, and I am entitled to take them in a time of need.”
Tamira’s eyes flickered to mine; the men, however, stayed silent.
I knew I wouldn’t be able to convince William of my newly made up title, yet uncertainty still shone bright in his eyes.
Francis bestowed me with a swift glance, mere amusement written on his face that Barren and the commanders were oblivious to.
“Need I repeat myself?” My voice cut through the air before the room erupted in predictable laughter.
“Oh, Cordelia, you are a joy to my ears today,” Barren said through his exasperating chuckle.
“As the last of Royal blood, the armies in your current possession are rightfully mine,” I stated.
“You claim hold of the Royal army, and yet made no progress beyond these walls. You do not stand a chance without our help, and you know it. You saw what happened at the palace,” I said just as calmly, facing all three of them.
“The human armies are better off in our care.” The gray haired man’s laugh cut short at my words as he cleared out his throat, facing me.
“And how could we ever trust a vampire leader, such as yourself, after you had left the palace to fend for itself?” the man asked; a small crease appeared in between his brows.
“Where are the guarantees you will not leave us like you left them? Where are the guarantees you are not using the human armies as shields to save your kind?”
“We have explained ourselves already.” Roxanne answered before I could. “The deal was not yet sealed.”
“Remember that while Wurdulacs are coming for us all, the human fate will be far worse than that of vampires,” Simon added.
The grayhaired man paled, glancing at William, whose mouth was finally sealed. It was Tamira who spoke, “Trusting vampires is a pathway to the grave.”
“Facing Wurdulacs alone is a pathway to the grave,” I countered. “You used to be one of Martin’s seconds,” I narrowed my eyes on Tamira, remembering where I’d seen her before. “My mother appointed you a few years ago.”
“She did.” Tamira nodded.
“She spoke highly of your skill and mind,” I lied, for Mother had never spoken to me of anything regarding politics, unless it had required my assistance.
Though, I was sure those were Tamira’s characteristics, given her rather young age at her time of appointment.
“You must realize the rationale in our words, then. You do not stand a chance without our assistance: it’s best to join our forces.
And as the last of the Royal family, I have the right to demand such an outcome. ”