Total pages in book: 248
Estimated words: 236909 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1185(@200wpm)___ 948(@250wpm)___ 790(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 236909 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1185(@200wpm)___ 948(@250wpm)___ 790(@300wpm)
Nyktos’s hand curled around mine, sending a jolt of surprise through me. My gaze flew to him.
His head was tilted forward. “I believe I’ve found your stepsister.” He then gently squeezed my hand before releasing it.
Swallowing, I made myself look past the statue I’d been forced on my knees before as my stepbrother split my back open with a whip.
Two diamond and citrine thrones sat on the raised dais at the end of the Hall. Neither was draped in white or scattered with black roses to mourn their lost King.
The King I’d ultimately killed.
I winced, reminding myself that how I felt about that had more to do with the embers than with me.
The thrones were empty, but I saw Ezra. Suddenly, it was easier to breathe.
Ezra sat in a much less elaborate chair at the foot of the dais, her light brown hair swept up in a neat bun. There was no crown upon her head as she listened to a man across the table from her speak, one who leaned over a stack of parchment. The man’s clothing and posture screamed noble, and the angry flush to his olive skin warned that he was unhappy. Guards stood behind Ezra, two to her left and two to her right. They were dressed as those on the wall were: tunics, breeches, armor.
The corners of my lips turned up as I saw that Ezra, despite the humidity, wore a neatly tailored waistcoat minus any frills. My smile spread when I spotted the familiar tilt of her stubborn jaw as she responded to whatever the man was saying. I was sure it was keen, clever, and deliciously cutting.
“I believe she is hosting a town hall,” Nyktos commented.
Heart slowing, I nodded. That was exactly what Ezra was doing, and just as I’d imagined, she did not hold one from a throne or a balcony, far away from the people. She sat with them.
And she’d also opened the gates of Wayfair to them.
Nyktos’s head turned sharply. A guard slowly approached us, his hand on the hilt of his sword.
He stopped several feet from us, his throat bobbing. “The Queen is currently seeing the last of those who wish to speak with her today,” he said, and it pleased me to hear her referred to as Queen. “You may make an appointment to do so tomorrow by visiting the record keeper at the gatehouse.”
It also pleased me that what Ezra was doing appeared to be more than just holding a weekly or biweekly town hall.
“We cannot return tomorrow,” Nyktos spoke, and I swore the air chilled a bit. “We need to speak with the Queen today, and as soon as possible.”
The guard visibly paled as he stared into the shadowy recesses of Nyktos’s hood.
I cut the Primal a look and then stepped forward. “We do need to speak with her today,” I said, gentling my tone. “And I believe she will make time for us if you tell her that Sera is here to speak with her.”
The guard didn’t budge as his wide-eyed gaze bounced between Nyktos and me. I could sense that he was about to hold his ground.
“Go,” Nyktos urged, moving a foot closer in that quiet, unnatural way of his. He tilted his head back, letting the hood slip a few inches. “And speak with your Queen. Now.”
Whatever the guard heard or saw got him moving. He pivoted, hurrying off.
I turned to Nyktos. “Did you use compulsion?”
“No.” He laughed softly. “I think I just scared him.”
“Rude,” I murmured as I walked the secondary wall of pillars encircling the main floor and entered the private alcove furnished with settees and chairs.
He laughed again. “Perhaps.”
I snorted, scanning those in the Hall, telling myself that I wasn’t looking for one person in particular, but I didn’t see her, nonetheless. We neared the dais just in time to see the guard work up his nerve to interrupt his Queen. I saw the moment he spoke my name.
Ezra went rigid for a heartbeat and then shot to her feet, pressing a hand to her slender waist. The noble across from her hastily followed as she searched the floor. I waited, knowing Ezra would remember that I’d favored the alcove the few times I was in the Great Hall.
She took a step forward before turning sharply. When she spotted us, she stilled once more, likely in disbelief. But Ezra was not one prone to panic. She was logical and calm in all things, and she was then, as well.
Turning to the man, she excused herself. The noble wasn’t thrilled, but she turned her back on him anyway. She spoke to her guards, who scattered, quickly clearing the Great Hall, taking the noble with them.
Nyktos was quiet as Ezra approached us. The doors to the Hall closed, and only two guards remained, stationed in front of them.