Total pages in book: 208
Estimated words: 209645 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1048(@200wpm)___ 839(@250wpm)___ 699(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 209645 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1048(@200wpm)___ 839(@250wpm)___ 699(@300wpm)
That, True noted, was directed to his mother and father.
“Just us?” Mercy asked.
“You and Gallienus. Yes,” Mars answered.
“Whyever would we alone be left out?” True’s father queried peevishly.
“You are neither soldier nor witch nor directly involved in the vanquishing the Beast,” Mars answered.
“We represent Wodell,” Wilmer returned.
“So does your son, far better than you. Now, I explained why you are to leave my study, when I did not need to. Don’t test my patience further. There are things to do and one of them is not answering to you,” Mars replied.
“I—” Wilmer began.
“My king, let us go,” his mother urged, taking Wilmer’s hand and shifting toward the door.
“I’m happy to leave,” Gallienus declared. “All this talk of the injustice of Airen? Hypocrisy.” He stopped at the door and leveled his eyes on Mars. “Even a traitor I’d give a tribunal.”
“Sadly, I cannot ask any descendants of the women your ancestor put to death after the Night of the Fallen Masters as they were put to death without tribunal, therefore they have no descendants,” Mars noted drolly.
Gallienus sniffed before he stormed out.
Wilmer and Mercy followed him.
When the door closed behind them, True turned again to Mars.
“When the sorcery behind the asps is uncovered, they are given to me,” he decreed.
“They killed my second mother,” Mars said quietly.
“They killed my mother-in-law, the grandmother my children will never know, but their intent was to kill my princess,” True retorted. “Thus, whoever killed Sofia will be given to me.”
“For tribunal?” Mars asked.
“Yes,” True answered. “And then he’ll be given a torch and the length of time it takes for it to burn out before he’ll find himself covered in snakes in a different kind of pit in Wodell. It’ll be Farah’s decision if she wishes to watch. But I shall do so. Until the end.”
Mars’s lips twitched before he stated, “I find this acceptable.”
“I don’t very much care,” True muttered.
“I find that acceptable too,” Mars shared.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake, can we move this along?” Cassius entered the conversation.
“It’s clear, with the attack of the asps, Farah was the target,” Ophelia noted.
No one spoke to that.
“They try to break the prophecy,” the Nadirii queen continued.
“Perhaps, regardless of our grave losses this evening, we can take heart in understanding they fear the prophecy enough to try to do something about it,” Ha-Lah noted.
“Your sisters, along with Nandra, must cast over this palace,” Mars said to Ophelia.
“Protection spells will be done while you’re at the pits,” Ophelia agreed.
“And cast over the women,” Cassius added.
“Ah yes, seeing as, due to you having a magical appendage, you need no protection spell cast on you,” Elena clipped to her betrothed.
True studied her, feeling something strange, but his mind was consumed with so many other things, the most important being getting to Farah and checking on her before he had to attend this bloody procession, he couldn’t put his finger on what that feeling was.
“We’ll cast over the men too,” Ophelia put in quickly, before Cassius could reply, as he’d opened his mouth to do.
Cassius wisely shut his mouth and a muscle danced in his cheek.
Elena turned away from her intended and crossed her arms angrily on her chest.
“I need a moment with my bride,” Mars decreed.
Excellent.
Mars would see to Silence.
True could go up to look in on Farah.
He turned to do so but stopped when he caught sight of Aramus.
The king felt his regard and shifted his attention to True.
“My deepest sympathies, my brother,” he said quietly.
Ha-Lah got even closer to her husband.
Aramus simply glowered at him before jerkily lifting his chin.
True left the room, made his way to the stairs, up them, and to Farah’s room.
Thank the gods, she was asleep when he arrived.
Even so, he sat on the bed and stroked her soft hair.
He then tried to find his way to where she was in her mind.
He had no brothers or sisters, and she had no brothers or sisters.
But he had something she did not.
He had cousins, the closest of which was Silence. He could not say she was close as a sister, but he cared deeply for her, and she for him. And if something happened to him, she would be there for him, as he would for her.
He had a weak father and she had the weakest of fathers there could be.
But his father was alive.
Her father’s bones were preserved in the tarpits of Fire City after he’d committed regicide and left her and her mother to bear the consequences of his actions while still breathing.
Her mother had been loyal and loving.
His mother was the same, the latter in a somewhat cold way that was often calculating, but that was for the betterment of husband and son.
She was also alive.
Thus, True could not put himself in Farah’s place. He could not understand how alone she felt.
All he could do was whatever he needed to do to make her feel not alone as well as loved.