Threads of Emerald

Threads of Treachery: Chapter 5

The room must have been spinning as the ceiling appeared to make its way to the floor and the floor makes it way to the ceiling. Taking deep breaths, I reassured myself that this was either a nightmare that I would soon wake up from, or that a grave error had been made. I steadied my breathing as I watched the lights of the fire dance across father's red-hued hair, pirouetting and twirling. The way the golden rays blended the blood into Father's hair, its rich colour an attractive contrast to the lighter colour of his hair, mocked him as his lips were set in a thin line and his eyes, the ones he'd given to me, shone with worry.

Those sparkling emerald eyes, the same as mine, save for the absence of the silver flecks.

The fragrant taste of confusion and acidic burn of anger mingled together on my tongue as I attempted to calm down. I focused on Aphina's face, the beautiful arches of her eyebrows and the way she smiled as the wind brushed against her skin. My breathing calmed slightly. I watched Tobias smooth the creases in his trousers as he stood at the front of the dais, to the right of the Prince.

"Edmund Thomas Tellar, you are here on the charge of treason." Tobias's hoarse voice cut like a knife through the stale silence of the chamber.

My eyes drifted back to Father, but I looked away as a warm tear trickled down my cheek.

"You have been convicted of being a Spy for her Majesty Queen Nefta of the Kingdom of Treasures and Knowledge", I wasn't the only person who gasped.

A grave error had definitely been made. The Kingdom of Treasures and Knowledge was the Kingdom which came the closest to being seen as an enemy of the Kingdom of Prosperity and Harmony. Queen Nefta was not quiet about her desire to rule over it and had attempted to on multiple occasions, but remained on the throne due to her uncontestable power as one of the Unconquerable. Her courtiers knew it was sudden death to attempt to either overthrow her or to even vote to elect a different ruler.

Her Kingdom was said to be a place of poverty and squalor for the mortals who inhabited her lands after she burned down their homes and forced them into hiding.

The other Kingdoms and the Council of Mortals were little use against the gargantuan size of her army. The only reason she didn't invade all the other Kingdoms was because she knew little about what lurked behind their walls and the defences they had in place.

Even those she paid to infiltrate the courts brought back little knowledge, as only a prized few knew exactly how their Kingdom would fare if another full-scale war was to happen.

"The evidence brought forth is a letter dated last week from General Lazar of the aforementioned Kingdom on behalf of the Queen sent to your home that was accidentally sent to this court. The letter requests a reply", Tobias cleared his throat as he lifted the letter to a better lit spot and began to read, "The Queen requests that you make another visit to her private residence to discuss your findings. If you are indisposed, the visit can be rescheduled. However, your payment will significantly decrease if you make the Queen wait for the information. Do you deny this charge and how do you explain the letter?".

I wanted to scream. That letter could have been made by anyone. It could have been planted to overthrow Father, who was gaining the trust of the King and becoming one of his most trusted men. Perhaps that's why the Queen wasn't here. He paid no heed to this nonsense either. Father would deny this charge, explain the letter and be released from the shackles that had cut into his hands and feet. Blood dripped into the indents in the stone floor and pooled near father's feet.

"I do not deny the charge." I stopped breathing, falling forward I caught myself on one of the benches as all the air escaped my lungs and I felt as if I was suffocating. The rising gasps had masked the sound of my fall.