The Consort's Will 《COMPLETE》

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The rich, warm smell of cinnamon seeps into the air. An excess amount of saliva slides down the sides of my tongue and my stomach grumbles. I haven't smelled, let alone tasted, any other food but pineapple in weeks.

Reyo pushes his chair around to the other side of his desk and gestures for me to sit. It has a tall back and looks every bit as fancy and important as he does. I hesitantly take a seat, and my hand slides over the purple velvet of the arm. The soft fabric tickles my fingertips.

"You must be hungry," Reyo comments. "I'll send up a meal for you while we talk."

"No, no. That's alright."

Reyo shakes his head. "I insist."

My stomach roars in protest, but I can't accept the offer. Already I'm discussing the terms of a debt left unpaid. The more they freely give, the more I will have to pay in return. Reyo taps on a hidden button on his desk.

"Mr. Primary?"

"Please send up a buffet trey of an assortment of food and drink to the war room."

"Yes, Mr. Primary. Right away."

The small static evaporates into silence. Reyo smiles again, and he moves around to the front of the desk and leans his weight against it. It seems like such a relaxed and casual stance, an odd juxtaposition to the authority and rigidity radiating from him.

"It's just a term, you know," he says after a pause. "War room. In fact, during the first war, I can't recall a single discussion about it actually taking place here."

His bright eyes flicker around the room, silently exchanging haunted memories with the walls that are so foreign to me. Reyo looks no older than I am, but hearing him talk about the first war puts his age into perspective. Just like Bogdan, he is hundreds of years old, silently slipping through the fingers of Time's hand.

"Of course, I was just a young kid then," he adds, smiling to himself. "I was following the lead of the Primary who came before me."

I nod, not knowing how to add to the conversation. What little information I absorbed from my history class about the first war is long gone now. Besides, even when we did discuss the first war, the Secondary population was rarely mentioned.

A succinct knock radiates against the door before a guard pops his head in.

"A cart of food has arrived for you, Mr. Primary," he says.

Reyo waves him inside. "Splendid. Bring it in and put it next to our guest."

The guard pushes the door open wider and rolls the cart towards me. The dishes clatter across its metal surface as it moves across the bumpy, rock floor. When the guard brings it to a stop next to the chair, his gaze flickers to me. It's a warning glance, one I know carries a threat with it. Should I make even the slightest move out of line with Reyo, there will be hell to pay.

"Thank you, Taden," Reyo says in dismissal.

The guard nods stiffly and leaves without protest. I'm sure he knows since I'm human I pose no real danger to his leader, but he doesn't like that I'm here all the same. His footsteps are heavy as they traipse across the large room. The door closes and Reyo nods to the cart of food beside me.

"Eat," he commands. "Please."

A myriad of smells waft from the short distance between me and the cart. I chance a look over to it and my stomach rolls with delight. There's meats, breads, cheeses, fruits, a cup of water, and desserts. It's more food than I've seen in months.