Princess Isadaya's farewell party was a rather extravagant affair considering the circumstances the royal family was facing, or perhaps that was exactly why they'd gone all out with a magnificent feast and entertainment and a ball room full of important guests. This was Ki's thought as she took in the crowded room that was filled with mingling guests sipping fine wine and nibbling on luxury treats dressed in their finest silks and satins to impress the royal family. The large room was decked out in the Eslean colors, with green and gold ribbons swooping from the high ceiling and the chandeliers glistening with large amounts of lit candles. An enormous banquet table lined one of the sides ladened with more food than Ki had ever seen in one place, even the mess tent at Warrior City who fed hundreds of hungry soldiers every day. Servants weaved in and out between the fancy guests whilst balancing trays ladened with drinks in tall crystal glasses in their hands.
King Edmond stood with Princess Isadaya off to the left, surrounded by a group of people, all laughing at whatever the king was saying. Ki noticed the tension in the princess' shoulders and wanted to go to her, but she couldn't. She needed to be on full alert of anything suspicious happening, so her eyes and ears kept roaming the faces of the people in the room, looking for anything out of the ordinary. She kept her gift close, using it to eavesdrop on people's hushed conversations, but so far, besides some scandalous whispers regarding a high-standing nobleman and his stableboy, there was nothing worth relaying to the others. Ori, Emmie, and Thatch were likewise spread out throughout the room, all of them mentally linked to make conversation easier and safe.
They had asked King Edmond if it was necessary to have invited so many people, but he insisted that his daughter would leave in Eslea the best way possible and to show no weakness towards the rebels and the usurper, his words not Ki's.
"How long until we can leave again?" Thatch asked in Ki's head for the fifth time in the past hour and she sighed internally.
"Midnight is still a few hours away and I told you to stop asking," Ki said through the link. It had become incredibly helpful that their gift had evolved into not only sharing what they saw with each other but also being able to communicate. They hadn't yet tested how far that reach went, but because they had to be linked to start with they needed to be in close proximity at least in the beginning. When they returned to Aethorin, strengthening this bond was at the top of the training agenda. It was definitely strange, having someone else's voice inside her head, especially when that someone was Thatch.
Her eyes drifted across the room to where she'd last seen Thatch and found him near one of the stone pillars by the banquet table, eating a stuffed bread roll whilst keeping an eye on the group of people chatting to his right. She refrained from rolling her eyes. Perhaps what had happened between them on the ship, the kiss, had simply been just that. A curious kiss between two friends that would not progress into something more and maybe that was for the best. Distractions led to death, at least in extreme cases, but it wasn't something they could afford at this time. She knew from talks with Thoran that many people had casual relations, especially amongst soldiers who didn't have the proper time for serious relationships. Not that Ki was interested in going to a brothel, but there were many men at Warrior City, so even if Thatch was a bad idea it wasn't like she was out of options. But how would Thatch feel if he knew she was seeking such pleasure elsewhere? Had the kiss meant something more to him? It wasn't like anything remotely related to love was in the works. Heavens forbid if Ki ended up practicing her gift with Thatch's child on her hip. Absolutely not, she thought to herself as she shuddered. No children whilst she was employed by the crown, but there were tonics you could take to prevent getting with child if you lay with a man, so maybe entertaining the idea of a casual relationship wasn't so terrible? Perhaps she'd discuss it with Emmie on the way home to Aethorin.
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The Water Howlers - Book II ✔
Fantasy*Sequel to The Air Howlers* The King of Aethorin summons the Four to the capital where he gives them a surprising assignment that will bring them across the Aederlas sea to the Kingdom of Eslea. Here they encounter foreign magic as well as a Kingdo...
