The King's Empath

Chapter 5

The Jade would have been beheaded if it weren’t for Thea’s interference. She had been only 15 at the time, and Vikiana 25. Both had never uttered a single word to the other. Eyes barely met as they walked past in the corridors. Until one fateful day the silent barrier between them came down. Her uncle had asked her to sense the young courtesan who was bound and gagged in his private quarters.

Thea felt for the young woman, for she knew how little restraint her uncle had with punishments. There were no second chances with the king.

“Tell me, niece,” the king had said, “is she lying?”

She looked deep into the bright caramel eyes of the courtesan crouched next to the king. Though they were strangers, there was something imbedded deep into the fabric of Vikiana’s soul that was hard to shake. Thea had a decision to make, and whichever she chose, would seal the woman’s fate forever.

“What do you mean, uncle?” She replied, cautiously picking her words. “Has she done something wrong?”

“Sneaking around in the middle of the night fully cloaked,” he replied, “suspicious, don’t you think?”

A part of Thea knew that defying her uncle could mean dire consequences, but another side pushed her to help the frightened woman. Never had she felt an instant connection with another person. They were so different, yet extremely similar. Inside the stranger, Thea felt a bridge connecting them. It was the same pull she felt when first looking into Fen’s eyes. No amount of time could forge such a bond with another living thing, but with some, it was instantaneous.

“The courtesan was meeting me,” she quickly said, afraid fear would change her mind. Thea glanced to the frightened woman. Vikiana looked up at her with confusion, unable to process why the king’s niece would risk so much for someone she barely knew. “The lily pads, your grace,” she said, turning back to the king.

“The lily pads,” he replied, slowly, doubt mixed into his words.

There was no turning back now. “Yes, the lily pads. They illuminate under the full moon and I wanted to show her what they looked like. Since you forbade me to leave the castle, I thought I would take advantage of our guest.”

He didn’t answer at first, taking a moment to watch Thea writhe under his stare, but finally, he smiled. Thea knew that look, and she had to admit, it scared her. It always did. “Tonight is not a full moon, dear niece.”

Thea’s heart dropped.

“Lying was your first mistake,” he said, “your second, was thinking you could get away with it.”

“But—“