Fragments of Ash Vol. 3 (Urban Fantasy)

Chapter Fourteen: Amelia's Proposal

Darien sat in his room, bored. The servants were packing his clothes away as he got ready to leave. He was a tad upset that he and Fiona didn't get to see The Crying in Melchizedek, but it couldn't be helped, he needed to get back.

Sitting around doing nothing was awfully boring. His phone began to ring. A servant picked up the phone to screen it for him.

"Prince Darien," she said, "Lady Rosa is on the line."

Darien grimaced, the woman who'd set Fiona further down a dark path, he really didn't want to exchange words with her, but he had no choice. He picked up the phone, "What?"

"My, that's an awfully cold greeting. Did someone wake up on the wrong side of bed?" Amelia's voice was crackling, quite hard to make out. No doubt because she was calling from her cloudship,

"It's just how I talk when my skin is crawling Amelia."

"You're a rude one aren't you? And after I was thinking of doing you a favour at that."

"What sort of favour?"

"Well now, I was thinking a lot about the conversation we had the other night. I realised that you were right, the Spell Fencers are indeed a tad too focused on fear mongering, it'd be terrible for Melchiezedek to see us as war-like beasts and nothing more."

"But you are."

"Let me finish. Darien, I know you're a fair and rational man, I'm proposing we work together, royal and soldier, to host a festival in the Royal Castle in Abram, courtesy of the royal family and Spell Fencers."

"A festival?"

"They were kind enough to hold a festival for us, we should do the same. I can get the Fencers to show off their talents, impress the royals and show them that we're friendly. Truly solidify the peace between nations."

"...Yes but, this sort of plan would mean I'd have to trust you Amelia. And you know I can't do that."

"All you have to do is make a ceremonial speech and tell the Emperor about it before you leave. The rest will be organised by me and the royal court. So you don't have to worry about 'trusting' me. I won't get in your way."

An opportunity to show Melchizedek, no, the world, that his country was rich with culture and festivities, that it wasn't built on blood and bones. It was a great idea, but what was Amelia's ulterior motive? He couldn't think of a reason beyond the bluntest of ones, which was 'kill everyone in the festival', which made no sense.

"I do want to show the world how great our country truly is. I hate to admit it, but maybe it's a good idea."

"Sure. Peace, and all that."

Darien couldn't hear Amelia sneer on the other side of the line. The bad connection covered her inability to keep a straight face.