Children Of The Sky (The Scripts Of Neptune, Book 2)

Chapter 5

Somebody had called a meeting.

Nyle sat at the head of the long, many-seated table, trying to look calm as the councilmen filed in and settled in their chairs, everything inside of him a roiling, panicked mess. There weren't many reasons the council called an unscheduled gathering. Nyle highly doubted there was some emergency he'd somehow not heard about. The only other solution was...

No. They couldn't know. He'd made it back to his rooms without seeing a single soul, and the doors had been locked. Only he had a key. Even the maids couldn't get in without his permission. Additionally, Lillian's door had an awful squeak. Anyone entering would've woken one of them.

He hoped.

And if they had been caught, somehow--well. Then he was in a royal heap of trouble.

"May we begin, Prince Nyle?" Councilman Bheru inquired in his reedy voice. He was frail in stature and sharp of mind and features, his hair wispy and thin on his balding head, his robes impeccably clean and neat as always.

"You may, councilman," Nyle replied with a nod of his head, feeling a great deal better when his voice didn't shake as his hands did. "Might I ask what the purpose of this gathering is?"

Councilman Herion, a heavy-set, bearded man with shrewd eyes and a talent for getting away with disrespect, snorted. "I think you know very well why we're here, boy. Someone caught you in bed with your Nemaru whore."

Nyle was on his feet before he could stop himself, face hot with anger, fingers curled into his palms. Councilman Merick, the only man Nyle was sure he could call a friend here and the one who consistently sat at his right, was standing as well, a hand on Nyle's chest, a warning in his eyes. Don't, they said. Deal with this like a gentleman.

Seething in silence, Nyle sank back into his chair. Herion smirked; he'd gotten away clean again. Just wait, Nyle thought venomously. You'll get your earnings.

"As councilman Herion pointed out," Merick said carefully, reclaiming his seat, "we have a bit of a...predicament. We were hoping you could clarify for us what the true situation is, considering the unreliability of rumors. As crown prince, Nyle, your responsibility in chastity is paramount to your position. You set an example. To violate that is to violate your responsibility as royalty. Do we understand each other?"

"Perfectly," Nyle got out between clenched teeth. "What do you wish to know?"

Councilman Merick leaned back in his chair, his steady gaze searching. "We only wish to know if you broke your vow of chastity. Spending the night with a woman behind closed doors... to be blunt, it suggests unsavory behavior on your part. I fear that even if you deny it, and your words are true, the rumors may have already gotten beyond our control."

Nyle sighed through his teeth, running a hand over his face. "Nothing happened. I didn't break my vow. We just fell asleep. You have my word as an honest man that this is the truth."

"Very well," Merick said, inclining his head. "I take you at your word. That still, however, leaves the problem of the rumors."

"What, you're going to take a teenage boy at his word on an issue like this?" Herion sneered, eyeing Merick. The other members of the council, ten in all, shifted uncomfortably. Merick and Herion were the primary speakers; most others preferred putting their opinions in writing. "Recall when you were his age, Merick. If you'd been in a room alone with a woman who'd been seducing you all night, would you be capable of controlling yourself?"

Nyle fought to keep his hands uncurled, his heartbeat calm, his breathing steady. Anger coiled like a serpent in his gut, tense, hot, ready to strike. His teeth clenched so hard they squeaked. In his periphery, he saw Merick shoot him a warning look. Careful, it said. "I would thank you to keep your mouth shut, councilman Herion," Nyle managed, his voice deadly quiet. "I may not be crowned yet, but I have the power to remove you from this council, if needed."