Trials of the Hunt

Chapter 27

'Protect the throne' is what Sloane said he should do. It's what he was chosen to do. To protect the throne he would have to marry Tallis. He would have to do it despite her threats and pretend to like it.

If Tallis' plan worked and she were made queen, who knows how her influence would impact Padraig. So far she had shown herself to be calculating and callous. Is that the kind of queen Taladae needed? Padraig had a lover, an old relationship that went back to his childhood. Would she allow him to keep Gaduriel in his life? She was the kind of woman who would be jealous of a male lover. Padraig would lose his mind without him in his life. Is that good for the throne?

It was that thought that made his stomach churn again. Agreeing to allow her to seduce Padraig was a bad plan from the start. It was a fool's way out, cowardly, and a terrible thing to do to his brother. It was that thought that made him want to vomit.

A knock on the door alerted him.

"Come," he whispered.

Sheed entered quietly. "I made a bit of gingered tea for you, my lord." She entered and set up a rolling cart just near the bed in front of the closet. She would never presume to counsel the young prince, but she knew him better than even his mother. She responded to his needs before he realized they existed.

"Thank you."

"Just ring for us should you get your appetite back, my lord," she whispered as she quietly closed the door.

Gannon inhaled and the sweet scent of ginger and lavender tickled his nose enough to make him want to try it. He walked over, poured himself a cup of steaming hot tea and sat back down. He resumed staring into the garden and took a sip. His stomach still churned, but he decided the tea was magnificent and it might help. He finished it and, his stomach settled a bit, laid down to nap a while. He'd have a lot of work to do later and he needed to be in tip top shape.

His body rested, but his mind could not. His stomach stopped churning, but his mind flooded with ways he could right the mess he'd made. He wasn't keen on marrying Tallis, but perhaps she could grow to like him, tolerate him at least. She was pretty, not built the way he liked his women, but that was not important. If he backed out of their deal, her finely tuned plan to be queen, he was certain he'd never get to see her naked.

The dinner bell rang and he sat up in bed with a start.

"Don't worry, don't worry. I just let you sleep a while, that's all," joked Dillion. He placed a small bell on the side table and Gannon relaxed just a bit.

Gannon sighed deeply and looked out the window. "I thought I overslept. Thank you."

He looked at Dillion in the dimly lit room and found that he wore his finest military uniform. His cap rested on his knee, and there was not a thread out of place on his maroon and royal blue finery. The waning daylight caught the collar of his starched white shirt and it appeared almost blue.

"Well, don't you look dapper?"

"It's not everyday your little brother gets engaged in front of all the noble houses of Taladae. I thought I should look the part."

Dill smiled and so did Gannon. He inhaled and exhaled, letting out a long sigh.

"The first step of many, my brother. Once you're past this, the rest should be easy."

Gannon went to the bathroom, showered again, and again washed more of that blue bloody filth out of his long locs, not as dark as before, but traces of it were still there. "I should think about getting these trimmed." Gannon quickly dried his hair with the enchanted towel from earlier, tied his hair back tightly, off his shoulders, as he would if he were attending a stately event, and emerged to get dressed.

Dillion had left the room and the lamps were on full. Gannon carefully dressed in the finest uniform he'd ever worn. It wasn't fit for battle, but for this event, he looked as sharp as could be. Heiden found a better version of the typical cotton materials that military uniforms were made of. This was very fine, perhaps mixed with silk or some other fine material. He had commissioned the correct commendations and ribbons and affixed them precisely on the lapels and shoulders. The silver cords were braided perfectly, not a single strand out of place, and the silver buttons had been polished to a fine shine. Even his shoes were perfect. Not a speck of dirt or dust and the soles were brand new. He buckled Orion to his waist as he stood at the door to his garden, watching the daylight wane, and thought about what to take to Tallis.

He picked up an empty white tea cup from the rolling table, went outside with his dagger and drew a circle in the dirt around a pretty yellow and white pelliwort. He spoke a few words in the ancient tongue and crouched down to the ground. He hesitated for a moment, not wanting to get his new uniform dirty, but he cleared that thought from his mind as it was a barrier to the magic. As he thought of seeing the yellow and white flower nestled in the delicate teacup, tiny wisps of white light surrounded the flower.

A gentle breeze blew through the garden and the dark green leaves of the flower bent down to the dirt, the yellow and white flower tipped over and the leaves dug into the dirt where the dagger had left its mark. The leaves uprooted the flower and hovered just above the dirt. While Gannon chanted, he waved his hand over the now unearthed flower, which seemed to wait for him. He put the teacup on the ground just beneath the tender roots of the flower and dirt from around the dagger mark filled the cup halfway.

Finally the leaves lowered the flower into the cup of dirt, and returned upright. As Gannon finished chanting, the light grew in intensity and the wind picked up. He removed the cup from the former home of the flower and the dirt surrounding it filled in the hole. The wind died down, the light gradually faded and Gannon examined Tallis' gift. The pretty bud barely peeked above the rim of the cup. Perfectly delicate and fragrant. A peace offering.