Song of Blood and Reign

Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Filwey had been a...touchy subject, for lack of a better description...ever since Jai had gone weeks before. If not for his father, he wouldn't be stepping foot in the northern-most Ethran city. Of course, he, Gideon, Thia, and Allel were being watched closely by every guardsman they got in close proximity to. How could he not be?

More than likely because the last time he was there, he threatened to take Emperor Hadix's head clean off his shoulders for even believing Jai would consider handing over Elys. He didn't think he'd even be able to see him without his hand twitching toward his sword.

But that's not why they were in Filwey now. They were there to ask questions and hopefully get the answers they were seeking. So far, though, they weren't having any luck. After an hour, the four of them decided to split up to cover more ground.

Jai stuck to the busy city center. With every person he asked about the Camdover Mountains and if they knew of anyone who had gone and came back, fear flashed in their eyes as they shook their heads. And it wasn't because it was the Crown Prince of Dalcaine who was asking. The genuine fear told him something none of them told him in so many words, something he already knew before.

No one ever came back from those mountains. And if they did turn up once again, they were just shells of who they once were, all dried up and devoid of blood.

It was more than frustrating, especially when hours passed with no leads. Jai was still asking, though, and even asking those he'd already talked to in hopes they'd remember something they hadn't before. They wouldn't even talk to him, pushing past as he watched them leave.

Hours and hours of nothing...and Jai felt his desperation begin to crest.

Boots stomping on the stone road, he stalked toward a tavern he'd never been to before. It looked even older than he was, with warped glass windows, a door that creaked open and sounded as if it would break off its hinges when he went inside.

No one sat along the bar in the worn leather stools or the tables where small lanterns sat in the center. Other than the sconces on the walls and the faded sunlight coming through the windows, they were the only source of light within the tavern. Bottles of alcohol lined the wall behind the bar, reflected in the mirror Jai looked at himself in as he sat. His expression was harsh and cruel, mouth turned down in a scowl that was seemingly permanent these days. Not to mention the weapons he had on him. No wonder no one wanted to talk to him or even look him in the eye.

"What can I get you, Crown Prince?" a gravelly voice asked from his right.

Jai started, not realizing someone had slowly made their way behind the bar and toward him. The Fae female who stared back was one of the oldest he had ever seen, movements slow and deep wrinkles creasing her dark skin. Her silver hair was piled on top of her in a knot and she wore a loose-fitting dress with sleeves that came all the way down to her wrists. She only wore two pieces of jewelry – a gold band on the ring finger of her left hand and a larger one that was threaded on a thin chain around her neck.

"The strongest of whatever you've got," Jai finally answered after staring for a moment too long.

She raised one gray eyebrow, a brightness in her honey-colored eyes that made her look centuries younger. "Are you sure about that?"

"Definitely, especially with how my day's gone. How the past several months has gone, really."

The female nodded slowly as she reached under the counter for a crystal glass she then set in front of him. When she turned, she didn't grab for a bottle along the wall, but rather one that was locked up in a hidden compartment right below. Jai watched as she put in a combination on the lock that sealed it before pulling out a black glass bottle.