Chapter 29
As soon as the four of them stepped foot into the dining room, Lyv immediately felt the tension in the air. This time, though, it wasn't directed toward her from Renna and Janan, with Shamira lounging on a fluffy bed behind them. Rather, it was because there were two others seated at the table along with Thia, Kalla, Allel, and Mik.
The two Krahzaran princes, Malik and Kaveh, who were clearly both mages, sat to the left of the head of the table where Cleo would undoubted sit herself. The elder of the two would have looked in his early thirties should he have been a human, but Lyv knew he had to have been much older. He was dressed in the same kind of sleeveless, dark green vest and slightly billowed pants as she'd seen the other males from Krahzara in, though his were much more detailed with silver threading and buttons. His coppery skin was smooth, his long black hair was pulled into a low ponytail, and his eyes were a deep brown they seemed almost black whenever they met hers.
The boy at his side looked almost identical, though his eyes were the light hazel eyes and his wavy black hair only brushed his shoulders. Being young, he didn't give off the same intensity as his elder brother. He was curious, though, looking around at everyone before finally seeing Elys. His eyes immediately brightened, excited there was another child for him to be around.
Before Lyv could stop him, Elys bolted from her side and ran to jump in the chair beside Kaveh. The two boys immediately introduced themselves to the other, though Kaveh seemed to have already heard about Elys. It took no time at all for them to start talking, somehow easing the tension in the room.
Before, Janan hadn't been able to even glance at the other males. Not with Malik, though, as she peered over at him with narrowed eyes. Malik stood just as she introduced him. "Crown Prince, I would like you to Crown Prince Jai of Dalcaine, Crown Princess Alyvia, and guardsman Gideon Kersey. The little one is Elys, who is their ward and a Seer. And this is Crown Prince Malik of Krahzara, a current guest of Arloerin along with his brother Prince Kaveh."
His eyes never leaving theirs, Malik nodded his head in greeting. "It's very nice to meet you all," he said, his voice smooth and accented, as he looked at each of them. "As Lady Janan said, I'm Crown Prince Malik of Krahzara." He placed his hand on his brother's head, stopping his chatter with Elys. "And this is Kaveh, though you may call him Kav."
"Hello," Kav smiled, and then turned his attention back to Elys.
Lyv followed closely behind Jai, who headed for the open seats at the table across from them. "So, you and your envoy are here for talks between Krahzara and Arloerin, I take it?" she asked as Jai pulled her chair out for her beside Cleo's and she sat down.
Renna snorted at that. Not because it was Lyv who asked it, but rather the question itself. Obviously, there was too much tension between the two kingdoms, and she didn't think talks were needed. But Cleo was the queen and she was the one facilitating it.
"Trying to, at least," he nodded as he took a seat once more. His smile was more of a grimace than anything else.
"Oh?"
"There is too much of a history between the queen and your mother. Plus, she is against one of your many proposals in these talks. There is no reason for her not to be guarded in what is being brought to the table."
It was Janan who had said it, her tone holding more steel in it than it had in the few other times she'd spoken.
Even Malik was surprised by it, looking over the tops of both little boys' heads where she was sitting beside Elys. "I had no idea you were so loyal to a queen when you are not originally from here. Are you an official Arloerin citizen, or do you still belong to King Nishan of Rezuvell as his favorite consort?"
A low blow...and one that had Lyv's eyes immediately going to Janan. That was what her tattoos were of. She tried to mask the flash of fear that crossed her face, but it didn't get past Lyv. Though her own trauma was much different that hers, she knew. She knew no matter how much time passed, Janan would also have those flashes of memories, whether in nightmares or in waking moments.
Malik realized his error in bringing it up as Janan turned away from him. He opened his mouth to apologize, but the door to the dining room opened. Cleo walked in, dressed more simpler in a red top threaded with gold and black leather leggings.
She stopped mid-stride, sensing the tension between her second and the Krahzara crown prince. "What is going on here? Already causing more trouble than you already have, Malik?"
"It's fine," Janan said through her teeth. "Everything's fine."
"I would say not, but I'm not going to push it, especially when we have more important guests and we want to keep up appearances."
Damn.
Despite everything, Lyv didn't both to hide her smile as Cleo came over to take her seat, especially when she saw the resigned look on Malik's face. Obviously, he'd been on the receiving end of Cleo's annoyance multiple times already in his recent stay, maybe even before.
"Now we're all here," Cleo grinned, looking around at everyone at the table. She reached for her glass, which was filled with a deep blue wine just like everyone else's other than Elys and Kav's, which were filled with a deep purple juice. Lyv knew what it was - Starlight...and that she'd need to be careful. "A toast to everyone, especially all of my new family." She nodded to Lyv. "May fun and chaos follow wherever we go until the end of our days."
"Cheers to that," Kalla laughed, holding her glass a little higher before she gulped half of it down just like the rest of them.
"Let's eat!"
There was too much. The palace staff brought out trays laden with fruits and vegetables and breads. The main dishes included chicken and fish, both drizzled in different sauces that smelled of citrus and herb as soon as it passed in front of Lyv. Her mouth started watering as soon as Cleo handed the plate for her to dish out a helping. Several more bottle of different wines were brought out as well and were quickly emptied as they devoured every morsel of food.
Though the tensions had been high at the start, the conversation came easily once everyone relaxed. Mostly, the conversation was about their families and the relationships in them. No matter which one they were speaking of, everyone was engrossed and promising to someday make the trip to meet everyone.
Surprisingly, all of the males – including Malik – really hit it off and by the end of dinner had moved to the other end of the table so the females could talk by themselves. Elys and Kav disappeared to undoubtedly run out to where the dragons were staying. According to Malik, Cleo's Ollyn had really taken to the Krahzaran prince...which had Elys whispering into Kav's ear before they grinned and ran out of the dining room. Renna dismissed herself soon after, eyes heavy as she leaned down to press a kiss to Cleo's forehead. Janan, however, said her goodnights in a clipped tone, her back straight and hands slightly shaking. From the other end of the table, Malik watched her leave as a flash of regret reappeared in his eyes.
Lyv noticed all of this...and turned to Cleo for explanation. She didn't even have to ask.
"What Malik said about Janan being the Rezuvelli king's favorite consort," Cleo began, her expression turning grim. "It's true. The tattoos mark her as such. She was there...oh, maybe twenty years? As soon as she was of age at fifteen, he bought her, used her for his own pleasure and even let some of his guardsmen have her, too. She got out three years ago, went as far away as she could manage, which just happened to be here."
"Mother above," Lyv breathed, finding herself looking back at the now closed door. "She's still young in immoral terms then."
"And to have gone through so much trauma already," Thia said as she shook her head.
"How did she get out?" Allel asked then.
"Somar, actually. The queen." Cleo's smile turned wicked. "I can't wait for the day when she finally snaps and kills him herself. I would much rather have diplomatic talks with her rather than that old vicious bastard. Rezuvell isn't a great city as it once was long ago. A shift in leadership would definitely change that. Nothing too obvious in taking him out, though."
Kalla snorted as she took a sip of her wine. "Maybe that's another thing we can press Malik on. Getting his mother to allow us access to the Guild of Starlight, a name which they totally stole from us from out first wine we produced, by the way. All because that new female took over...what? Seventy years ago?"
"Guild of Starlight?" Lyv asked, furrowing her brow.
"Their guild of assassins and spies," Cleo clarified. "The most highly trained, not to mention secretive, in all of Laria. Of course, all of the other kingdoms have their own networks, but even Arloerin's can't compare to it. Especially the head of it all, a female who's not only the most skilled assassin in all of Laria but is also in close association with the empress. Even acts as executioner during trials. No one knows her name, though. She goes by no other than the Lady in White."
"Not a typical color for assassins," Thia stated. "You'd think she'd get blood all over it."
"Well, she doesn't. But there's a reason she's the longest to head the Guild. Almost seventy years, like Kalla mentioned. No one will challenge her knowing her specific skillset, not after she butchered her predecessor. Some say it was for fun, some say for revenge. Even I wouldn't want to be in the same room with her, which is saying something since I'm the one who usual scares everyone," Cleo said with a humorless laugh. "But that's the thing...no one would know when she's in the room the way should she be out of uniform. She would just be another passing female on the street."
So...a female that even made Cleo nervous? Now that was something Lyv didn't see coming, especially when she had such a unique magic herself and knew exactly what she could do with it. What had this female done to earn such fear and respect from not only those in the kingdom she served, but also from those far beyond their borders?
Cleo's gaze drifted down the dining room table toward Malik, who was much more at ease now that he was in friendly conversation with Jai, Gideon, and Mik. The Crown Prince of Krahzara didn't realize she was staring him down for a long minute, but then his eyes met hers. There was no tension, though, but rather remembrance and regret about a past held between them that was to go unsaid for now. Regret and...still held secrets neither one of them seemed to want to give up, even to each other.
Cleo noticed not only Lyv's curiosity, but also Thia and Allel's. Kalla seemed to already know, maybe even was there during it all.
"Malik is actually just two years older than me," Cleo said after taking along sip of her wine to drain the glass. "We were close when we were little. The two of us and Adeena. We met when we actually went to Krahzara for the first time and stayed for about two months. Arloerin wasn't Arloerin yet, but rather sparsely populated ruins we were trying to build back up and trying to find the money to do so. But when we came back here...it was only a few weeks later that we were attacked and Adeena and my grandfather were killed."
Lyv's heart jumped into her throat.
Thia asked the question Lyv was about to. "So, the Guild of Starlight...they're the ones who went after you."
Cleo grimaced, trying to make it a smile. "They haven't officially claimed it, but everyone knows. I never blamed him for it, though. I blamed his mother. Malik and I were still the best of friends, even after. He...helped me through it all in those following years. It was nothing romantic between us. Still isn't. But things changed when he was the one to lead the Krahzaran forces to capture Arloerin when we were just starting to get off our feet."
She didn't have to say it in words the betrayal she'd felt. Lyv knew it just from how her voice changed, dropped into a whisper with that last sentence.
"But that's nothing I want to talk about," she continued on with a wave of her hand. She shifted her attention to Lyv, Thia, and Allel. "Now, Kalla's told me all about your world, but I want to hear about it from you."
And so the conversation turned more lighthearted as Lyv and Thia spoke about Escarral and Dalcaine while Allel about Ethran. Hours passed, but they found themselves still talking well into the night, having moved from the dining room into the library. At first, it was just the females, save for the orc Urell who stood ever the faithful guardsman just outside the door. Eventually, the males joined them, minus Malik who had dismissed himself for the night. Cleo battered them with questions, too, which they happily answered.
Lyv found herself drifting off once the hour approached midnight, leaning back against Jai, her head nestled in the crook of his shoulder. He said something before kissing her forehead to which she swatted her hand upward. She connected with something, making the others burst out into laughter, but she was already gone.
***So sorry for the delay in uploading, guys! This past week has just been crazy and weird, so I wasn't the best at actually taking the time to sit down and write. I'm hoping to get the next chapter up on Sunday, though!
This was just a short chapter, but gave a little bit more background that wasn't initially revealed. We'll of course learn much more in the future books, though! I'm especially excited to dive into Krahzara, Malik and Kav, and with the Guild of Starlight. *winks*
What did you guys think? Comment and vote!
Happy reading!
- Ansley***