|
|
“It’s a dilemma,” King Maximus said as he lounged on a long chair. “On the one hand, I do want Skullflare to find another Trove, but on the other...” He glanced in my direction as he said this, weighing his hands up and down like a scale.
I was sitting across the room as far away as possible from him. We were in a drawing room decorated in blacks and reds, a new space he had started to use for this late-night meeting he seemed to enjoy. It was late, after midnight, most likely. There was no clock in the room, but Maximus preferred the late hours to lounge and talk and feed.
Timotei wasn’t here. He was asleep, resting, Talyssa had told me so before settling on a large, comfortable chair to doze off. She always appeared tired, same as my brother.
The King picked up a wine glass from a side table and took a sip. “Of course, it’s in your best interest if he doesn’t find one.”
“Is it?” I asked dryly.
“Sure.” He lifted the glass in my direction. “Unless you want to live in that dungeon for the next few decades.”
My left eye twitched. I was sick of the dungeon, its dank smell and dripping silence. Of course I wanted out, especially if the reason for my release was Horasiu Skullflare’s inability to find another blood slave for Maximus.
“Why are you doing all of this?” I asked.
The question had crossed my lips several times, but Maximus never gave me an answer. He just smiled smugly, a twinkle in his eye. He did the same now as he enjoyed another sip of wine.
I stood and walked to a window. My new sight pierced through the darkness to make out the shape of trees and the fleeting flight of bats.
“Doesn’t this life bore you?” I asked, eyes following the line of trees until it met the palace’s outer wall.
“Sometimes,” he said.
I glanced back, surprised by his honesty. He had laid his head back, blond hair spilling back, and was squinting at the ceiling, the wine glass resting on his chest.
“When that happens, I leave the city for a while,” he added.
I stared dumbfounded. I’d never considered that the King might leave Acedrex. I was so confined by the many walls that surrounded me that my imagination could see no escape for anyone else.
Where did he go? What did he see?
“Why do you need Acedrex if you can go wherever you want?” I asked, anger pulsing in my chest as I squared my shoulders in his direction.
He lifted his head and gave me a contemptuous look. “I don’t need this city. But you do, along with the rest of the residents of this fine city”
I blew air through my nose to convey my derision.
Maximus rolled his eyes. “You think you know so much, Nyro. You shouldn’t contradict your elders. Didn’t anyone ever teach you that?”
“Your precious city killed everyone who might have bothered to teach me.”
“You are insufferable, you know?”
“Then why bother to keep me alive?”
He sighed heavily and sat up, glancing at Talyssa for a moment. She had started to lightly snore. He smiled fondly at her, and the gesture left me feeling conflicted. He couldn’t possibly care for her, not in a natural way. His fondness was for her blood, the honeyed life that traveled through her veins which I could sometimes smell if she was near.
Again I thought he wouldn’t answer my question, but he surprised me.
“I’ve kept you alive because I have a task for you,” he said, getting to his feet and approaching. He stopped right in front of me and regarded me impassively for a long moment.
A task? I wanted to ask what he meant, but I was afraid pressing him would make him turn secretive again.
“What task?” I finally asked as the silence stretched for too long.
“Something I want you to steal for me.” He swept his hair back, turned to the window, and peered into the night the same way I had. “I know what a talented thief you are, and I know you are... motivated. If you get this item for me, there might be a handsome reward for you in the end.”
A surge of pure energy sang in my veins, sending my heart into a thumping frenzy. Was he offering what I thought he was offering?
“What reward would that be?” I asked. I had to know.
Maximus faced me again. Specks of ancient blue speckled his red irises, giving me a glimpse of the way his eyes had once been.
“How about...” he twirled a hand as if trying to pull the answer out of the air. “Oh, I don’t know. Anything you want. Your brother’s freedom, perhaps?”
My heart stopped. I held my breath. If I moved, I would discover I’d imagined this answer. I didn’t want to break the moment. I wanted it to go on for as long as possible, so I could hold on to what I’d lost.
Hope.
Finally, I spoke, hoping not to undo the spell. “And where can I find this item?”
The King smiled, showing a pointed fang. “At the White Palace.”