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“Home, at last.”
I would need to rest, soon. But the excitement of my recent arrival pushed me through. I only needed energy from the kingdom’s L’even pearls and a night of uninterrupted sleep.
I frowned. There seemed to be less of a presence of L’even pearl energy here than I remembered. I’d hoped that wouldn’t be true. Nevertheless, there was more here than the place I’d left.
I coursed through the tunnels, peeking into the rooms, overhearing snippets of conversation. I wasn’t ready for my arrival to be noticed.
I passed the kitchen. A request for dinner would only complicate things, so I would have to go without. No matter. I’d endured far worse.
I stopped short of entering the throne room. Lorcan stood beside the throne, facing one of the walls, wringing his hands. I wondered how long he’d been waiting there.
I shall speak to him, later, after I’ve had a chance to reacquaint myself and regain my bearings. If I was being honest, I was surprised Lorcan had lasted this long.
Quietly, I reset my course, heading to the ruler’s quarters. Locating the main sleeping chamber was easy enough. My parents had occupied the space until the day they died. I couldn’t remember who ruled before them, only that it would have been someone along their bloodline. A peaceful transfer, likely. It had been a long time since any form of usurpation.
The bed was neatly made. Above it was an empty shelf, recessed in a wall of stone. At one time, the shelf held silver figurines decorated with L’even pearls. I frowned. I felt a modest amount of the pearls’ power in this room. Certain that it was from more than leftover remnants, I investigated further.
I reached out a hand, feeling for the source of the energy. A spark of blue illuminated from a table. I drew closer. A single L’even pearl was set into the center of a small drawer.
I smiled, pulling in much needed energy. My eyelids closed halfway as I looked longingly at the bed. With a sigh, I poked my head into the hallway and glanced along both sides of the tunnel. Satisfied that it was empty, I drew the curtain of lake-weed across the doorway.
I planned to reveal myself, but not until after a night’s rest.
I swam by a mirror wedged in a corner. By the light of the single pearl’s glow, I gazed into the mirror’s shining surface and grinned. I looked fit to be ruler, in every way. Almost. All that I was missing was my father’s diadem.
I hadn’t wanted to abandon the new colony of Perlnauts I’d hoped to form into my own kingdom. But I’d had no choice. And so I interpreted that to mean I was meant to rule this kingdom, instead.
“Move over, brother,” I said to my reflection. “Acai has returned.”