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“Oh,” Ayla said, flushing a little, and I thought, once again, of how adorable she was whenever her cheeks colored pink. She’d spent a good chunk of her formative years in a secret coven or hiding in a cave, so I didn’t fault her for not knowing about certain things. “I was worried the locals thought we shifters just ate raw meat all the time.”
Aodin chuckled. I supposed that wouldn’t be the wildest thing for them to assume. As shifters, in our animal forms we could indeed hunt and eat an entire animal, viscera and all. Doing the same in our humanoid bodies wouldn’t make us sick, but we couldn’t really digest them all that well either.
“No, I’m afraid us fae actually eat much more rare and raw proteins than you do in Camdaria.” He flashed a grin, and I noticed for the first time that his teeth were sharp. Nothing like the extended canines we wolf shifters could get, but more than one would expect from a typical omnivore.
Now that I thought about it, I knew nothing about the diet of the fae. As far as I was aware, they got along fine with whatever was served in the palace. I was learning a lot in rapid succession.
At least the food was all delicious, though the servers did look surprised at just how much and how fast we were eating. We didn’t end up having to explain ourselves, however, as Aodin whispered something to one of them. But naturally, with my enhanced hearing, I was able to hear him explain that we were all wolf shifters and quite hungry.
It shouldn’t have amused me that much, but it did, and I was just grateful that it allowed me to dig into the fare.
We were finally nearing our fill when two men began to approach the table, then a few others behind them.
“Ah, you’re all here!” Aodin said, standing up with another broad grin on his face. “This is Herald, Samir, Hycella, Kardeph, and Ayenna. Fellow Arbiters, this is Prince Nikolai DeLune.”
I could feel their surprise, like they were shocked that I really was present. It made me wonder what exactly Aodin said in his message to them.
“His Majesty made it here after quite the daring escape, and he’s agreed to help us convince the elders to forsake their allegiance to King Nathaniel.”
“It’s incredible to meet you,” Herald said, stepping forward and offering his hand. “I’m lucky I happened to be around.”
“Are you not normally located on Blath?” I asked, wondering how friendly I should be and how much of a professional face to put on. I was a prince on the run having fled the country after a ‘failed coup’.
“Most of my work is as a smuggler around those blockades your father has set up. I live on the main island, but I’m here from time to time.”
“I, however, am located on this island,” another said, offering his hand as well. “I’m Samir. I’m a shifter like all of you.”
“Oh?” I took the politest sniff of the air I could considering we were surrounded by non-shifters. “Griffon?”
“Eagle, actually, so not that far off.”
I nodded, pleasantly surprised. “Avian shifters are rare.”
“In Camdaria. Most of us have left to warmer and more welcome climates.”
The rest all introduced themselves as well, but they began to blend into each other. I knew that I needed to keep them all apart if I wanted to successfully navigate their diplomatic scene, but I was exhausted and beginning to be overwhelmed. I felt like I’d leaped from one fire into another, trying to navigate overthrowing my father while I was in the palace, then planning how to overthrow my father while I was on the Verdana Isles.
By the time we all sat down, I was relieved. I returned to my food, although I was more picking at it to give myself time to think.
“I have to say, we’re incredibly excited you’re here, but I can’t help but wonder,” Herald said, leaning forward somewhat conspiratorially, which felt overly friendly if anything else. “Are you really ready to kill your father and truly end this terrible war once and for all?”
Well, I at least had to give him points for directness.
“I know that’s the outcome of opposing my father, but I don’t want to focus all our efforts on ending his life. If there is a way we can get him to surrender, incapacitate him, or overwhelm him, I’d prefer that. But I will do what’s necessary to secure peace for all of the citizens affected by the conflict. I want Vekas stopped. Once and for all.”
“See?” Aodin said, sounding pleased with my answer, which was a relief. “He’s not some bloodthirsty, blood jockey or war monger. He wants peace, the same as us.”
“That’s exactly what I want,” I continued, grateful for the backup. “No more innocent blood spilled. No more land grabs. No more massacred villages or destroyed military instillations. We want a time of true peace, where we all can flourish, and none of that can happen while my father is on the throne. He’s completely uninterested in ending the conflict.”
As far as I could tell, the Arbiters seemed pleased enough with my response. There was more talking after that, but nothing as serious or as concrete as I’d expected. No plans of political overthrow or speeches, but mainly who needed to be brought up to speed on my arrival. Before I knew it, the group was leaving, eagerly talking amongst themselves,
“Now that’s settled, shall I show you where you’ll be staying?”
“Please,” Ayla said with a dramatic sigh. While our bond had been quiet during the meeting, I felt relief flood me.
I hadn’t even thought about my mate being uncomfortable, exhausted, or even bored stuck in a political meeting where she had to be silent but also polite. It lasted less than half an hour, but it’d been quite taxing for her.
“Again, I’m grateful to all of you for being willing to stick around. Now the rest of the Arbiters will be able to get word out to their contacts. We have a, well, a system I suppose you could say, where none of us know everyone in our network. That way, should the heat be turned on us and we do become political targets, none of us can betray the entire network in one fell swoop.”
