I gave him a soft smile. “Well, that’s incredibly kind, thank you, Praetor.”
I kicked my father under the table and shot Peytor a look that spelled death in an attempt to quiet their chuckles. I avoided touching Lord d’Refan at all costs.
“Lies,” he whispered in my ear. I closed my eyes.
Shoot. I forgot about the Truthsaying thing.
“Lord d’Leocopus and . . . Praetor, was it?” Lord d’Refan spoke before my father could. His demeanor instantly changed from one of relaxed composure to one of vibrating intensity. Here was the Lord d’Refan everyone feared.
Both men turned to the predator in the room and quickly gave deep bows.
“Lord d’Refan. Yes, this is my son, Praetor. The alliance of our territory to Hestin would be beneficial for all involved, yourself especially, don’t you think?” I sucked in a breath at his words. Either Lord d’Leocopus was brave or incredibly dumb.
Lord d’Refan leaned forward on his elbows and Lord d’Leocopus stepped back.
Not dumb, then.
“What would benefit me, Lord d’Leocopus,” his tone was lethal, and he practically spat the man’s name at him, “would be for you to pay for the twelve hundred pounds of wheat you stole from my collection carriages.”
The room had gone silent during the exchange, all conversation halted, even the clinking of forks and knives was absent, and all eyes were turned toward Lord d’Refan and his prey.
“I . . . I-I don’t know what you’re speaking of!”
“Lies,” Lord d’Refan hissed, “would you like to try again?” The power coming off Lord d’Refan was intoxicating. I saw the General tense next to him, his hand reaching into his right pocket to grasp something.
Crystals, I realized.The General uses crystals to access his power. Why doesn’t he have a Vessel?
Lord d’Leocopus blanched, his already pale skin turning a deathly shade of white as his eyes shot from Lord d’Refan to the General and even to my father, but he quickly realized he’d receive no help from him. Praetor started to inch away from his father, seeming to understand that things were not going to end well.
“Well, I didn’t steal them, my lord, if that’s what you’re insinuating. It was taken by a band of unruly citizens and hidden somewhere in the city!” He clutched his hands together, the knuckles as white as his face.
Lord d’Refan cocked his head at the man in front of him and I felt the waves of power lessen slightly. I took what felt like the first breath in forever, and saw a few guests visibly relax as well.
“See to it that they are returned to me, yes? By the end of the moon, Lord d’Leocopus,” Lord d’Refan declared as he eased back into his seat.
Lord d’Leocopus sputtered a string of words that were simultaneously a profuse apology and deep thanks. They bowed once more to all of us before attempting to scurry back to their seats.
“Oh, and Praetor?” Lord d’Refan called lazily. The d’Leocopus men stopped in their tracks, not daring to turn around. “Consider your proposal denied.”
Praetor bowed once more before the two men practically ran back totheir table. Conversation slowly started again as it appeared there would be no more theatrics for the night.
“A band of unruly citizens commanded by his hand, maybe,” the General muttered and Lord d’Refan agreed.
“Yes. But it wasn’t a full lie nor a full truth, Rohak.”
Rohak grunted in response. “I’m going to check in with the Mages,” he said as he pushed back his chair to patrol the edges of the ballroom.
I ate a piece of cold quail as I watched his retreating back.
“Is he always like this?” I asked Lord d’Refan.
“A grumpy asshole? Unfortunately, yes,” he replied, but there was affection in his voice despite his caustic words.
Much of the dinner passed in the same way. A variety of lords and their sons came to present themselves as betrothal candidates, and Lord d’Refan found fault in each and every one. By the third one he denied, I stopped even paying attention to who was approaching and, instead, focused on other things happening around the room.
I watched Dria approach my brother on no less than three occasions, each time her dress fell a little farther down her chest, exposing more of her ample breasts. My brother feigned interest, flirting with the women who approached, but the random clenching of his hand and jaw indicated that he took little enjoyment in it all. At one point, Finian excused himself from the table completely, undoubtedly needing to distance himself from the whole debacle.
“We will be rejecting your son’s proposal on those grounds, Lord d’Lessia.” I rolled my eyes. I was bored, and this was starting to feel more like Lord d’Refan’s show than my birthday. My father, for the most part, seemed happy to let Lord d’Refan take control of this situation.
