CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Astaroth
Inside, I fumed. Outwardly, I appeared calm and reserved, waiting for Jessandra to deliver Calista. The servants lined the walls wearing their pristine uniforms. Their squat shadows stretched and wavered on the silk drapes behind them from the flickering flames of the candles littering the Hall. It made them appear taller than they were. The tallest ones stood around four feet, while the shortest were around two. Height was an indicator of how long they had been in the realm before I arrived and fed it a steady stream of nourishment.
I stood behind my chair, hands clenched at the small of my back, willing them to appear in the archway. I cleared my throat when one of the servants glanced around nervously. Their spine and gaze straightened with a quickness.
After what felt like an eternity, Jessandra stepped into the room and positioned herself against the wall. A moment later, the soft swish of the deep purple gown I handpicked for her pricked my ears. Pride swelled inside me and almost made me smile, until I saw Calista’s tear-stained face and glistening eyes when she hesitantly entered. Tonight would be a challenge, much like everything that had to do with her. I should have never accosted Jessandra in the hall outside her room. How was I to change Calista’s mind when all my actions scared and angered her?
I stepped to the side of the table and said with a slight bow, “I am honored you joined me tonight, Calista.”
She looked about the room, and one of the female goblins grabbed their apron by the edges and inclined their head.
“Oh,” she mumbled, and raised her skirt in an awkward curtsy. I smirked when I saw her dirty, beaten, human shoes beneath. They matched her tangled hair and the bruising on her shins. She made her point. Jessandra poked her side, and Calista rolled her eyes. “The honor is mine, Your Highness.”
“Astaroth. Please.”
She released her skirt and folded her hands in front of her. The silk remained wrinkled and damp from her palms. “Yes, Your Highness.”
My mouth formed a tight line, but she couldn’t see it because she refused to look at me.
Two goblins moved forward from each end of the line. They worked in unison to pull out our chairs. As soon as we sat, the others jumped into motion.
While Calista inspected her place setting and the room, I watched for her reactions to my home. Her fear battled with her curiosity that I remembered so well. I hoped that it would win out once again, and she could enjoy her new life here.
“Patience,” Mergle whispered at my side.
I fingered the knife handle next to my plate, and he chuckled before moving to his post by the archway behind me. Jessandra stood in the exact spot across the room guarding the one nearest Calista. She, too, refused to look at me.
“You look lovely tonight. I am delighted you wore the dress I chose.”
She tugged at her sleeve and frowned. “It’s not really my style.”
So long as she put effort into our dinners, I didn’t mind what dress she wore. “Jessandra will escort you to market tomorrow. Get whatever you like and have it delivered here.”
She glanced out of the corner of her eye toward Jessandra. “Okay.”
An uncomfortable silence filled the room again. I tried to tap into the stone to gauge her emotions, but I couldn’t sense anything. I pried harder, and the stone pulsed. A current of energy zapped me square in the chest. Calista’s gasp covered my own, and she jerked the pendant away from her skin. This was problematic.
The staff flowed out of the kitchen with the first course in hand.
“Is something the matter?” I asked, unfurling my napkin and laying it across my lap.
She dropped the pendant against her chest and mirrored my actions with trembling hands. “No.”
Lie. I never thought I’d feel relief hearing one but was thankful I could still sense that.
With every course placed in front of her, Calista remained silent and picked at her food, pushing it around her plate. The cook chose each and every delicacy we had to impress her. I could see him peeking through the tapestry from the kitchen, his face falling as he watched her frown at the food. It was a torturous meal for such a joyous occasion. I should have predicted how rough the transition would be for Calista, but Iwanted to show her how wonderful our time together could be if she would allow it.
When the entree was set in front of her, she shrieked and pushed her chair back, almost toppling over. The guards jumped into action, and I met them at her side, sword drawn, ready to impale the snollygoster.
Goblins squatted beneath the table and searched around Calista’s chair. We looked at one another confused. “I don’t see anyone, sire,” Thaddeus said quietly.
A tug on my sleeve drew my attention down. Calista peeked around me and pointed at the table with a delicate finger. “What isthat?”
Draped across her plate in a beautiful arrangement was our greatest delicacy.
“A toddling ninny biter.”
