“All right, I’m ready for the next step,” I told him.
“Excellent, because it’s time to meet your team,” Cassiel said. “If you’re going to follow in my footsteps and become a criminal boss, you’re going to need a specialized team. I’m going to teach you how to develop a strategy. You’ll need people to execute it for you.”
An hour later,I was sitting in the palace throne room. The room was enormous, large enough to seat several hundred people. It was at the top of the palace, and open to the air through gigantic archways that displayed the rest of the city. I could feel with my Air magic that large banners hung from thecathedral ceiling, blowing lightly in the breeze. They probably depicted the symbol of my grandfather’s house. At the head of the room was a raised dais, which overlooked the rest of the space. Dozens of stairs led up to the dais, where the thrones sat.
There were four thrones on top of the dais, which my grandfather told me were made of gold. The largest throne was in the middle, and was where Cassiel sat. At his right hand was a throne identical to his, but smaller in stature, which was the place for my father.
On the left were two other thrones in black wood, one that I currently sat in. They were for Ava and me, and signified our place in the monarchy. Underneath my fingers, I could tell that the thrones were carved with intricate designs. I was certain Ava would love them.
My grandfather ignored his own throne and stood beside me as we waited. His guards, as always, had followed us here, but they remained still as statues. I quickly learned that my grandfather never went anywhere without several members of the Emperor’s Guard close behind. The doors to the throne room opened, and several pairs of footsteps shuffled inside.
“Sire,” Eddie said. “Your entourage, as requested.”
“These Elves are highly skilled in various specialties,” my grandfather explained. “Each Emperor has access to his own team called the Elvish Associates, whose job is to carry out missions for the royal family. This team has been carefully curated for your purposes, Charlie, and you may direct them in any way you choose.”
I was feeling pretty cozy in the throne, but I stood to greet each one of them in turn.
“This is Elyx,” Eddie introduced as I shook the first man’s hand. “He’s a highly trained marksman, in both magical specialties and practical weapons. If you want a sniper, Elyx is your guy.”
“Nice to meet you,” I told him.
“The very same, your highness,” Elyx said.
“The twins are Asa and Ares,” Eddie continued.
I shook their hands in turn. Their hands felt similar, both rough and muscular. They were both much taller than me, and their hands were practically twice the size of mine.
“They’re the muscle of the team, and both have trained in torture techniques,” Eddie explained. “If you ever need to intimidate a witness, these guys have you covered.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you both,” I said.
“The pleasure is all ours,” Asa replied in a deep voice.
“And this is Gavyn,” Eddie introduced.
Gavyn… why did that name sound so familiar?
“It’s nice to see you again, my prince,” Gavyn said.
“Wait… you escaped the Institute after Forevermore was seized,” I realized. Gavyn was one of the young Elves that had been captured in Forevermore and thrown into the prison with us. He’d siphoned angel wings from a guard and flew over the fence. It was a really big deal, because he was the first inmate to escape. “The Warden said you’d died.”
Gavyn gave a smug laugh. “The Warden is a liar, but you already knew that.”
I smirked. “It’s nice to see you made it.”
“Gavyn’s more than an escape artist,” Eddie said. “He’s our communications expert. If you need a negotiator, a messenger, a PR guy… he’s your man. He’s also very skilled at blending in if you ever need to go undercover.”
I nodded. “Sounds great.”
“And finally, meet Max,” Eddie said.
I reached out to shake his hand, but I was surprised to feel that he was smaller than the others, and his hands were smooth. He wore all types of rings, and bracelets jingled on his wrists.
“Max specializes in tech,” Eddie said. “If you ever need to get past human technology or you need to hack into a high security system, just ask Max.”
“I certainly will,” I replied. “It’s good to have a guy like you on the team.”
Max gave a light laugh, but it came out higher than I expected. That’s when I realized Max was awoman. She didn’t correct me. Instead, she said, “I’m happy to be included.”
