“They should be concerned, since she is meant to be executed along with her great-granddaughter.”
“Bria,” Tavish said.
“That is something I need to reconsider since Bria’s husband saved them all and escorted them safely to Caerith.”
“Dar and Elara suggested that Wynn’s abilities could prove beneficial to you, especially with war imminent,” Tavish said.
“I have thought the same.”
“I drafted an edict reversing your grandfather’s rule on the Wise just in case you?—”
“You know the king too well,” Dravic said before he could finish.
“I know the king’s decisions are always in the best interest of the kingdom.”
“You think to stroke my ego?” Dravic snapped.
Tavish smiled pleasantly. “What ego, my king?”
A spark of humor flashed in the king’s dark blue eyes. “You will keep your head another day.”
“My wife will be pleased to hear that,” Tavish said, still smiling. “Now we should go so you can talk with all these people yourself.”
Dravic heard a clatter behind him and turned, seeing Adira bending down, rushing to pick up broken pottery pieces. He had forgotten she was there as he often did. She never made a sound, only when she moved and even then, she was so quiet that she was barely heard.
But then she would never be heard. Adira could neither hear nor speak. It was the reason he decided to keep her here in the castle.
He went to her, took her by the arm gently since she was still uncertain around him and brought her to her feet.
He let go of her arm, then shook his finger at her.
She lowered her head and he had come to learn when she did that, she was showing remorse.
Dravic looked to Tavish. “Get a servant in here. Now!”
Tavish opened the door and called for a servant.
A young woman rushed in and stopped by Tavish, waiting for orders.
“Clean this up,” the king ordered, pointing to the floor.
“Aye, my king,” the young woman said with a bob of her head and hurried to him and started picking up the pieces.
Dravic’s fingers took hold of Adira’s chin and forced it up. Her eyes were wide with uncertainty. He pointed to the shards of the ceramic bowl, then to the servant and nodded. Then he pointed to her and the shards and shook his head, pointing to the servant again.
“Her chore, not yours,” he said even though she could not hear him.
She nodded, though he was not sure if she understood him or appeased him out of fear.
“You,” he snapped at the servant, and she looked up at him terrified. “Make sure the servants know if I see Adira doing any chore, there will be hell to pay.”
“Aye, my king. Aye,” she said, bobbing her head frantically.
Dravic took hold of Adira’s arm and kept hold of it as he walked toward the door, so she knew she was to follow along with him.
“Time to speak with our visitors,” the king announced, and Tavish opened the door for him, then grabbed the document he had drafted and hurried out of the room.
The king’s entrance into the Great Hall had those sitting, rushing to their feet.
