Page 95 of The Song of the Void

Tamayo went limp as a rag doll, allowing the guards to drag her out of the throne room, and I almost pitied her. Reiven stalked back to the throne and plopped on it, heaving an exhausted sigh.

“Can’t believe she told you I died, and you actually believed her. Dumbass,” said Jin.

Reiven rolled his eyes and waved his brother’s words away.

A commotion at the door made us all jerk to attention. I thought for a moment that Tamayo had one more trick up her sleeve and somehow escaped, but the moment I heard the voices, I relaxed, and so did Rei.

Shaddan burst through the door with two Mourner guards hot on his heels with weapons drawn, but the Druinn's levitating spear gave a few warning stabs into the air beside their heads to keep them at bay. Calinia followed them inside, though much more calmly.

“Maybe if you moved faster, you wouldn’t be completely failing at your jobs of protecting a royal, because someone like me could easily assassinate—” Shaddan didn’t finish berating the guards and instead turned his energy on Rei. “Speaking of the royal pain in the ass. Your guards are a circus of weaklings, and by the Spirits, you look like an idiot with a crown on.”

The royal pain in the ass himself motioned for the pride-wounded guards to leave, almost mirroring Calinia as he nursed what was probably the beginnings of a headache. I made a mental note to give him a scalp massage later. “Hello to you too.”

“I don’t want your damn niceties. What did you call us here for? I’m tired of waiting.”

Akina clasped her hands behind her back, smiling down at him. “Please don’t overexert yourself. You were grievously wounded in the Flames Below. You still need to recover.”

Indeed, fresh white bandages around Shaddan’s chest and abdomen peeked out from beneath his clothing, though he seemed as energetic as ever. He gave her a practiced bow, aimed at her and only her—despite there being a young prince to Akina’s left and a newly crowned king to her right. “Princess Akina, I thank you for your concern, truly. But if minor wounds such as these would hinder me in my duty, I wouldn’t be able to call myself the head of the Second Army of Terrakor.” It was like he had flipped some sort of switch inside himself which turned him into a perfect, noble gentleman. I had seen a glimpse of this version of him at the banquet months ago.

Well, he’s awfully charming when he feels like it.

“Shaddan,” Reiven said, a slight warning to his tone.

“Look, Mourner King—” Shaddan really didn’t want to address Reiven by his name, did he? “I don’t intend to stay in your land much longer, seeing as I’ve completely failed in my mission to retrieve the Voidtome for the Druinns, and it’s only right I return home to accept my punishment.” Akina gasped, and Shaddan nodded morosely, though the rest of us picked up on his theatrics. “Honestly, all of us failed. The Voidtome we came so far for is gone.”

“It’s in the Abyssal Deep where it belongs.” Rei rested his chin on his fist as he considered Shaddan, and to a lesser extent, Akina. “You know…We have two Druinns, a Siren, and three Mourners here, representatives from almost every country. Zephra and I intend to continue Ash’s calling to work towards harmony, for the good of all our people. Do you suppose the Druinn nobles will still punish you for failure if you return with the goodwill of the new king of Mourners, Shaddan?”

He kept that grave frown on his face, but Shaddan’s eyes glinted with confidence. “They’ll laugh, strip me of my title, and run me out of the country.”

“Even if you return with an ambassador of peace and an offer of alliance from the island?”

“Oh! I’ll be the ambassador,” Akina gasped, then turned to Reiven with huge, shining eyes. “Rei, can I please go?”

I thought I saw the corners of Reiven’s lips turn upwards for a split second, but it was replaced with the stern, concerned frown of an older brother, and secondly, a king. “Well, I won’t spout any nonsense about you not being able to hold your own, but I am a little worried since you haven’t left the island before. And it’s not like I can go with you to make sure you’re safe…”

Shaddan straightened and approached the raised platform where we stood, eyes only for Akina. “By my life and honor, I’ll ensure the fair princess’s safety.” He took the hand she offered him and kissed it.

Her pretty scarlet eyes glowed, shuttered by the darkest, longest lashes I had ever seen, which she fluttered as she stared down at him. She pressed her lips together to conceal a smile, before shooting a look at Reiven that screamed he had no choice but to let her go at this point.

At his mild nod of approval, she giggled and daintily stepped down to the Druinn general’s level. “Well, I should begin preparations to—ah, how soon did you plan to depart, General Akshar?”

“Please, Your Highness, Shaddan is perfectly fine. I hope you don’t mind, but I was hoping to get a taste of Mourner culture before I left. It’s not like my people have ever been this far out to sea before, so I wanted to bring back something to my country. Perhaps you have some ideas?”

While it was obvious that Shaddan’s court charm was merely a face he put on to impress, the smile he gave her was so genuine, even I almost melted a little. The pair walked away, Akina clutching his arm as she babbled about the shops she planned to take him to, while Shaddan nodded and beamed.

They left the rest of us in bewildered silence for a moment, until Reiven broke it by giving an exaggerated groan. “Damn, I know I set them up, but that guy better keep his hands to himself.”

Jin scrunched up his nose and discreetly released the palm full of fire he had been hiding behind his back. “Yeah, well, just wait ‘til he sees her first thing in the morning, before she’s rinsed out her mouth and brushed her hair and washed her face. I swear she looks like a half-dead person until at least noon.”

Reiven turned his gaze to Calinia, who had been watching silently, twisting her hair around her finger. She had always been quiet, but I didn't think I had heard her talk after we returned from Hell. While she seemed preoccupied with something, she still spoke before Rei could.

“How do you plan to grant Ashkade’s dying wish? It will be no small task to unite the four nations in some semblance of peace.”

“Zephra and I are charming enough to sweet-talk the other leaders into an understanding.”

“And…what are you going to do when the people of this world inevitably prove that their hate is too strong to simply set aside?” Calinia's sharp, catlike eyes didn't flicker away from him. “Start another war in the name of peace?”

The new king of Mourners sat taller on his throne, giving her an unreadable smile. “I don’t need a war.” The flaming torches on either side of Calinia sputtered for a heartbeat.