Page 90 of Courting the Dragon King

“He’s over there with Gerard and Senta.” Elias gestured to the other side of the ballroom. “They are talking important and official stuff about plotting and security and whatnot.”

“Oh.” That was all above Wraith’s head. He was glad to not be involved. From watching Konrad, he felt that being king was extremely stressful.

“Oh, look. Warden Jade is here.” Elias gestured with his wine glass. Warden Jade stood by the glass terrace doors with Onyx and Luther. “I am surprised she is still here. I assumed she’d return to the Grey Mountains, especially since so many of her compatriots have returned.”

Jade clutched her goblet to her chest. She darted glances around.

“Onyx probably lured her out. I have barely seen her since her father tried to kill Onyx and Luther.” Elias leaned forward, looking down at her. “Onyx, Luther, and Gerard do not believe she was working alongside her father. But many think otherwise.”

“What do you think?” Wraith asked, feeling he should try to be a part of the conversation, even though he was only vaguely aware of all that was going on.

No one usually talked to Wraith like this. He was not used to people taking him into their confidence. Even though it was a bit beyond him, he relished that Elias seemed to trust him. Konrad seemed to as well. He felt like he was part of something, a circle of people who actually included him in important matters. Wraith did not want to let them down.

Elias didn’t answer immediately. He seemed to be thinking. “I do not know. I do not think she was originally involved in her father’s plot. But since her father’s death, she has been ostracised and called a traitor repeatedly. That has made her vulnerable. Right now, she’d probably be very susceptible to a sympathetic ear.”

Elias tapped his long fingers on the balustrade. “But there are eyes on her, and no one has reported anything suspicious about her behaviour.” He turned to Wraith. “How do you like the wine?”

Wraith sipped. “It’s good.” Although, honestly, he had no idea how to tell if a wine was good or not. He’d not really drunk much in the past. In fact, he’d drunk more wine at the peace assembly than in his entire life together.

For the next half an hour, the two talked and drank wine. Wraith described to Elias the different dead spirits in the room. Wraith had to get used to people being so interested in the ghosts he could see.

Then Elias told him how he and Gerard had fucked in one of the side rooms. “It was just down there.” He gestured.

“Really?”

Elias nodded. Then he pulled out a small clear glass jar with a metal lid and raised his eyebrows. “I am always prepared for any opportunity.”

“What is it?” Wraith asked.

“It’s an ointment. To smooth the way,” Elias said.

Wraith stared at the glass jar. Then Elias’s meaning hit him. “Oh! Oh, I see!”

Elias laughed and held it out. “Actually, you take it.” He winked. “Just in case.”

Cheeks burning, Wraith pocketed the ointment, placing it alongside a vial he had in his pocket. For a second, he considered telling Elias about the vial. He would appreciate someone else’s input on its contents, since he was nervous about talking to Konrad about it. But Elias would no doubt just encourage him to use it.

As he drank more wine, Wraith found himself opening up more and more and even talking about how he was involved in creating the dread knights during the war.

“I saw the dread knights!” Elias placed a hand on his arm. “Never fought them, of course, since we were allies. But they looked terrifying.” He wrinkled his nose. “They didn’t smell the best either. Did you really make them?”

“Some of them,” Wraith said.

Elias frowned. “You said they are volunteers. So they chose to be killed and turned into those creatures.”

Wraith nodded. The past few days, he’d shared a lot about necromancers with Konrad and the others. He knew his family would be upset by this. But if they didn’t want him, then why should he keep their secrets? Why would he keep being loyal to those who were only ever mean to him?

He glanced towards his mother, who spoke to the shadow king. His mother had never been mean.

But … that wasn’t actually true. She had been mean. Cruel even. She’d not been as mean and cruel as the others. So he’d mistaken that for kindness. But after being around Konrad, Elias, and the others, he now knew what true kindness was.

Yet the scraps of attention she’d thrown his way had been the bright sparks of light in his life. Even now he still wanted and wished to make her proud. He wished to earn her love, even though he knew deep down he never could.

“Why would anyone volunteer to become a dread knight? It sounds horrible,” Elias said.

“The individuals who train to become dread knights are impoverished in life.” Wraith rubbed his finger along the stem of his goblet. “And for many, that is their only chance at … well, anything other than being a poor villager, labouring in a field, day after day, just trying to earn enough to stop their family from starving. If they are a dread knight, they can be part of the eternal army. They will receive honour and glory. Furthermore, money is sent back to their family and village.

“The dread knights will even parade through villages,” Wraith said. “Everyone comes out to watch them. They applaud and cheer. The dread knights throw coin. The idea of being a dread knight must be so exciting to these poor children.”