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“Yes, my King. Of course.” He turned, opened the door, and stepped into the room. I remained out in the hall, well outside of their view, listening for their shock at my sudden appearance.
“We have received a guest,” he began.
“What? We aren’t expecting anyone,” I heard the familiar voice say, already ruffled by something not written on his schedule.
The private guard cleared his throat, no doubt giving the house’s master a telling look. “May I present to you, our king? King Dace.” He stretched out his arm, welcoming me in.
Showtime.
I tried to control my grin and forced it into a smirk as I sauntered inside. A table with seating for ten sat mostly empty, except for two filled seats. It was entertaining at the very least to see their worried frowns and hear the scraping of their chairs as they hurried to stand and bow. At least they had some shred of respect.
“What wonderful occasion might I credit as the reason for this surprising visit?” Titan swallowed as he pulled his chair back underneath him and glanced at his son.
Torrance picked an apple off their fruit tray, shining it on his jacket, and offered it to me. “Apple?”
“Don’t mind if I do,” I said, picking an untouched apple up off the tray. Waving the guard off, I pulled a chair out next to Torrance, leaning back into it and propping my boots on the table. Pain bloomed from my core, but I ignored the bothersome feeling, impatient at the wound’s slow healing. My blade sang as I pulled it from my belt and began slicing the apple. Its crisp scent filled the air. I inhaled slowly before I spoke. “I was sitting around this morning and I kept thinking, ‘You know who I haven’t spent time with in a while? My friend Torrance and his dad.’ Speaking of which, where is the missus?”
“Mom’s out shopping,” Torrance said as he took a bite of his apple, sitting comfortably in his own chair.
“That’s probably for the best.” I turned my gaze back to his father. Titan had remained still, taking in the scene before him. As we made eye contact it broke whatever trance had him frozen in place and he began cutting a syrup covered waffle on his plate.
“It’s nice of you to come all this way.” He cleared his throat. “If you had sent word we could have come to you or at least cleaned up a bit.”
“The house isn’t even dirty.” Torrance laughed.
“Try telling your mother that when she gets back and hears we had a visit from the King.” Titan said stiffly, “Dust.”
“Yes, I could see why she wouldn’t want me to see the mess you’ve made. Most people choose not to show me their less than presentable sides. But I still get glimpses when I pay attention to the choices they make.” I popped the piece of apple into my mouth, spinning my knife with my fingers while I chewed.
Titan stared at me. Torrance’s silver gaze shifted from me to his father, then back to me. I shot him a knowing look and a dazzling smile.
“Is there something I’m missing?” Torrance sat forward, resting his forearms on the table.
“Well I’ve had quite the pesky problem; you know some of it.” I waved at Torrance. “I’d love to hear your father’s take on it, actually.”
Titan didn’t respond. Instead, he narrowed his gaze on me. Sweeping up his napkin, he dabbed at his face in silence.
“First, I had that run-in with a loose chandelier at my crowning. What an odd thing to happen. Then I’m doing business, as a king should, and I’m surprised yet again. This time by not one, but two assassins.” My jaw dropped in mock surprise. Torrance tilted his chin and I wondered if he knew where this was going. “Lucky me, I lived through that attack and we even were able to take one of them into custody.” I pulled my legs off the table and slammed my feet to the ground. Titan’s shoulders bounced as he jumped in his seat, then folded his napkin in his lap.
“We’re questioning him as we speak. I think I may even have an in with the guild to get a copy of the contract that was signed for his work.” I raised one brow. “My question is…what should I do with the Fae who contracted somebody to kill the King? To kill me.” My voice rose. “You’re my advisor. Advise me.”
Titan opened his mouth, some bullshit response already forming on his lips. I’d imagined it’d be something like ‘show him mercy’ or ‘simple banishment would be good enough.’ All things that didn’t end with his death, but I lifted a finger to silence him, then pointed at his son.
“Actually, Torrance, you’ll be an advisor soon enough. Why don’t you give it a go? I’d love to hear your opinion on this.”
Torrance licked his lips, still shifting his gaze between us, unsure of what direction this was heading.
“Go on,” I egged. “Honest opinion.”
“You want to know what to do with the man who hired someone to kill you?” he said dully.
“Correct.”
“That’s treason,” he shrugged. “That calls for a public trial, then ultimately a beheading or something similar that also ends in death.”
“Bingo.” I slapped the table standing up. I let the small heel of my boot click against the floor as I walked behind Torrance, heading toward his father. “Now wouldn’t you say that it would be merciful of me…”
Titan opened his mouth to object, but I lifted a finger to my lips and shushed him.
