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“There are so many ways I could reply to that statement, but unfortunately, we’re not alone so I’m not at liberty to show you just how cocky I can get.”
My cheeks flush and I have to avert my eyes from Oberon’s amused expression.
A gasp in the crowd draws my eyes to the entrance of the room. Uri, Oberon’s friend and seer, strides in with all three of his eyes wide open. With a quick scan of those gathered, he quickly sets eyes on Oberon and makes his way toward us.
“Is something wrong?” Oberon asks once Uri reaches us.
“I need to speak with you alone,” he says in a low voice. He briefly glances my way but doesn’t make direct eye contact.
“Anything you have to say can be said in front of Emily.”
“It’s not exactly for her sake that I want to give you this news in private. It’s for mine.” Uri does indeed look rather uncomfortable, and he still refuses to meet my gaze.
Oberon seems perplexed by Uri’s nervousness, but ultimately gives in.
“We’ll be right back,” he tells me before leaning in to give me a kiss on the cheek. He leads Uri off to the side of the room.
With my curiosity piqued, I watch the interaction between the two men. Uri tells Oberon something that instantly places a smile on his face. He squeezes Uri’s shoulder as if to reassure his friend that whatever was said is good to hear. Uri then proceeds to tell his friend something that slowly drains Oberon’s joy away. With a furtive glance, he meets my gaze. His expression becomes angry, but I’m not sure what I’ve done to earn it.
Intently, Oberon listens to everything Uri has to tell him. With a shake of his head, Oberon seems to dismiss whatever his friend says and makes a heated reply.
What could they be talking about? At first, I thought Uri was here to tell Oberon that we’ll win the vote. The first thing Uri told him certainly made him happy. Now, I’m not so sure. It makes me wonder if being able to see into the future is a blessing or a curse.
After a couple of minutes, the two men part ways. Uri goes to stand with Iris by the voting station while Oberon returns to my side, but his posture is definitely tenser than before.
“What’s wrong?” I ask. “What did he say to you?”
“Your father is a bastard,” he says angrily. “How he’s remained unchallenged for the crown before now is beyond me.”
“These are all things I already know,” I say testily. “Now tell me something that I don’t. What did Uri say to make you so angry?”
Oberon’s lips part and the words seem ready to come out, but he clamps his mouth shut and shakes his head.
“I see why Uri couldn’t tell you all of this himself. It’s just too barbaric to put into words. I didn’t even know they still did what he’s going to want us to do.”
I grab Oberon’s shirt. “Stop talking in riddles and tell me what you know.”
“Ladies and gentlemen!” Iris shouts to the crowd, forcing me to push our conversation to the side for now. “We have one vote left to be cast. This vote will decide the fate of all fae, light and dark. At the moment, King Oberon has fifty votes and King Elrod has forty-nine.”
A general gasp comes from the crowd, me included.
“We only need one more vote to have the majority,” I say in astonishment.
“Yes, we do,” Oberon says, but he doesn’t sound happy. In fact, he still sounds mad.
“Did Uri tell you that we lose?”
Before he can answer, the lord with the deciding vote decides to make a spectacle of himself by dancing up to the two vases. Each vase contains the black marbles that the lords were given when they entered the castle. They were told to cast their vote by placing the marble in whichever king’s vase they wanted as ruler.
“Do you know that lord?” Oberon asks, appearing amused by the man’s antics.
“Unfortunately, yes. His name is Lord Talox. I don’t know him well, but for obvious reasons, I chose to keep my distance from him. Insanity runs in his family.”
“Do you think it’s real or a put on to keep people from bothering him?”
“I have no idea, but real or not, he’s not someone I would make a friend of.”
“Hmm.”
