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“The Krett tower,” the king responds with a smirk.
My heart drops to my gut. The Krett tower is only used for prisoners and those sentenced to death. I glance at the count as I sort through my thoughts. There is a plan in motion here, tactics unknown to me.
I grab Lana’s arm and bow once more to the king before ushering her out of the crowd and down the spiral stairs. She looks back at the doors, clearly shocked by the experience.
We exit, and I walk her toward the Krett tower in the distance.
“I can’t believe this,” I complain, unable to hold back my displeasure for the king’s order.
“What? That you would actually have a responsibility for the girl you kidnapped?”she remarks snidely.
I scoff. “I have other responsibilities, you know?”
“Then why did you risk losing them to find me?”
“It was anorder,not my choice of daily activities.”
“Well, I guess you have another purpose now.”
“Apurpose,”I repeat with distaste. “I had many purposes beforeyoucame along.”
“Like what?” she asks.
I remain silent, debating how much information she can handle. “Like engaging in war strategies, managing court politics, dispelling arguments, and conflict.”
“What’s the most extreme conflict you’ve witnessed?” she asks curiously.
I wonder if this is some sort of distraction tactic. If I am caught off guard, she could run away or, worse, travel back to her world; then, we would have to start this gruesome process all over again.
I glance at her, staring at me intently. Shewantsto know, which surprises me. Who would have thought a tavern keeper would have an interest in politics?
“Well,” I begin with a deep exhale, “there was a battle set in place. The gilak demons were to attack the bangar colonies one night.”
“Bangar colonies?”
“Groups of monsters that have been invading our food supplies. They’re vicious like a ur’gin, multiple heads, and rows of teeth like the beasts, but they have wings and talons too.”
She purses her lips and nods. I notice her black hair with red streaks blowing over her shoulders, revealing her neck. Her skin is so smooth on her arms, and I wonder how her neck would feel against my lips.
I glance at the tower and regain my thoughts. “Anyway, Count Golande had set a surprise attack from the east on the colonies. Lord Treppen stepped in and suggested we bait them out of their territory. The argument lasted for days, and the colonies destroyed more of our food supply each day.”
“What did they decide on?” she asks.
“Treppen won, but the bait didn’t work, and all it did was make the colony more suspicious of us. That turned into them seeking out our other food sources, and we were depleted of meats and other sources for weeks.”
“That sounds awful,” she sympathizes.
“It was,” I say, trudging through the mud on the damp ground. “We wound up going with Golande’s plan to attack them near the next food source. His plan was flawless, and he and Treppen have resented each other ever since.”
“What does that look like now?”
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“I mean the resentment. Do they fight a lot or …” her voice trails off.
“They’re cowards,” I say, shaking my head. “They mostly spread rumors about each other, and they each try to stir up the other’s servants.”
“That’s,” she pauses, “incredibly petty for powerful demons.”
