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“No, you just thought I was wallowing.”
“I—”
At the look I sent him, he stopped. “Warrick point blank asked me if I was done wallowing in Nerede,” I explained.
Owen snickered as he also stood. “Damn kid.”
“Well, that was his word. Not mine,” Krew explained.
“Oh, I know. He told me you said that I wasworking through a few things. Just before laying it on thick about how he only has one real uncle and now that he has a family, he just wants to be with them.”
Krew didn’t hesitate. “We would all like you around more often, so he’s not wrong.”
“Says the man sending you out of the country,” Owen joked.
I grinned. “I suppose I can wallow in Dra Skor just as well as here.”
I moved to head to the house I stayed at on the beach, to pack my things because I was sure we were all heading back to Kavan Keep yet that night, but Krew’s arm stopped me. “Whatever it is you are looking for, whatever answers or closure you need from what we had to do to take down that worthless excuse of a man we got to call our father, I hope you find it. I don’t wish to delay or interrupt whatever it is you need.”
“It’s not the closure I need,” I admitted. Warrick had been right. I had done a lot ofworking through things.And though I was still livid about all the things my father had done, I was also still elated we were finally rid of him. It was an odd juxtaposition to feel grief paired with pride and joy tucked in next to the lingering uneasiness which followed me. “I don’t even remember who I am without trying to take down Father at the forefront of everything.” I paused. “I think I just need to figure out where I belong now.”
“You belong with us,” Owen said with a slap to my shoulders. “You always have. You always will.”
I started walking towards the house. “I thought you said this wasn’t an intervention.”
Owen laughed. “It absolutely was. But not to worry, Your Princeness. Your adventure awaits.”
CHAPTER2
“How is it we know nothing of their royal family? Or the queen herself?” I asked John Nottle, my favorite of the royal sages. Even before his recent promotion to being the head sage, I had known him well. I had peppered him with questions growing up. And though I had annoyed him often, he somehow always answered with a calmness that defied logic.
John looked up from the book in front of him on Dra Skor, the map of the realm spread out on the table between us. His eyes went to the largest land mass on the map. “Dra Skor has always been known to be a ruthless people, Keir. A people who keeps to themselves. It stands to reason that the people imitate their leader.”
“Great. Dealing with more cutthroat tyrants then. Can’t wait.”
“However,” River began. He was even older and looked more the part than John did with his long white beard. “Most of your father’s dealings with Dra Skor were done with their former king and queen. They abdicated to their daughter somewhere around eleven years ago.”
“Is there a king?” Maybe I could befriend the new king of Dra Skor and reason with him. After my recent Assemblage dealings, I knew all too well that women could be difficult creatures.
Both men were silent. “We have no idea.”
“We do not even know if thereisa king?”
“It was rumored there was a betrothal,” John stated. “Before the disease. And then all communications went dark after that. So, we do not know.”
I sighed. “We might as well be blindfolded.”
John gave me a weak shrug. “Quite honestly, the queen’s marital status is the least of our long list of concerns.”
I was finishing up a second letter to Dra Skor, which we were sending before our arrival next week. A piece of jewelry we believed to be Dra Skor’s had been found in my father’s vault. It was a necklace, the metal of the jewelry being black, which was a well-known Dra Skor style. It had a small ruby as the gem on it, and knowing how my father loved rubies, it made sense he either stole it or received it as a gift. We thought sending it before our arrival to the country would properly butter them up.
Then again, reminding the queen that my father had likely stolen from her country might not be the best of first moves.
Step one: return stolen goods.
Step two: inform them we poisoned them.
What could possibly go wrong?
