Dinavhek- The Fall by Tal'urra Steelfang

Author:Tal'urra Steelfang
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9780578544403
Published: 2019-09-08T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

Of Mice and Royalty

∞∞∞

Lady Kharqa from Takirar had been greeted most graciously upon entry of the Dinavhene palace. Of course, King Zaeem would have it no other way. It did not matter that everyone else currently in the palace was in a rather foul mood, for they all knew the stakes were high in this meeting, and as such, they all did exactly as they were told.

Every resident of the palace presented their own perfected image, so much so that no guest would recognize the underlying tension for what it was. The guest of the evening was greeted cordially by the King, himself, and his son, who bowed politely in deference to the lady. The servants were not to be seen, but that was to be expected, as they were of little consequence to her. If they were good at their tasks, they would rarely, if ever, be seen that night.

“Lady,” King Zaeem said, taking her offered hand and bestowing a somewhat clumsy kiss upon her knuckles.

Bless him, he tried, is what a forgiving and well-mannered woman might think. Lady Kharqa was neither of those things, and so, she merely stared at him with a smile that did not reach her grey eyes. Her raven-black hair was twisted into an elegant bun, and she wore the finest golden jewelry that any person had ever laid eyes upon. She was the very picture of cold elegance.

She was no doubt unimpressed by the near-ruined state of the palace, but to the casual observer, there was a certain charm to it. Despite the worn-down appearance of the building, King and Prince maintained a dignified air, acting as though nothing were amiss. They were noblemen through and through.

“Your home is quite... warm,” said Lady Kharqa, obviously struggling to find something pleasant to say about it.

Though the prince's eyes flashed ever so briefly, her disapproval was lost on the king, who accepted her compliment as a man dying of thirst might accept a single drop of water. In this case, the water might well be poisoned, but what did he know?

“Thank you, my dear!” Zaeem said eagerly. “It is my pride and joy, this palace. After centuries of war, it still stands, truly a symbol of hope among the Dinavhene people.”

It's a miracle that it even is still standing, thought the prince. He had noticed the woman's disdain toward his home, unlike his father, and he knew that she must be entertaining similar thoughts. For some reason, that idea soured his mood completely.

Before either of them had a chance to say any more, Lady Kharqa shed her coat, casually dumping it into the prince's surprised arms.

“Now, then, shall we get to the point of this meeting?” she said, ignoring Adsuni entirely in favor of casting a rather suggestive glance at his father.

“Eh? My lady, I beg your pardon, for I am just as eager to proceed with our meeting, but you seem to have misplaced your belongings.”

The woman briefly shifted her attention toward Adsuni.

“I do not understand,” she said.

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