Talion Rule by Whitney Hill

Author:Whitney Hill [Whitney Hill]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Benu Media
Published: 2023-02-23T00:00:00+00:00

I didn’t know what Sonia had promised or traded to get the gathering I demanded, but by sunset, we were all together in a much bigger conference room, seated around an honest-to-Goddess round table like we were some kind of fairytale council. Sixteen people—the queens and their seconds or heirs, counting me and Troy—sat around the table. An honor guard for each House stood behind their charges. Thana had relieved Pascale and was standing behind me and Troy.

Tension held the room hostage, everyone in it seeming afraid to make the wrong move. The other queens weren’t even bothering to hide their ugly expressions of disgust, fear, anger, or in the case of Sixtus Ead, outright hatred.

Troy watched him where he stood behind Onora, expression neutral even as the temperature in the room seemed to drop from the icy cold of his power signature.

“Why isn’t he cuffed?” Troy asked the room at large. “I made an accusation of attempted magical trespass against Gerard Ead, witnessed and affirmed by Princess Sonia. I want Sixtus on trial for complicity.”

Onora Ead, a light-skinned older elfess in an aubergine dress with ornate gold embroidery, her hair the silver grey of age, rolled dark eyes. “The Carolinas demesne might recognize kings as valid, but that’s not how the Dominion demesne works. My House won’t be accused by a pair of animals.” She looked around the room. “I’m here to call for the rest of you to join in putting them down. We’ve entertained this sham of a summit long enough. It was meant to be information gathering and a trap, not a legitimate humoring of their ridiculous claims.”

My heart thundered and my skin felt too tight, too clammy. So that was how this was going to go—and she was pretty damned confident if she was spilling everything now. And yet, not confident enough if she was trying to get a committee together. Either way, I supposed she was a contemporary of Keithia, if not older, and that old bitch had held similar sentiments.

We might have been outnumbered, but I could take them.

With Troy, we might even make it bloodless.

Hopefully.

I wrenched my mind away from what other plans they must have had given Gerard’s failure and rose, slowly enough that they couldn’t take it as an attack, keeping my voice low and level. “My king and I have put up with quite enough slights, insults, and threats.” I met the eyes of every person around the table who’d look at me. Not all of them would, some avoiding my gaze out of disgust, some in fear. “I’m only going to say this once. You will treat us with the respect we’re owed as equal members of this group. Or you will wish you had.”

On the far side of the room, Sixtus snarled. “That was a threat.”

“Yeah, it was.” I raised my voice to be heard above the outraged mutters. “See, I learned something in trying to be civil and courteous with the Chapel Hill Conclave. The more I bowed, the harder their feet pressed on my neck, trying to press me lower.

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