The Crown's Curse by D.K. Holmberg

Author:D.K. Holmberg [Holmberg, D.K.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: ASH Publishing
Published: 2024-10-18T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty

The moment I entered the council chamber, I had to hesitate. Everything around me was quiet and calm, but it was artificial. I was aware of it through the fabrications pressing upon me and in the unease I felt about that power. It was an unhinged, quiet sort of power I needed to ensure I was fully aware of.

In the center of it was a subdued energy, that of the Blade, but this was not any of the Blades I’d ever met.

The person standing in the rear of the room was short. In a way, she reminded me of Asi, primarily in her build, the cut of her gray cloak, and how she was postured, standing with her hands clasped behind her back. The woman had dark braids as well, much like Asi did. If I hadn’t known better, I would have thought this was her sister.

Or maybe her mother.

And next to her was another dark haired woman. She looked at me, eyes tight, and then turned her focus to the rest of the council room.

I stood there for just a moment, and then I felt a greater hint of that power. I tried to follow it, to make sense of what I was picking up on, but it faded in a way that I had not anticipated.

“Come on in, Mr. Joha,” Dorian said, looking over from the table.

He had an amused look in his eyes, and there was a hint of something else there. I couldn’t quite read it, but I knew that I needed to understand better what was going on here. He was seated next to the queen, who had her gaze fixed straight ahead, staring at the members of the council.

I knew them all by name. At least, I needed to know them by name now. There had been a time when I would not have known them, but I had visited the council chambers and with the council themselves a few times.

“I’m sorry to disturb you,” I said, striding in and looking around.

There was an empty chair next to the queen. Dorian tilted his head slightly to the chair, then turned back to the other Blade, who was watching.

And I noticed something else. There were a few other unknown faces in the room. Several of them were along the back wall.

What was going on here?

“My apologies for interrupting,” I said. “I thought that my services might be needed.”

The woman regarded me with a hint of a smile. “Your services? And why would someone like yourself be needed here?”

“He is my adviser,” the queen said.

And with that, I knew exactly why Dorian had asked me to sit.

I carefully took the seat next to the queen. And as I did, I began to feel a different sense.

It was as if the chair had a fabrication within it. And maybe it did. I didn’t know what sort of protections there were around this room, but it wouldn’t be surprising to learn that the queen would have protections in place that she would want to ensure that she had access to.

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