by Jack Whitney
“—of the precautions you’re taking for the next Dead Moons,” she heard her brother say.
Her attention averted to Draven as he moved his leg off the side of the chair and leaned forward, the snug black cotton tunic and leather vest he wore tightening around his rippled muscles. He cracked his neck and his gaze flickered around the faces in the room.
“Precautions?” he repeated in his low, raspy voice, a sharp brow raising on his forehead.
“You remember what happened during the last,” Rhaif continued. “Half the Village’s sheep were taken.”
“Then perhaps you’d better instruct your hunting parties to back down on how many deer they take in the next month,” Draven smarted as his long hair fell over his shoulders.
“You’ll learn to control the whereabouts of these creatures, Venari,” Rhaif growled.
Aydra snorted.
The entire room stared at her.
She huffed amusedly and shook her head, staring at her brother. “You cannot be serious,” she laughed. “Venari control where the Noctuans hunt? They are wild animals, not pets.”
“I cannot believe I am saying this, but…” the annoyed twinge in Draven’s taut jaw was apparent “—your sister is right,” he finally managed. “They are wild animals. To contain them to the forest, you would have to ask the Nitesh place one more curse on their heads.”
“She is due to arrive at one of our near meetings,” Rhaif said. “Perhaps we will.”
Draven’s nostrils flared. “The only reason they leave the Forest to begin with is if they cannot find food,” he said slowly. “They would not risk going so far from the darkness and chance being caught out in sunlight if their hunts were plentiful. Halt your parties from going inside the Forest until after this cycle. Give the forest a chance to be inviting to them again.”
He paused and looked around the table, head shaking in apparent disbelief. “I ride all over the Preymoor and Bitratus Hills to get here, and all I see are deer and rabbits. Yet you send your men into my realm to hunt, pushing the food out. They no longer fear the openness. They fear the forest.”
“As they should,” said one of the Dreamers. “It has taken us years to get these animals trained out of there.”
Draven’s jaw clenched and Aydra heard his knuckles crack above the table in his tightened fists. “You admit you are trying to starve us and the Noctuans then.”
The Dreamer, Ash, said nothing in response, and instead his gaze flickered to Rhaif. Rhaif’s nostrils flared impatiently, and he held a lazy hand up to Ash to quell his words.
“No one is saying such, Venari,” Rhaif said in a calm tone. “We merely ask that you—”
“How exactly do you expect me to control them?” Draven asked, his arms crossing over his chest.
“Send your men on hunts and ensnare their meals for them,” Rhaif smarted, “Just take care of it.”
A great bellow of a laugh emitted from Draven’s lips. “You want me to hand feed them?” he mocked. He shook his head and leaned forward again, the play of a sarcastic smirk playing on his lips. “Perhaps I’d be better giving them the location of this castle. Let them have a taste of royal blood.”
Rhaif lunged out of his seat, but Aydra shoved him back down.
“Not here,” she hissed at him.
A glint of amusement rose in Draven’s gaze, and he relaxed in his chair once more. Rhaif straightened his high collared black and shining gold long shirt and cleared his throat. His eyes flickered around the room, annoyance clearly still settled in his core.
Aydra sat forward and clenched her fists over the table. “Ash, Haut, can you not hunt in the Preymoor for the next few weeks? Or focus on fishing in our own backyard?” she asked of them.
Ash and Haut exchanged a look that she wasn’t quite sure how to take. They looked down at the end of the table towards the Venari, and then back to Aydra.
Ash finally gave her a nod. “We’ll increase the fishing parties. Give our men a shake up of their routine.”
“Thank you,” Aydra declared triumphantly. “Now, what else can I straighten out before my brother finds his voice again?”
A nervous chuckle radiated around the room. Her eyes found Draven’s across the room, and he gave her a silent nod of appreciation, one that had never happened before.
It wasn’t that she had any sort of soft spot for him, but his creatures, the Noctuans, were another story. The Noctuans were creatures who only were able to hunt during the Dead Moons, or when the moons vanished for a fortnight and complete darkness took over the land. A misunderstood group of creatures. They were feared by most because of not only their appearance, but because most were blood thirsty—which who could blame them if they were only allowed out to hunt four times a year.
“And as a last matter,” Rhaif said as he sat up, “there is the need to discuss the pests suddenly running amuck in our streets.” His eyes flickered across the table, and Draven’s head tilted just noticeably as every other person in the room turned to look at him.
Draven’s eyes darted around the room. “I am here because I am requested, not to run amuck in your streets as you say,” he stated, clearly confused as to why they were all staring at him.
“It was our understanding that you took care of the Infi upon their births,” said a councilman. “Tell us why then we have had to behead two within the last month.”
Draven sat up in his chair. “You’ve found Infi… here… in Magnice?”
“And in our towns,” said one of the Nobles as he nodded towards the other three ambassadors.
“Would you like to see their heads?” asked Ash.
“Is this of your doing?” asked the councilwoman Reid. “Another ploy of a Venari King attempting to take over this realm as so many of your past Kings have done?”
Draven’s nostrils flared. “If you’ve Infi in your streets, it is by no doing of mine.” He looked between them apprehensively then, as though trying to figure out if they were serious. “I should hope you threw their entire bodies into the Bitratus Hills,” he said with a squint of his brows.
“And why is that?”
“Because unless you did, they will come back.”
The words stalemated in the room.
“I’m sorry,” Aydra found her voice. “They what?”
Draven’s jaw clenched and he pressed his hands together. “Their bodies must be taken by Duarb’s roots. Until their bodies leave this realm for one that his roots can reach and consume their bones back into the earth, they will keep coming back. You’ve probably killed the same one each time.”
“I slid the axe across their necks both times myself,” Aydra said, her nostrils flaring. “And you’re telling me I’ve only killed a ghost?”
Draven’s gaze narrowed. “Since when does the Queen handle executions?”
“Since I am the one who discovered both of them raping Dreamer women no older than my sister in the streets,” she argued.
“How is it you’ve let one escape long enough to live to such an age?” Rhaif asked.
Draven shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “If they are alive, then they are not true Infis. They are Infinari, born with both fates and assumably marked with the cursed fate if I do not know of them. I cannot keep track of every Infinari after it has reached its age of marking anymore than you can keep up with every Belwark uncovered beneath your temple.”
“My Belwarks do not steal and rape in the streets!” Rhaif hissed. “You will get your brethren under control, Venari.”
“They are not—”
Rhaif’s cup slammed on the table. “Get them under control or you’ll find your beloved giver’s tree guarded with Belwarks after the next dead moons. Do not force me to take care of this problem on my own.”
The shadows in the glare resting on Draven’s face settled into his features. A gust of wind blew around the room from the open windows, and Aydra felt a chill run down her spine.
“Is that a threat?” she heard Draven g
rowl.
Rhaif’s eyes flashed fire, the flicker of blue flames rising just noticeably beneath his collar. “A promise.”
The raven screeched over head. Her hair billowed back off her face as Draven’s wind ensnared the room. Aydra could see her brother’s fingertips turning black as he nor Draven backed down.
“Enough,” Aydra’s voice commanded into the paralyzed room. “Cease before you both kill everyone in this room except each other.”
Rhaif blinked, and an audible exhale left Draven. The wind blowing through the room died down. The blue flames receded from Rhaif’s collar. Draven cracked his knuckles above the table, and she swore she heard a growl leave his throat.
“Where is the body of the one found here?” Draven finally asked.
“Tossed over the cliffs,” replied the Belwark captain.
“How long ago?” Draven asked.
“Yesterday morning,” Aydra replied.
Draven looked as though he would laugh, and he shook his head. “He’ll be walking your streets again by sunrise.” Draven stared across the table at Rhaif. “Send a party to search for him. Quietly. The moment he learns his secret is discovered, he will head for the mountain town of the Bryn. Once he gets there, his poison will stain, and he’ll become another one of their road thieves.”
“You do not give orders here, Venari,” Rhaif spat.
“If you want this man gone before he causes any more damage, you’ll listen. The Infi are master manipulators. Shifters. Whoever finds him at sunrise will probably take him in thinking he is a lost old man.”
Rhaif’s jaw tightened. He looked up to the Belwark captain, Bard, and gave him a nod. “Send a company out to the lower streets and beaches. Ask for any newcomers looking for food or shelter. Find the creature and kill it.”
“No,” Draven interjected. “You’ll find him and bring him to me. Your men have wasted enough time not knowing what they’re doing. I will show you how to properly dispose of its life.”
“Finding him could take days,” interjected the captain.
“You have until noon tomorrow, captain,” Rhaif interjected. “Take as many men as you need.”
“Discreetly,” Aydra cut in. “We don’t need him disappearing.”
“And what about the ones in our streets?” asked the same Noble.
Draven clenched his hands together. “What did you do with the bodies?”
“Burned,” answered one of the Nobles.
A quiet chuckle escaped Draven’s lips, and he shook his head.
“Do our troubles amuse you, Venari?” asked Ash.
“Do you people even read your own Chronicles?” Draven asked incredulously. “Or the Honest Scrolls?”
“The Honest Scrolls are nothing more than tales of—”
“Truth,” Draven cut in. “The Honest Scrolls are truth. Unlike the biased nonsense your scribes take note of in the corners of quieted rooms and call Chronicles.” He slumped back in the chair and gestured toward the scribe sitting in the corner of the room away from them. “Do you think he is getting this conversation or just the bits of your King demanding orders?”
“Your point, Venari King,” Aydra interjected. “Make it.”
Draven’s eyes flickered to hers, and he tapped on the top of the table with his fingertips, clearly perturbed by the conversation. “I will show you proper disposal tomorrow and then travel to your towns to do the same. My suggestion is that you have them ready for me upon my arrival.”
The councilmen and Nobles all looked to Rhaif then for confirmation.
“Nobles, send word to your Belwark captains to search the towns for any Infi. You’ll heed the Venari’s suggestion and have them ready for disposal upon his arrival.”
A quell of silence rested over the table for a moment. Aydra could feel the angered tense in the core of her brother at her side.
“Are there any other demands for the meeting?” the councilman asked.
Everyone looked around the room, waiting for someone else to speak out. But no one ever did.
“Thank Arbina,” Rhaif muttered as he pushed his chair back. “Let us feast,” he announced.
Aydra didn’t move from her chair. She felt her jaw tense and eyes nearly roll as the men and women around the table stood, all sighing in relief as though the meeting had been a marathon. She grasped her drink in her hand and took a long swig of it. Her brother stood and shook hands with the man at his side. Aydra merely watched them all kiss one another’s ass for another moment. Fake smiles. Taudry comments of war and snide remarks of grander.
For once, she wanted to hear someone say something that didn’t go straight to the crown’s head.
“I believe you’re the only one in this room who wouldn’t be beheaded at such an entrance.”
And suddenly she was reminded of her own fraudulent place in this kingdom.
Her own fake facade took over, and she raised a sly gaze up at her favorite Dreamer, Ash. His short sun streaked tawny hair was cut clean over his pointed ears, and he gazed down at her with stark golden hazel narrow eyes. The triangular set of his jaw matched the high collar on his white quilted peplum gambeson.
He extended his long hand down to her, and she allowed him to pull her to her feet. He pulled her close, his hand wrapping around her waist. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were trying to distract the entire council from some secret workings of yours,” he said, his eyes darting down at her figure.
“And because you do know better?” she asked with a raised brow.
“I’d say you simply had a pleasant day on the beach.” He lowered his head, his breath tickling her throat. “And were rested enough for an even more pleasant night.” His lips pressed to her throat, and she cursed her body for its response.
She reached for his chin and lifted his face to meet his eyes again, pushing the thoughts of her morning with the Belwark to the back of her mind. “Eat up, Dreamer. You’ll need your strength later.”
He smirked and nudged her nose with his, his long fingers clenching at her waist. His lips met hers, and she gave in to his musings, allowing his tongue to rake her own—but only for a moment. She pulled back and grazed his lip with her thumb.
“Sister!”
The noise of her sister’s excited voice brought her back to the awareness of the room. She gave Ash’s chin a tug and met his gaze. “Find me later,” she whispered.
Her sister’s arm sank around her own as Ash stepped back. He gave her a short bow, his hair falling over his eyes. “My Queen,” he acknowledged. His eyes averted to Nyssa, and he gave her a short bow as well. “Princess.”
As he turned on his heel to leave her, Nyssa squeezed Aydra’s arm. “One day, I’ll make an entrance as you do,” Nyssa mused.
Aydra smirked, still watching Ash as he joined his company cohort, Haut. “One day, sister, you’ll rule over all these men and not know the threat of a man underestimating you,” she said as she turned to face her. “Of that, I am sure.”
Nyssa’s bright almond amber eyes sparkled at her above her freckled apple cheeks. Aydra smiled down at the beautiful nineteen year old standing in front of her. She’d braided three sections of her long dark scarlet hair above her right ear, the rest of the silken waves flowing over the left side of her face, just hiding her eye. Aydra reached out and pushed the thick hair back, revealing the small blushed smile on her pouty lips, one of her dimples showing with the crook of her grin.
“You look beautiful, Nyssa,” Aydra said, envious of the bright natural beauty her sister possessed. “Where did you get the dress?” she asked as her eyes darted over the navy velvet gown on her petite figure.
Nyssa held out her arms, showing off the long flared sleeves of it. “Found it myself,” she answered. “Dorian and I went out to the shores yesterday. We stopped at a few of the shops. He found a few items and bought me this.”
“Your brother buying you clothes?” Aydra asked. “Careful. He’ll think he can dress you next,” she added w
ith a wink.
Nyssa laughed. “Let me guess. Dear Rhafian left the blue dress out?”
Aydra’s brows raised. “Mm… that he did.”
“I assumed it as soon as you walked in. You usually wear the lace ones when you want to piss him off.”
Aydra took a long swig of her drink. “I think this time I exceeded expectations,” she mused, noticing her brother’s glare from across the room.
“Drae,” Nyssa said then, her voice taking a serious turn. “Why did you stand up for the Venari?”
Aydra looked around them, and then pulled her sister over to the window. “What do you mean?” she asked her.
“I mean… you asked the Dreamer company to hunt elsewhere. Why?”
“I did not stand up for the Venari,” Aydra argued. “After everything Duarb put Arbina through before his being forced into his tree, and the greed of their ancestors attempting to take over our kingdom, I dare not trust their kind. But… the Noctuans are different. The Venari have no control over the creatures that roam their forest. And innocent creatures deserve to live, regardless of how misunderstood they might be,” Aydra answered her as her gaze flickered around the room.
“Innocent? The Noctuans?”
Aydra did a double-take at the confusion on her sister’s face. “Oh.” She realized she had not taken her to meet them yet. A smile rose on her face, and she reached for Nyssa’s hands. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Nyssa. I should have… We’ll ride out together before the moons set. It is past time you learn of them. I’m sorry I have not taken you before.”
Nyssa’s weight shifted. “To… the Forest? Won’t—”
“We’ll be fine,” Aydra assured her.
“If you’ll not need me, my Lady, I will take my retire of the evening,” Lex said upon reaching Aydra.
“Please do, Lex. Take a Noble with you,” she said with a wink. “Or perhaps my sister. She could use a night to lessen that frustration of hers.”
Lex laughed. “That will be up to your princess to decide. In the meantime…” Her eyes trailed to one of the Dreamer women from the Village in the corner, and Aydra saw her give a wink to her.