Court of Snakes: This Desert Cage

Disgrace - The Palace | February of the Third Year

"You let him get away... again...?"

Talbot had not opened his eyes once when Parisa told him the news. The King had gotten away again. Her father's jaw locked, and his hand gripped the chair as if he would crush the marble with his mortal strength. Parisa, even though she did not want to admit it, was chilled to the bone. Every word her father spat was a mental attack, and his face scrunched as though he were trying to imagine what had caused the failure. She and Perseus had searched the entire city, but it was as if The King had vanished, or had never even been in the room in the first place.

"You realize," Talbot began and made his way down the velvet carpet to where Parisa knelt, "that I oversee the smallest council in Embassy history, correct?"

"Yes, My Lord," Parisa replied and did not dare to meet his eyes.

"That council was helmed by me, Wolff, Esmond, and Guildenhart. All of them I placed into power myself, and all of them I felt were allies at my side. Guildenhart died, and now he has been replaced by his son, who honestly serves me better. Vena I forced out because her husband was more powerful, and Esmond is mortified of what I'll do to him if he doesn't do as I say. Now Wolff is dead. I have the city in the palm of my hand, and I have clawed tooth and nail to get to this point."

Parisa flinched at every syllable. She had trained so hard, but he terrified her.

"Once it becomes necessary to replace people I trust, things begin to get complicated. I must scare more people or pray Vena isn't as much of a nitwit as Esmond. How did he even get in without you seeing? Hm?"

"Even—even the palace has blind spots, Your Majesty," Perseus muttered and kept his eyes glued to the carpet.

Talbot knelt and lifted Perseus' head by his chin, so they met eyes. "You're right. There are blind spots. I'm sorry. I should be more understanding. I understand that you need sleep as well, and the other guards aren't as suited for the job. I also understand that you should be hung for failing me as you have. The only reason I haven't killed you yet is because I can't get anyone as fast as you. Obviously, you aren't good enough."

"We're trying."

Perseus regretted the words the moment they left his mouth. Talbot's hand flew like a bolt of lightning and hit so hard that it forced Perseus to recoil a little. Talbot stood and gazed down at him with unrelenting eyes. "Try harder."

Parisa gave Perseus a glance to check if he was all right and Talbot caught it. He grabbed Parisa's cheek so hard she almost bit it on accident. "Awe. And you feel bad, don't you?" he sneered. "You know, it's never good to fall in love. Perhaps I should lock you in a room, considering everything I tell you to do you fail at? I wanted to make you the front of feminine liberation, allow you to do what no woman has ever done before, and how do you repay me?"

"You threw me out," she retorted.

"You're right. I threw you out." Talbot teased her with a smile. It wasn't a good tease, the kind that belonged between father and daughter. It was the kind that occurred between predator and prey. "You're incompetent, impractical, and downright ungracious. You are refuse in my life. Frankly, I wish you had never entered into this world, but... mistakes were made. More importantly, you're expendable. I omitted you from the equation... or at least I thought I did. I was hoping you'd die, that the training would be too hard. But you pulled through, regrettably.

"And now here we are, back at the same place, except... something's different. You've grown up. Now you think you're better than me, don't you?"

"You're awful."

Talbot hit her the same way he had hit Perseus. It made her skin bruise, and he returned to his throne. "This is your last chance. If you two fail me again, you will be replaced. Permanently."