Ring of Gold Revisited

Chapter Four

The silence in the council room was deafening. Tallis tried and failed not to cringe at it, at the broken look on his mother's face, or the downturned gazes of the councilmen seated around him. Queen Desielle's hand was trembling on the surface of the table, in plain sight for all to see. A sign of weakness. With as much grace as he could muster, Tallis placed his hand over hers and squeezed. 

The trembling ceased the slightest fraction, but the haunted look in her amber eyes didn't fade. Tallis doubted it would until his sister was returned.

Across from him, Waylana was leaning back in her seat, dressed in dark leathers instead of her ballgown. It was well into the early hours of the morning, but the kidnapping of the heir was not something that could wait for the next day, and Waylana was prepared to head out into the dead if the night if the king so pleased. 

Tallis turned his gaze to his father, who was sitting at the head of the table with his fingers steepled against his chin. There was an utter lack of grief and panic in his expression, and it made Tallis' stomach roll uneasily. 

"Well?"

The sharp word came from Kessia, who was standing behind him, arms crossed sternly. Only a human would be naive enough to speak so bluntly to the king. 

"Watch your tongue, dirty blood," hissed one of the councilmen, his lips drawn back in a sneer. 

A dagger slammed into the table an inch from his fingers. "I'd watch yours, Councilman Nafan, unless you're keen to lose it," Waylana said, her tone cool and even.

"We didn't gather to bicker like children," King Thallan said firmly, eyes scanning the room. "And while I truly despise the tone you used, Miss Langthard, the urgency to make a decision is real. This is my daughter. The heir. Respite years of the teasing the line between peace and violence, King Leukos has finally committed an act of war. I have turned a blind eye to Nightfell for too long."

Tallis had to agree with his father's words. Since his coronation six years ago, King Leukos had shown great interest in pushing boundaries with Direwood, despite being thousands of miles away. The island of Nightfell was found north of the main land, the most Northern kingdom of all, and how they managed to send spies to Direwood - the most southern kingdom - was beyond Tallis. No ships had been seen in the east by Millford, nor by Sieris is the west. Not even Edna had reported anything to the east of the main land. Though, it had been speculated for years that Edna was working alongside King Leukos in secret. 

Both kingdoms were prone to violence. 

"And what do you plan to do?" Kessia asked, sapphire eyes burning. 

Tallis reigned in a sigh. That woman had a death wish. 

King Thallan's face was nothing short of wrathful, and if there hadn't been ten councilmen in the room, he likely would've drawn out his power, taunting her with it. He'd always had a thing for implementing fear. Tallis swallowed hard. 

"This task I will leave in the hands of my son." Tallis froze, every muscle in his body taut as he stared at his father. "I believe that this is the perfect opportunity for Tallis to prove his worth as prince of this kingdom. If Federra must step down, for some reason, we must have a suitable heir to fall back on, not some naive boy."

Tallis knew - he knew - that the words flying out of his mouth would get him into an absurd amount of trouble later, but he spat them out anyways. "You're turning the retrieval of my sister into a test?" His hands clenched into fists on the table. "This is not a joke, father."

A threat flashed in his father's gaze, one that promised pain, and Tallis bit his tongue. He didn't dare say more, but his mind whirled with livid thoughts. How dare he? This was the heir they were talking about. The princess of Direwood. His big sister. And he was going to use it as a chance for Tallis to prove himself? Tallis would've laughed at the thought if it weren't for Shy stepping forward from his spot beside Kessia, his face gentle.