Chapter 12
The next morning, I was woken up by a sense that I was in danger.
I silently got out of bed and got dressed before walking out of the room and down to the throne room.
The palace was silent, but I still had this bad feeling that something was amiss.
I hadn't quite entered the throne room yet, but I saw Troy standing in there, just in front of my throne, looking toward the door with his sword drawn.
I decided to hide behind one of the pillars, the marble texture cold on my skin. I peeked around the corner to see Elanis standing right next to the door of the throne room.
"So, the servant of the King of Humans stands alone," Elanis said with a demonic grin.
"Speak for yourself, you slave of darkness," Troy replied.
"Come now, Troy," Elanis said, "Surely you can do better than this. You're such a fine warrior, you'd make a fine addition to the leadership of my army. Join me, Troy, leave this filthy place, and you'll have power the like of which no Human has ever seen!"
"The High King of the Humans happens to be my best friend, Summerset," Troy replied, "So no dice. You're delusional if you think you can convince me to betray my best friend or my Heartmate."
"So you'd rather be a servant?" Elanis asked.
"Better to serve a good man than to rule with an evil one," Troy said with a scowl.
"So you still don't know when to bow to your superiors, do you, Constantine?" Elanis growled, "You're just like your father. He was fortunate to die as quickly as he did alongside Jonathan Tyris. If I'd had my way, both would've suffered an extremely slow and painful death, and you and your best friend would've sat and watched."
"The only person who I've ever considered my superior, Elanis, is someone who considers me his equal," Troy said, "Even before we became King and Court, Nick has never treated his friends like tools, the way you claim. He's always been righteous and fair, which is more than you can say."
"Righteous, you say?" Elanis asked with a scowl, "Righteous enough to hide from the Conclave the fact that he's a Myriad? Righteous enough to walk into a city full of innocent Elven citizens and cut his way through Elven soldiers who are only following orders like a wild animal? Righteous enough to upset the very balance and order of the world by rebelling against his King and seizing the throne in the name of his delusion of justice and equality? Don't make me laugh, Constantine."
"Nick never knew he was a Myriad," Troy retorted, "The attack on the Elven capital wasn't just some wild charge that he led, either. We were all in agreement that the Elves could no longer be trusted with the Light of Soularis if they were going to be allied with you and the Demons, so we took it by force. And what you claim to be such a blasphemous act of treason was a rightful revolution, a group effort to make the Kingdom of Humans a better place! You're the delusional one, Elanis, delusional in every fashion, and that's why you and your Demons are destined to lose!"
"The only one destined to lose is you and your friends, Constantine," Elanis sneered, "Even as we speak, the Vampires and Demons lie in wait, prepared to attack the weakest link in Soularis at a moment's notice. The Kingdom of Faeries has never been particularly impressive, and now that Feraris and Fang are engaged, what better wedding present to give them than less land to look after?"
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Crown of Souls
Fantasi|Book 1 of 3 in the Soularis Trilogy| The divided continent of Soularis was no stranger to tension, as the Soul Kingdoms had quarreled for centuries. However, in a time seemingly and falsely called a time of peace, war breaks out, and it's up to the...
