Page 11 of Kingdom of Lies

"There must be something!" I cry desperately. "My grandmother is dying! She’s…she’s hit her head somehow, she’s bleeding…"

The chief looks down at me cowering beneath him. Pity and disgust cloak his features.

"We have no healers here who can treat such grave injuries, neither elf nor human. Especially not for someone so old. You’ll need to accept that this is her time."

I sink to the ground and weep. My only hope dashed. My beloved grandmother's fate seems sealed.

"Now go home, don't come back here again," the chief says with dismissive authority.

He drags his scowling wife back into the house, her protests and insults falling on deaf ears. The door closes on me and any hope I possess for saving my grandma.

The chief's cold dismissal cuts through me like a knife, but I cannot give up hope. There must be something I can still do to save my grandmother's life.

I drag myself up from the ground, tears still streaming down my face, and stumble away from the chief's home.

6

DRAKNIR

My feet drag as I trudge wearily back to the base, my gaze is caught by the sight of the captain sprinting towards me. His boots pound against the ground, with every rushed step.

"Draknir!" he calls me. He appears hurried and flustered.

The captain comes to a stop in front of me, his face flushed with urgency. "We have a situation," he says.

My heart quickens as he speaks.

"What kind of situation?" I ask.

He pauses to catch his breath.

"I have been looking for you all over, someone is here to see you. He says he's your family's head servant, a butler."

I scoff. Family? What family? Does my father really think that he can just undo years of neglect with a damned letter?

"Tell him I’m busy,” I snap, then, catching the look in the captain’s eyes, add, “Please. Sir.”

“I’m not your messenger, boy.” The captain has a lot of leniency for me, but the trace of irritation in his eyes warns me not to push him. “Tell him yourself.”

The captain leads me to where my father’s hired help is waiting.

As we approach the butler, I can hear his voice getting louder and more agitated. It's clear he's upset about something. The captain stands aside, allowing me to come face-to-face with the man.

He's dressed in fine attire, not unlike what one would expect of a butler, but there's an air of nobility about him that speaks volumes. His silver hair is impeccably styled and his posture is perfect.

I hate him.

"Jori, this is Draknir as requested," the captain says addressing the servant.

"I bring you a message of great news Draknir."

"I read the letter my father sent,” I scoff. “I burned it.”

The butler – Jori – keeps his face impassive. It makes me want to scream, to shake him by his fine silk lapels. To do anything that might make my father’s man flinch.

"You should be happy, Draknir," the butler says, his voice sharper than I would have expected from someone of his station. "The noble dark elf clan of Hora has recognized you.” He pauses and takes a deep breath before continuing. "As you may have read, they wish to acknowledge you as their own." he says with a noticeably forced smile.

I roll my eyes, but before I can respond, the butler launches into a tirade that I don't have the patience to listen to. I grit my teeth, allowing him to finish his high and mighty speech. as my mind races to try and make sense of it all.

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