Page 80 of Of Monsters Of Kings

“Yes, lady. Cheap, worthless trinkets that one might expect of King Bring. The ones we brought you from King See are exquisite.”

Hex jeered. “You’re only late because you arrived and saw our trinkets, then went back to get yours.”

“Your king seeks to entice the lady to concubine. Our king seeks to entice her to princess. Thus your gifts are blighted. Or do you suppose that station worthy of her?”

None of Bring’s princes responded.

“Exactly,” Is scoffed, and a strand of his hair fell to the ground.

I was intrigued. “I will see these gifts and be the judge of what is cheap and what is exquisite.”

The princes bowed and didn’t comment when I somewhat blurred past them in a boost of speed I hadn’t possessed two months and eight days ago. The speed reminded me of Take’s princes, if truth were told. I managed to slow to a pace reminiscent of a less ancient being and the princes fell in to walk behind the long train of my powder-blue puffed gown.

Trinkets were not the only things filling the courtyard.

Three werebeasts circled the courtyard.

“The other kings prostate themselves for your favor,” Prince Huckery said after a snapping of his yellowed fangs.

“Good evening, Princes of King Change. How delightful that I can understand you in your true form now. Why have you come?”

“To confirm the whisperings of Take’s minions. You’re awakened and sane after our king’s attack.”

Take kept a close eye on all I did, and perhaps all that See and the other kings did. His minions were very useful, and I should consider their use and the matter of detecting and evading them. “I am sane, and will this enrage your king or the opposite?”

“Enrage, Lady Patch,” Loup answered on a growl. “He has enjoyed the war with See since your death and mentally uncertain slumber.”

War. I stared. “There was war during my slumber?”

“See did not divulge this?” Unguis said. “Nor his princes?”

I shot See’s princes a look. “They did not.”

Each of them found somewhere else to look, which meant they’d had orders not to tell me. See had failed to mention anything about waging war when I woke, and this was important news to omit.

Has Been opened his mouth, but Huckery was quicker. He howled, then said, “When you died for a week, See declared war on Change. There has been much ruining in the world, and our liege thought of you fondly in this time. He spoke much of your potential. This evening, See’s humans retreated, and so our liege’s fondness of you will likely retreat too.”

There was much to unpack in that. “His humans. Please explain.”

“The humans in this pulse are split in five,” Huckery said after a sigh.

“I’ve gathered. One-fifth for each kingdom. But the humans went to war for the kings?”

Loup grinned, and his black-spotted tongue hung from the corner of his mouth. “I doubt they know who they went to war for, lady, but they did find themselves in somewhat of a turf war. Just two-fifths of them, of course, because only two kings were involved. The rest scurried clear.”

The problems of kings reflected onto humans.

I’d known each king’s power affected humans in some way. Take drained “useless” humans. Bring used his charms and curses to deal out fortune or misfortune by turn. Change spread the curse of beastly behavior and thought to humans, and See—if I stopped to think about it—trimmed impossibilities if nothing else.

When Hotel Vitale became impossible based on whatever he’d seen, the king had closed it. See might resist shaping the possible path of the world, but he didn’t hesitate to tidy up impossibilities.

“This turf war, did it wage in Vitale or all cities in the world?”

Loup bowed in answer. “All pulses in the globe, lady. The wars were of various origins. Some involved turf wars between those the humans call skeleton crews. Others involved a revolt against this or that law. I do not read the pulses as kings do, so I fathom only what I’m told of such matters.”

Fascinating. “Is that why skeleton crews exist? As a cover for wars between kings?”

Nine princes chuckled, and the sound was delightful—the chuckling chime of See’s princes, and the staccato snickers of Change’s princes mixed with the rumbling laughter of Bring’s princes. A princely orchestra. How nice to see them getting along.

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