Page 56 of A Storm Rises

What was going on? An air of panic and desperation laced the dwarf’s voice. Dark circles had formed under his eyes. He hadn’t slept. Something must have happened, no doubt a result of Selene’s early departure from the hunt. Would her actions favor him in some way? Could he be that lucky? He pushed that idea aside. Lowborns didn’t have luck, especially those that finished last.

Kragar swung open the heavy door. The High King and High Queen sat in their day thrones in the front of the room. The view took him back to the presentation of the hunters on his arrival, when he strode past everyone, knocked Avalynn with his shoulder, and entered the room first. He almost chuckled at their reversal of roles. Had his little act inspired her? He would never know. Even if he wanted to ask, she was not there. Maybe she was counting her silver and gold, ordering people around like Lirien said when he and his friends were on Spirit Butte. He was going to miss them and that place.

A row of seats with lesser royals in formal attire was lined before the king and queen. To the side was a lone servant’s chair of simple wood. Kragar nudged Mateo in its direction, and he sat. A stretch of silence filled the room as all eyes bore into him. What were they waiting for?

The dreaded witch Raelor rose from his seat behind the High King. He flicked his long dark robe behind him and moved in front of Mateo. His long white hair hung loose. He wore his usual all black, matching the molten-colored staff in his hand.

Mateo raised his brow and narrowed his stare. He was already dead, so he didn’t hold back. “What does the royal henchman want?” He spat on the gold-flecked marble. “Another plaything to occupy your time? Are your rats boring you?”

A growl escaped the witch’s thin lips.

“Oh!” Mateo quickly added. “I know! You are the master servant of the palace. I would enjoy a glass of wine and a plate of cheese, please.”

Raelor’s diamond eyes darkened like an endless void. He raised his crooked fingers.

“Stop!” commanded the High Queen, shutting him down. She sat tall on her sparkling wood throne, dressed in all green and wearing a simple crown of silver and crystal. Her dark hair draped over her ivory shoulders. All eyes shot her way. Even the King’s. “Ask your questions, Raelor.”

Mateo thought the High King had all the power. But maybe it was the High Queen. Not that it mattered.

The witch took a few steps, repositioning himself. “Mateo Vela of the Sublands. You have been brought here to answer questions about the Summit Range Hunt and the disappearance of Princess Avalynn.”

His nerves shot on edge as his head spun. Disappearance? A shiver ran down his spine, causing a slight tremor in his hands. “What do you mean, is she missing?”

Ignoring Mateo, Raelor tapped his staff against the marble floor and began asking a series of questions about the hunt and Avalynn, Eiric, Selene, and Finnian. Were any of them in an alliance with Avalynn? Did any of them speak privately with her? Was she ever alone? How did Eiric meet his end? How did Finnian, and what did Selene say when she left the group?

There were also questions about the regular foxes, the Shadowbloods, the dragons, the elk, and even Stormshroud. The witch went on and on as the day turned to night. Some of his questions were repeated, others asked in different ways. But one thing remained constant, the truth of Mateo’s answers. Missing or not, he owed Avalynn the betrayer nothing. He didn’t hold anything back and answered each question as best as he could. Until…

“Did any of the hunters engage in romantic activities?”

He drew in his chin. Why ask that? Did they somehow know about him and Avalynn and their time at the Green Falls? Could Raelor read minds? He shut off his, just in case. The hunt… Focus on that. Answer in the vaguest way possible. “I did not pay them any heed as I was trying to win and not get killed.”

“Did Princess Avalynn ever indicate having any romantic attraction to any of the hunters?”

Were they on to them? Did they know what they had done on that boulder? He raged inside. What he and Avalynn did was none of their business. “She was hard to read.”

“Hard to read? So she never spoke about romantic interludes?”

“She hated me, and I hated her.” It was true in the beginning, and true now.

“Does that mean she never spoke about romantic interludes?”

He fumed. “She is missing, and you want to know if she was having sex?”

“Sex, sexual relations, romantic interludes, romantic interactions. Call it what you will. Did any of your fellow hunters have any of those interactions with the princess?”

He jumped to his feet. “We were trying to survive your vicious and rigged hunt!”

Kragar slammed his hand on Mateo’s shoulder and forced him to sit. “Down with you!”

Mateo heaved, ready to charge the crazed dwarf. Desperate to slam his fist against his pudgy face when a guard from behind held his arms behind his back.

“Did you have any of those interactions with the princess?”

Mateo’s heartbeat quickened. So far he had avoided mention of her wounds, her blue light, the Enbarr and the Green Falls and how they had shared each other. That part of the hunt was theirs and theirs alone. It did not belong to anyone else. His brow raised sharply while he tapped his right foot, ready to explode out of the chair, even if it meant the witch would end him on the spot.

The High Queen quickly rose to her feet. She waved her arm. “Everyone out!”

As if on cue, the High King joined her. “Now!”

---