Page 10 of Pawns of Salistya

A throat clearing brought us back down to earth.

Pulling away, I mustered all my seductive prowess to purr, ‘Good morning, husband,’ as I blatantly ignored the other presence in the room. Eliasson’s blue eyes darkened, and a firm squeeze of my butt cheek confirmed the effect I had on him.

‘Good morning, wife,’ he responded, his voice deep.

With a smug look, I stepped out of his reach and sat beside him. My eyes lit up at the cup of coffee ready for me. Bringing it to my mouth, my eyes closed, and a satisfied moan escaped my lips at the glorious taste.

A familiar groan was released nearby. Fluttering my eyes open, I met heated eyes watching my every move, Eliasson’s teeth biting into his lower lip in undisguised lust. The look made my insides stir. Okay, maybe I wasn’tas unaffected by him as I thought I was. Let’s blame that on the lack of climactic release a few nights ago.

Before I could tease any further, the person sitting next to Eliasson who I had chosen to ignore until now decided to ruin the fun.

‘One would think you hadn’t just spent the last twelve hours together,’ Fyrel muttered, shaking his head in exasperation.

Interesting. He didn’t know that Eliasson and I had separate quarters.

‘One would think you wouldn’t chase a Salistyan maid around like a smitten pubescent teen. But hey, different strokes for different folks, am I right?’ I shot back sweetly, pleasantly smiling at Eliasson’s Second and royal pain-in-my-ass best friend.

‘How do you –’

‘I know everything,’ I cut him off. ‘Although you have an incessant need to think otherwise, I’m not just a pretty face.’ I levelled him with a stare that, had he or anyone else outside of Salistya and the Isles known about magic, let alone that I wielded it, would have him quaking in his boots.

Fyrel scoffed. ‘Self-proclaimed pretty face, sweetheart.’ His eyes lingered on mine, unsubtly gawping at their unique colouring.

‘Fyrel,’ Eliasson interrupted, a warning evident in his tone.

‘Oh no, it’s fine Eliasson.’ I waved my hand, dismissing the interruption, turning my attention back to Fyrel. ‘No offense taken. Besides, I’m aware of his type, very different to me. The type, might I caution, that if he were to ever hurt in any way, shape, or form, would result in him having a little taste of my Solistan training. Friendly tip: not recommended.’ I pasted on an innocent smile.

Fyrel’s blue eyes narrowed, seeing the less than subtle threat for what it was.

Taking his silence as acknowledgement, I clapped in mock celebration. ‘Excellent!’ False excitement was thick in my voice. ‘I love how we understand each other, it really does warm the cockles of my heart.’ I sighed wistfully, curling my finger around a lock of hair.

It’s really no surprise Fyrel can’t stand me. In all honesty, I stopped caring early on into my marriage when I realised his scepticism towards me would never waver. Which, considering my intentions to Eliasson are less than desirable, I can’t reallyblame him. Mer claims he’s not that bad. I guess I’ll have to take her word for it, because winding up Fyrel is one of my favourite pastimes and the greatest source of entertainment I have in Amarald. I won’t be giving it up any time soon.

Eliasson’s chuckle cut through the stare off between Fyrel and me. He was completely unfazed that his wife and best friend refused tobe amicable. ‘Never a dull moment with you two around.’ He shook his head. ‘However, Fyrel, I intend to spend the whole day with my lovely wife, so please, talk to us about the important information that couldn’t wait.’

I couldn’t help exploiting Fyrel’s disdain for Eliasson and I spending extended amounts of time together. My impulsive need to rub salt into Fyrel’s wounds took over. ‘Yes, Fyrel,’ I crooned, ‘what exactly are you doing here?’

Fyrel went to respond but was cut off by three attendants placing a plate of food in front of each of us.

The smell of bacon and eggs attacked my senses, my eyes finding Rynelle’s as he leant over and placed the plate in front of me. Strategically blocking Eliasson and Fyrel’s view to me, he dropped a slip of paper into my lap with a warning look. I subtly moved the paper under the table before visualising the drawer of erotic novels back in my quarters. Holding onto that vision, the paper left my hand, teleported to the desired location.

The attendants returned to the kitchens, leaving the three of us alone in the dining room once more. Momentarily forgetting there was a reason for company, a comfortable silence fell on the room, broken only by the clanging of cutlery as we enjoyed breakfast.

After a few minutes, Fyrel leaned back into his chair and placed his hands behind the back of his head, elbows wide. I supressed the urge to roll my eyes at his obnoxious stance.

‘I received correspondence in the early hours of the morning from the Kingdom of Marlyst, confirming their attendance at the Royal Forum. We had already received confirmation from both Salistya and Nyarelle months ago, so this was the final piece,’ Fyrel reported.

‘That’s interesting. I was convinced we would have to push this one back, given the untimely passing of the King,’ Eliasson mused.

‘You and me both.’ Fyrel nodded. ‘Having said that, the coronation was held a couple of weeks after his passing. Clearly, the new King doesn’t like to waste any time. My sources confirmed this is a tendency of his. I’m intrigued to understand his motivations for this swiftness so the Forum will be rather telling.’

A coronation within a couple of weeks? That was even quicker than Slaviya’s, and the speed of hers had been fuelled by her need for total control. She really was acarbon copy of Father. For the millionth time, a wave of relief washed over me knowing Dwyla was far away from the witch. For now, at least.

Fyrel was right, though. The King’s motivations were intriguing. I made a mental note to partake in some old-school late-night spying when the Marlyst King was in Amarald.

‘Rather telling, indeed,’ Eliasson agreed, before moving his attention back to me. ‘I want the Marlyst representatives’ quarters next to ours. This way, it’ll be easier to invite them to our quarters for informal meetings to gain a better understanding of their motivations. What do you think?’

Despite how often he considers and asks for my opinion, I am often still startled by it. I guess you can take the girl out of Salistya, but you can’t always take the Salistya out of the girl.

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