Page 17 of Acedia

“Since Theon’s not going to prison anymore, you could always resign and let him deal with ruling the realm,” I joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Allerick sighed heavily. Maybe I’d missed the mark on that one. “You’re next in line, Damen. Not Theon.”

“He’s better qualified than me.”

“Doesn’t matter. You challenged him, and you won.” He was quiet for a long moment. “I know you’ve been coasting by even more than usual recently, banking on the fact that Ophelia and I will have a child who will inherit the throne. But a baby hasn’t… well, it hasn’t happened yet. Don’t get complacent.”

“I didn’t realize you were trying,” I said awkwardly. “I thought the plan was to wait a little while.”

Allerick grimaced. “I do my best to ignore the pressure of the court and the Elders for the most part, but the issue of an heir… Well, in this regard, they seem to be unwilling to leave it alone. I was content to ignore it but it has particularly gotten to Ophelia.”

I nodded silently, wishing I knew what to say to offer him some comfort. Then again, that wasn’t really the kind of relationship we had.

“I’m sure it will happen for you eventually,” I volunteered. “If Ophelia were a Shade, you would be assuming that it would take years for conception to happen.”

“Yes. But she isn’t, and she’s worried.” His shoulders slumped slightly, and I wondered if I’d ever seen him so defeated. “Ophelia is the light of my life, Damen. Her unhappiness is excruciating to me.”

She was my sister, and I adored her, but selfishly, the pang in my chest in that moment wasn’t for her sadness but mine. My envy. What I wouldn’t give to have the kind of love that those two had.

But if it meant experiencing the kind of vulnerability that Allerick was experiencing, I wasn’t entirely sure that I was capable of it.

“Anyway, enough of my moroseness. I should probably go and smooth things over with the Council of Shades—they’ve been very unhappy with me recently.”

“Would you like me to come with you?”

Allerick shook his head, setting his goblet down and pushing to his feet. “I know I’m always encouraging you to get more involved, but I would still shield you from this unpleasantness, Damen. Slighted Elders are a nightmare to deal with. Enjoy your evening.”

“What’s the plan today?” I asked Soren around a yawn as we made our way to the breakfast room. “To visit with Theon and Verity again?”

“I hope you will do that,” Soren replied crisply. “Astrid has been asked to collect a Hunter from the human realm.”

“How? By who?”

“Someone knew where Astrid was stationed while we were watching for Verity. They left a note.”

“That sounds… like a trap?” I hedged. Granted, I wasn’t the authority on these things, but it certainly sounded like it had the potential to be a trap to secure Astrid’s capture.

That would be a massive accomplishment for the Hunters if they got her back. From what I gathered, Astrid had been their greatest loss, and she was now their biggest threat.

“Believe me, I have concerns,” Soren said wryly. “So does Ophelia—she’s relaying them to Astrid right now. My mate has many talents, but listening to other’s very valid reservations is not one of them.”

I laughed, able to imagine perfectly the look of haughty disdain on Astrid’s face whenever someone so much as hinted that she might not be able to do something.

“Do you want me to come with you?” I offered.

“No. I’d only worry about you as well if you did.” He paused for a moment, thoughtful. “It might be useful if you could be there to greet the new arrival when she shows up, though. Allerick isdealing with the fallout with the Elders, you’re the next highest ranking royal.”

“Right. You need me to do some kind of formal greeting?”

Soren grimaced, looking as thrilled with the idea as I felt. “It’s probably the right thing to do, isn’t it? Respectful and such.”

“I’ve yet to meet a single ex-Hunter who cares about that, but sure. I’ll perform as required.” It was deeply refreshing to me that the ex-Hunters didn’t seem interested in the pomp and ceremony of court. They seemed amused by it if anything.

Everyone scattered after breakfast, and I opted to go to Orabelle’s room until I was required for greeting duty. I knew in my bones that she was happy to see me—I was practically her second son—but she always made a great show of scowling in annoyance whenever she had to interact with anyone. I suspected it was just habit at this point.

“At least one of you comes to visit me,” she sighed dramatically, ringing a bell for tea. “Where is Allerick? Has he forgotten that his mother still lives?”

“He’s busy running the realm, Ora. You shouldn’t have birthed such a strong child if you didn’t want him to inherit the throne.”

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