Page 119 of Once the Skies Fade

I eyed Korben coldly. “How would you handle Mrs. Mola’s plight?”

He shrugged casually as he stared at the female. “You’re from Leighbracht?” Mrs. Mola nodded slowly. “Your neighbors in Polneir have had a plentiful season, so I’ve heard. How is it that theirs thrived yet yours faltered?”

The female fidgeted with her fingers. “I am not an expert on the weather, sir, but it does not always bless—or curse—each part of the kingdom equally.”

This earned a light laugh from the crowd which Korben brushed off. “Indeed.” He paused and turned to me, fully this time. “Could we spare some of the royal stores to help her and the town out? Perhaps put in a request with the Assembly to have a donation taken up from around the kingdom?”

“Agreed,” I said, nodding as I turned back to the female. “General Marlowe will give you a notice to take to the castle steward, who will issue you some food stores to take home and schedule your case with the Assembly.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” she said as she backed away.

The morning continued in much the same fashion, with my asking each male how they might resolve a dispute or address a concern. For the most part, all went relatively smoothly. I even managed to keep all interactions with Matthias as professionalas possible—though that did require I refrain from looking at him directly.

There was only one instance of disagreement between a male and me. I had asked Phillip how best to handle the killing of a farmer’s cow when it got off his property and allegedly trampled a neighbor’s crops. While he had thought it best to fine both parties—one for negligence in containing their animal and the other for killing someone else’s animal—I was all-too-acquainted with this pair of farmers. Their decades-long list of disputes over everything from trees crossing property lines to accusations of sabotage had been a nuisance for my parents when they ruled and had now apparently become mine. The cow-killer was to pay a retribution to his neighbor and reminded to stop looking for offense wherever he could.

I couldn’t help but smile as the pair walked away, with Isa having to separate them to prevent a public squabble from breaking out between them. While so many things had changed since my parents’ deaths, it was oddly comforting to have their drama remain constant. Like welcoming the horrendous winter winds simply because they were reliable.

“How do you sit through all of these for so long?” Matthias whispered from my left.

I glanced in his direction, but returned my attention quickly to the crowd. “Do the Durands not meet with their subjects?”

“Sure they do, but they travel to each town, rather than having the citizens make the trip,” he explained.

“Was that due to the dangers on the roads?” I asked, still refusing to look at him.

Even so, I could picture his light shrug and down-turned smile as he answered. “Even before the rebel attacks. The king and queen enjoyed getting out of the palace.”

“They’d still be sitting for a long time,” I argued.

“But with ale,” he said, laughing quietly.

“You often traveled with them, didn’t you?”

Matthias was silent for so long, I wondered if he’d heard me or not. When I finally turned to see what had kept him from answering, a smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Oh, so you can look at me after all!”

My expression soured as I tried to conceal any hint of attraction to this stars-damned male. “Of course I can look at you,” I said, tipping my chin up as I faced our guests again. “I simply prefer not to.”

His chair creaked as he leaned across the armrest toward me and whispered, “Why is that exactly? Is it that awful to remember?—”

“Remember what?” I hissed as I spun around to face him, my nose mere inches from his in an effort to keep the conversation quiet. “This is not a conversation I want to have right now.”

His eyes drifted down to my lips. “Is it a conversation you want to have at all? Because I get the impression you’ve been avoiding me.”

“Don’t flatter yourself, general.” I swallowed hard at my use of his title, remembering all the other times I’d used it in private. Ignoring how my cheeks warmed, I dropped my head to the side and regarded him coldly. “I didn’t take you for the type to need to talk about your feelings. I’ve been rather busy preparing for today.”

As if on cue, the main doors to the Great Hall swung open, and six of my guards marched in, escorting four hooded figures in the middle of them. The crowd parted to allow them to pass. Matthias quickly shifted back in his seat. I could feel his intense gaze studying me as I rose to my feet. Isa waited for them at the bottom of the dais. The lead guard exchanged quiet words with her, but I couldn’t make them out with the muted conversations spreading through the room.

Isa’s whole body tensed, and my stomach plummeted to my feet when she looked back over her shoulder at me, her face pale behind her stony expression.

This isn’t good.

She whispered something more to the guard before rushing up the dais toward me. Her lips grazed my ear as she tried to keep her voice as quiet as possible, though she only uttered one word.

“Humans.”

Chapter 52

Matthias

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