Page 63 of The Night Prince

“One that Vex would have encouraged himself, I’m sure,” Rhalyf said dryly.

“Ah, don’t go quite yet, Declan,” Helgrom said. “The king’s cup will need refreshing before too long.”

Declan had been lingering, but with the end of the tale, he knew he had to go.His heart ached at the thought.But really, he had already made such a mess of things.Yet Helgrom had offered him a reprieve.Should he take it?

“He can leave the carafe,” Rhalyf suggested with slitted eyes.

And just for that, Declan wanted to stay.Aquilan frowned at Rhalyf.

“I would have Declan join us,” Aquilan said warmly.

“There don’t look like there are any more chairs to be had for love or money in the Dawn,” Rhalyf said in a rather breathy tone.

“Then he can have mine,” Aquilan said and was preparing to stand up.

Declan put out a hand.“No!Ah… no, King Aquilan, you stay there.I–I’m fine standing.Besides, I cannot leave Lily all on her own at the bar.”

Aquilan glanced over at the halfling who was zipping around the bar on her stool once more.The king clearly smiled at her zeal, but then looked slightly disappointed as it was clear that there were far more customers than she could handle. Declan really had to leave.

“Surely, you will not stay away all night,” Aquilan’s voice was so full of sorrow that Declan couldn’t deny him.

Even though he should.

He is mine.

Declan shook off that voice.“No, King Aquilan.I will go get more wine for you. I will take care of you.”

The last came out in a deeper tone than he’d intended.He felt a flush wanting to coat his cheeks, but he ignored it.Rhalyf sniffed.Helgrom looked at him through swirls of pipe smoke.Michael had a lifted eyebrow.

Aquilan smiled, but his eyes were shadowed with worry.Was Declan shaking again?It was true that he didn’t feel himself.But that had nothing to do with weakness…

“I’ll be back,” Declan promised. “Do not fear.”

Declan gave him a quick bow before he forced himself to head back to the bar.It was bedlam over there.Lily gave him a grateful look.

“We’re all out of the Tavistock red, Declan!There’s a few barrels out back.Could you go out and get it, love?”Lily asked.

He nodded.Even if she could have heard him over the roar of the crowd all asking for different drinks, he was done with speaking that night.Words always got him into trouble and it seemed worse this time.So he crossed through the back kitchen, past Rain and Snow who were squabbling over who would dry the dishes, and pushed open the large double doors into the stable at the back.The scent of manure and wine rose up to greet him.

There were countless barrels stacked one on top of another.The Sun had finally set and so it was wonderfully dark outside.But that made figuring out which barrel was Tavistok red versus Grimfire whisky a little harder to tell.It was when he was pulling one barrel towards him that he heard the soft scuff of a boot on the ground.He was no longer alone.Leisha and Seith had joined him.

“Vulluin,” Leisha hissed, “you need to stay away from our king.”

Night Singing

Rhalyf tracked Declan’s progress from the table to the bar then into the back room. He heard Lily’s request that Declan head outside. Somehow Rhalyf wasn’t surprised when he saw the two Aravae–a man and a woman who had been staring daggers at Declan the moment heappearedin front of the king–silently leave the building, too.They went out the side door, but Rhalyf had no doubt as to where they were going.Or what they intended on doing: rough up the presumptuousVulluinwho dared to gaze upon their king with such dark longing.

Yet Declan was not like other humans.

Rhalyf was certain he wasnothuman at all.

And those foolish Sun Elves would find this out the hard way.But would Declan truly take care of them?Would he understand that defending himself–roughingthemup–wouldn’t end the problem they posed, but intensify it?That it would bring yet more attention to him and his differences?That people might draw the connection between him being sensitive to the light and him being able to take down five orcs with ease? That he could only beonething? And if one Kindreth were found to be masquerading as another race in the Empire how long would it take for even Aquilan to look for others closer to home?

Yet Rhalyf was not altogether certain that Declan would do what he should.

Declan was intense.He moved like a killer. A liquid-hipped killer who clung to shadows like lovers.But there was somethinginnocentabout him, too.When he looked at Aquilan it was as if… as if he had never seen anything or anyone more beautiful and pure.A full stone-cold Kindreth wouldn’t look like that.Couldn’t look like that.They would be incapable of recognizing Aquilan’s goodness as anything but a weakness.But Declan didn’t see weakness when he gazed upon the Sun King.He looked as if he’d seen… Well, something else entirely.

Not to mention that Declan had shown his strength with the orcs and his weakness to the Sun.Foolish things that a trained and deadly Kindreth would hardly do.Declan was just full of contradictions. It was immensely irritating when he was trying to decide whether Declan had to go or not.

---