Page 5 of The Empire and the Wolf King

Jack nodded, looking thoughtful.

Zach said, “…and all the toppings.”

Jack said, “I hope Da will be there tae eat it with me.”

I said, “Aye, he will be, we canna bear an ice cream station without Magnus tae share in it.”

PART I

CHAPTER 1 - LADY MAIREAD

THE KINGDOM OF RIAGHALBANE - 2391

Iwas dining alone. My eyes settled on my empty wine glass, irritated, because it had not been refilled by the servants.

There was an alert.

I sighed.

This was likely more of the same trouble I couldna handle because I had nae vessel. I was trapped.

I asked the computer, “What is it?”

The computer’s voice answered, “We have just received word, there is a video message for you, from Asgall.”

“I will watch it in my office.” I pushed my plate away, grabbed the bottle of wine in one hand and a glass in the other, and shoved up out of my chair.

One of my servants said, “Lady Mairead, would you like me to bring wine up?”

“Now ye are wanting tae serve? Daena bother, I am capable of carrying it.”

In my office I slammed the wine glass down with too much force, shattering it upon the desk blotter, and then suffered, glowering, while a servant bustled around frantically cleaning it up.

The servant poured another glass, bowed out of the room, and left me in solitude.

I was grateful for that.

The solitude.

They were not performing their duties well enough, and I would lose my temper. I had nae patience for the bustling and cowering of my staff and the more I lost patience the more they cowered. Twas unsettling.

And although the solitude was needed, it accentuated my loneliness.

I sighed again.

I sipped wine and asked the room tae play the video.

First I was shown a projection of the ransom letter from Asgall that I had seen the day before. He claimed tae hae kidnapped Magnus and Kaitlyn and demanded that I step down from the throne and give it over tae him.

I had chosennottae respond.

Instead I had contacted Liam Campbell the caretaker of Taymouth castle and had set my plan in motion.

But now there was a video, a verra large projection of Asgall, a man I had never met, with my daughter-in-law on his lap.Och nae, she looks terrified.He had his hand clamped in her hair, pullin’ her head back. I felt sick at the thought. Magnus would be furious — howdarehe manhandle King Magnus’s wife?

Asgall asked how she was doing.

Her voice wavered when she answered, “Not good.”

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