Page 160 of A Queen's Game
“I knew she would follow.” The King walked past her, his stare focusing on the drakon statue. “She’ll tell Keyain about how we almost kissed, which plays into our deal.”
Marietta’s heart fumbled. How stupid of her to think he actually wanted a kiss. Gods, what was wrong with her?
“What do you think?” he asked.
“Of kissing you?”
The King smiled up at the statue, glancing back at her. “Of the statue.”
“Oh,” she said, fighting back her embarrassment. “Well, it’s fantastic. Everything is so lifelike, and when I placed my hand upon its side, it was as if it shifted.”
“Interesting,” he said, turning to her. “Do you believe in feyrie tales?”
“I would like to.” She paused, staring at him. “Do you?”
“All stories come from some truth.”
“And here I thought you were a sensible man.”
He laughed at that, a full smile touching his lips. “Come, there’s more to see.”
Each statue was as thrilling. A hydra with seven heads all tangled together. A couple of griffins, their eagle wings outstretched, beaks crying to the sky, resting on their lion hind legs.
One of the more fascinating statues was the tarandos. The creature was new to Marietta, with its ox size, long hair, intricately curved antlers, and cloven hooves. The King explained it was an herbivore that dwelled in dense forests, like the one that grew in the land Satiros came to occupy. What Marietta found the most fascinating was its ability to camouflage itself by shapeshifting.
“Shapeshifters are common in feyrie tales,” Marietta told the King. “My father often told me stories around changelings and their ilk.”
“Odd, they weren’t that common.” The King stared at her with a frown. “Perhaps your father had some fascination with them.”
For a moment, Marietta felt a touch of anger in the King’s words. It quickly passed as they stepped to the next statue, a sphinx. With the head of a woman, the wings of a bird, and a body of a lion. Her father shared the stories of such cunning creatures who would kill those who could not solve their riddles.
The morning slipped into the afternoon as they wove their way through the gardens. “It’s impressive how much you know,” Marietta noted. “Not only did you have a name for each statue’s creature, but you knew what they did.”
The King huffed a laugh. “You mock me.”
“Not at all.” Marietta searched his face, his gaze dropping from hers. “Your knowledge is fascinating. I could listen to you and your theories every day.”
“Then you’re kind-hearted,” he said. “Often I’m too analytical, too cold because I see the world as it is, for how it works.”
“And yet here you are, believing in feyrie tales.”
“As I said, there’s truth to every story.” He paused in the path, brushing a loose hair back from Marietta’s face though the guards approached. “And because I seek the truth, it’s seen as a distraction from my duties as king.”
Seek the truth.King Wyltam’s words brought forth an image of Therypon, the goddess’ orders. Heat flared in her chest at the thought. How likely was it that the King would say those exact words?
“Are you alright?” he asked.
“Of course,” she said, letting the comparison slip away. “But are these feyrie tales why you ignore the living conditions of pilinos in Satiros? You’d rather explore that than change the laws that suppress people like me?”
The King’s features darkened, his stare fixed on the path ahead.
“Truth for a truth, King Wyltam,” she continued in his silence. “Tell me why you could defend me but not the pilinos population?”
“I think I’ll pass today,” he said, his movement becoming rigid as the guards assumed their proximity. “You’ve already shared all I wish to know.”
“Such a change in mood,” she said under her breath so the guards wouldn’t hear.
“Everyone has their reasons for their actions, Marietta,” he said under his breath. “Perhaps you understand less than you let on.”
