Page 19 of Path of the Dark
6
Steel is Steel
ELIAS TOOK A seat at the banquet table, opposite Ninia. “Good evening, princess.”
Meeting his eye, she favored him with a polite smile.
Elias returned the smile. Four days had passed since his arrival at The Royal City, and he hadn’t seen the princess since the ball. However, once a week the king and queen invited Ninia to dine with them. And, tonight, they’d extended the invitation to Elias as well.
Elias had been pleased to accept—this was the opportunity he needed to get close to the princess.
Tonight could be his chance to complete his mission.
His senses sharpened at the thought, and he was keenly aware of the knife in his boot, awaiting its chance to draw blood.
He needed to get this done.
The negotiations proceeded well, but with each passing day, Elias grew tenser. He had only one true purpose in this city—and he felt as if he was letting himself get drawn away from it.
He’d hoped to see Ryana again, to use her to get closer to the princess. Yet the Head of the Dark hadn’t attended any more of the negotiations. Elias wondered if she was deliberately keeping away.
It mattered not, for tonight Nathan had brought Ninia to him.
“I thought it right that members of the royal houses of Rithmar, Anthor, and Thûn took supper together at least once during your visit,” Nathan announced from one end of the table, holding his goblet aloft.
Elias resisted the urge to frown. He was tempted to remind Nathan that the house of Thûn no longer existed. Their gazes met, and Elias caught the gleam in Nathan’s eye; the king was deliberately goading him.
Taking her seat at one end of the table with a rustle of damask skirts, the queen gave Elias a warm smile. “The king tells me that the negotiations proceed well.”
“Aye, Your Highness.” Elias raised his own goblet to Eldia. “It looks like our kingdoms will soon be firm allies.”
Elias flicked his attention back to Nathan and saw him tense.
A smile curved Elias’s lips.Two could play at this game.
They were taking supper in the royal banquet chamber, a relatively intimate space compared to the huge banquet hall downstairs. Located on the upper levels of the palace, the room had tear-drop shaped windows that were open to the elements tonight. A cool highland breeze wafted in, as did the scent of woodsmoke from the fires of the city below. However, two hearths burned at opposite ends of the banquet chamber, keeping its four occupants warm.
Oblivious to the frown that now furrowed her husband’s brow, the queen cast Elias an appraising look. She was a pretty woman of fragile, almost ethereal, beauty. And yet, Elias caught the glint in her eye that spoke of a strong will and playful edge. “That is good news indeed,” she murmured.
Servants entered the chamber, circling the table with ewers of wine and platters of quail roasted in white wine and butter—the first dish of the evening.
Taking a sip of wine, Elias glanced once more over at Ninia. The princess wasn’t looking his way. Instead, she kept her gaze firmly on the quail she was dissecting.
“How goes life in the House of Light and Darkness, Ninia?” Nathan asked when they were halfway through their quail.
Ninia glanced up and smiled. “Very well, thank you. I had my initiation rite yesterday.”
To prove it, she put down her knife and turned her hands over, revealing two eight-pointed stars tattooed on each palm. The one on the left was inked completely black, while the star on the right was not. The skin around both stars was slightly reddened and swollen.
“That looks sore,” the queen observed with a delicate wince. “Do you need to see our healer?”
“Asher has already attended me,” Ninia assured Eldia. “It doesn’t hurt.”
Nathan swirled his goblet of wine, his expression veiled, before he shifted his attention to Elias. “An enchanter who wields both the Light and the Dark,” he mused. “Surely that makes Reoul a bit nervous?”
Elias huffed. “Not really.”
“Not only that, but she’s also the heir to the Swallow Throne,” the king added.
