Page 98 of Shifter King
For clothing, he kept it simple. A light-blue dress with his own boots. Though they were well worn, he liked them. They were excellent for kicking. And his belt while a little on the wider and broader side still worked with this dress. Instead of his daggers and hunting knife, he now carried a fan along with the false golden gryphon egg.
The entire journey had been an unpleasant ordeal. The Bealorns searched him thoroughly. And if not for the unmistakable scent of the highly contagious and sexually transmittable encinea, they might have done far worse. He'd had to pretend to be far weaker than he was, feigning fatigue and terror at the injections and at last pretending to be unconscious.
But all of that was simple compared to hiding how he actually felt upon seeing Amelia kneeling in the front of that long narrow room. Her hair was matted and bloodied, one half of her face swollen and red. Other bruises mottled her body as well as raw scrapes and cuts as if she had been dragged. And that left arm of hers. What had they done? He fought the urge to grind his teeth.
Curse them for holding her almost a half mile underground. There was much that needed sorting. Starting with that heinous creature sitting on the throne. But he was nothing if not charming, and he could fool anyone if the mood took him. This was his arena, not theirs.
"I was so delighted to meet your wondrous majesty that I just had to find the most perfect gift of all and when I found it, I realized it had to be presented before we ran out of time. I am Ruth, your humble servant, and it is my honor to present to you this golden gryphon egg." He neatly dodged the guards and slid into a bowing position.
The two chasing after him halted, looking around, clearly not used to guests or prisoners or anyone behaving this way. The servant at the door tried to explain, stuttering and stammering.
Zorna held up her hand. "Enough of that chatter." She then dropped her gaze back to him, her eyes sharp and piercing. "You are awake already?"
"Oh? Was I not supposed to be? I'm such a dreadful sleeper. Have I already done wrong?" WroOth raised an eyebrow and offered an innocent smile. "Have I failed at the decorum? I am sorry. Coming from the wilds, this is my first time before a true queen. Forgive my manners." He bowed even lower, still holding the egg aloft. "But I could not wait. I had to present you with this before the bonding time had—"
Zorna waved her hand. "No, girl. Enough. Be silent before your betters unless you are bid to speak."
WroOth shrunk back, feigning embarrassment as he nodded. Then he dipped his head forward even more. Shrieking moons, this little tyrant was tedious.
Zorna gestured to one of the guards. "Test her."
Again? WroOth raised an eyebrow. Before he could move, the guard nearest him stuck him in the side with a small green blade.
He winced and did not seal it up at once, letting the blood flow freely as if it were a far more grievous wound. At least it looked far more grievous as the light material soaked up the dark blood and spread in an uncomfortable warm wet spot that was quickly turning cold.
Civilized people cut over the hands and arms. These barbarians insisted on stabbing with venom-coated blades right in the side. Repeatedly apparently.
"If you do not behave properly, we will use the hybrid on you. Manticore and cabiza. Not quite instant death. It takes an average of three days to kill, but they say it feels like an eternity. Most beg for death. Some try to claim it. None succeed." A thin smile twisted her lips. "You may speak now if you like."
He returned the smile, his hand still shielding his side as the hot blood soaked through the material. His form had not wavered. To anyone looking at him, he appeared as much a woman as he had seconds earlier. Those toxins stung more than he liked to admit. Especially the second time. Damn things were probably cumulative. "But of course, I always have precisely the proper response. Especially when in the presence of my betters. Whatever you require of me and my service, I am more than happy to provide."
"You have much sweeter words than most of your kin. Certainly more than your brothers."
"Charm is my gift. My greatest crime was that I took it all from my brothers. And apparently my sister as well."
"Perhaps so." That faint smile pulled at Zorna's mouth, a little twinkle entering her eye. Yes, he knew that look. "You should know that flattery and charm though mean nothing here. I say the word, and you are dead. Fast or slow. It is my choice."
"Would it be any other way, your Majesty?" He inclined his head forward. "Charm is its own reward. And is it flattery if it is true?"
"So long as you know you cannot fool me, girl."
"I would never dream of trying." He dipped his head. "Now, if I may speak freely, there is the matter of this gift. I do apologize once more for interrupting, but it is so close to the end of the bonding period."
"Yes, I see your little sculpture. Very nice. Made of real gold, I suppose." She rolled her eyes.
"Not a sculpture, your Majesty." He gave her a coy smile. "It is precisely what it looks like."
Zorna's eyes widened. "A gryphon egg." She sat up straighter, confusion and annoyance replaced with hopeful greed and trembling on her lips. "This is an actual gryphon egg?"
"It is, your Majesty. We discovered it before we entered Dry Deep. It was the last one. Some heinous dragon had killed its momma. We almost didn't make it out ourselves. Remember when we found the egg, Amelia?"
Amelia stared at him, her brow creased but her soft dark eyes intent as if she was still trying to process what this meant. Was this a rescue? Or something else? A little of both. He nudged her good arm with his shoulder as he leaned closer. "The queen is the perfect caretaker for this gryphon. Don't you agree, dear heart?"
"Yes…Ruth. I do. I'm glad to see you."
Zorna glanced between them, her eyes narrowing. "So you have brought me a gryphon egg."
"I had to bring a gift worthy of the first queen I have ever met," WroOth said. "And if you know the legends and how gryphons search for—"
