Page 6 of The Rejected King
Footsteps on the wood stairs below startled him, and Millar appeared around the corner.
“You’re awake,” Millar said, his expression dropping into a frown. “Why are you sitting on the stairs?”
Davin forced his body up, grabbing his bag. He looked back at room number thirty-four, contemplating if he should tell his guard about the mishap, but decided against it. It wasn’t like the woman was a security threat.
“Is everyone ready to go?”
Millar nodded. “Just waiting for you.”
Davin took one last look over his shoulder before heading down the stairs. “Let’s go then.”
3
Davin
“You’re back,” Davin’s mother, Queen Arillia Parkins, said with a smile. She breezed through Davin’s office door. Morning sunlight blared through the large windows, illuminating the queen mother as she walked the length of the room and around the polished cedar desk to greet her son.
Davin stood and pulled his mother into a hug. “We got back late last night. I didn’t want to wake you.” Not to mention the fact that he had been tired himself. They had left the Morreck Inn early and had traveled late into the night without stopping.
His mother patted his shoulder before ending the hug. “Well?” She took a step back, her graying brown hair curling under her chin and framing her smile. “How was your first Council of Essentials?”
“It was incredible and nerve-racking all at the same time.”
Her smile deepened, drawing out the lines around her eyes and mouth. “I saw Millar. He said you got transporters approved.”
Davin didn’t even try to hide his excitement. “Yes! I’m in charge of production and distribution. If all goes well, I’m hoping to roll them out in the next three years.”
“I’m so proud of you,” she said, half leaning, half sitting against his desk.
“Not all of my ideas passed. Educational reform flopped.”
“Those kinds of social issues take time. Perhaps you can get it approved at the next Council.” She folded her arms. “What did you think of the other kings?”
Davin lowered himself into his chair, pushing back against the leather. “I really liked King Bryant from New Hope. He seems like a good king.”
His mother nodded. “Your father thought so, too.”
Davin let out a breath as he reflected back through the past month and the details his mother would be interested in. “The kings of Tolsten and Albion seemed...tense around each other.”
“That’s to be expected.” His mother shrugged. “They’ve been warring on and off for the past several years.”
Davin hesitated a moment, afraid of alarming his mother, but it was only a matter of time before she found out herself. “King Adler proposed that the Council approve weapons of mass destruction as essential.”
The queen mother reared her head back. “Pre-Desolation weaponry? Please tell me nobody voted for that.”
“Adler was the only one.”
She gave a sigh of relief, dropping her arms. “Your father always made a point to stay on King Adler’s good side. We don’t want any trouble with Tolsten, especially if Adler wants to start producing more sophisticated weapons.”
“Don’t worry.” Davin smiled up at his mother. “I played nice.”
“Good. It’s always important to have allies.”
“Speaking of allies.” Davin pushed his hands through his hair, tousling the top strands with his fingers. “There are rumors that Albion and New Hope are forming a marriage alliance.”
“A marriage alliance?” His mother’s mouth gaped. “King Bryant’s daughter can’t be older than ten-years-old.”
Davin raised his eyebrows. “She isn’t. The marriage alliance will happen ten years from now.”
