Page 10 of King Elijah (The Zemiran Chronicles 2)

Four

THE HEATED DEBATEechoed loudly off the ballroom walls.

“Dammit, Elijah, are you even listening to me?” Aiden’s eyes were etched with raw pain as the desperation in his voice drove nails into Elijah’s heart.

Elijah wasn’t the heartless monster many believed he was. However, he still had his pride—a duty to defend himself and his kingdom. He was sure Aiden wouldn’t be thinking clearly, so he had to choose his words carefully, or he would surely lose one of their kingdom’s greatest warriors—and his best friend.

“That is my sister down there, my family,” Aiden continued, lacing his fingers together into a tight knot, waiting for Elijah to respond.

Elijah did consider his plea, but he had to think about his kingdom first. If he showed favors or weakness, he would lose the trust of his people. Word had already spread throughout the kingdom of the failed assassination and the captured elf who did it. They would now look to him for the next course of action. Public execution? Life imprisonment? Or would he consider mercy?

He cleared his throat. “You saved my life once, Aiden. After my father shot me on that ship, I was on the brink of death. If it were not for the Fae water that you gave me . . . I would, no doubt, have died that night. I will forever be grateful to you. You know that.” He leaned forward and tapped his fingers against the table, sucking in a deep, calming breath. “But my order still stands,” he said. “A deadly assassin is still a deadly assassin.”

Pain flickered in Aiden’s eyes—Elijah had to shut it out.

Elijah watched as a rush of color touched the elf’s cheeks. “I demand you release her from that cell!” Aiden jumped to his feet, his tall figure towering over the king. His eyes turned from desperation to anguished sadness. “Please, Elijah.”

Aiden would not give up on his sister, Elijah thought. Never; I must get through to him somehow.

Elijah leaned back, running his hands calmly down his tunic. “Aiden,” he said. “I do not care that she shares your blood.” Each word he spoke slammed into his chest like a heavy brick, his doubts crushing deeper and deeper until he had to remind himself to breathe. “Four men, Aiden. Four of my men are dead because of her; she is not leaving that cell until she opens that stubborn mouth of hers.”

Aiden’s lip twitched, a snarl of rage slowly forming.

The elf clenched his hands into fists and stepped forward. Valkanon, the most loyal member of his brigade, quickly jumped forward, gripped his elbow, and pulled him back.

“Don’t be a fool,” Valkanon said, who had been standing silently behind him. “There are wise ways to do this and committing treason is not one of them.”

Elijah wondered if Aiden was going to let the situation go. Janelle may be his sister, but Aiden respected Valkanon. He had hoped Aiden would understand where he came from and why he couldn’t give her special treatment after the crime she committed. However, he would consider cooperation on her part to reduce the severity of her punishment.

“I’ll tell you what,” Elijah said. “If she agrees to tell me who hired her, I will forgive her crime, and then she can leave my palace in exile. For this, Aiden, I give you my word.” He pressed his lips into a thin line, watching to see if Aiden would accept his offer. “Listen, my friend. Unmasking the coward who gave the order is far more important than an elf rotting inside my dungeon.”

Well, not entirely, he thought.

Elijah knew Aiden wasn’t a fool. No crime could go unpunished. In the past, Elijah had tortured his prisoners with his magic, causing them to suffer until their secrets were revealed. Janelle was no innocent, despite what Aiden claimed to know about her. She would answer his questions, and Aiden would stand aside.

Aiden peered down at Valkanon’s fingers, still wrapped around his elbow. When his lip lifted to show his teeth, Valkanon released his hold and stepped back.

“Do not think I’ll forgive you for the death of my family member just because you helped to free my people,” Aiden said. “Please, Elijah, I ask you—give me ten minutes with her! Let me convince Janelle to speak. My sister is a fool. She always was outspoken and reckless.”

Elijah tilted his head and smiled. If he played his cards right, she might not have to confess anything under the pain of torture. Aiden knew her, understood her past, and he had enough to go on to find out her connections. It would just be more difficult without her cooperation.

“Tell me about your sister, Aiden,” Elijah said. “I have learned much about your people, and this is the first I’ve learned that Hagmar had another child.”

“She—” Aiden began, then cut himself off to look over his shoulder at the rest of the warriors standing at ease but formed rank against the back wall.

Elijah looked to Aiden and then to the elves. He lifted his hand, dismissing them to take their leave. Whatever Aiden was about to share, the elf didn’t want the rest of his brigade to know about it.

As Valkanon backed up to follow them, Elijah said, “Not you, Valkanon. Stay.”

Valkanon stood silent with his arms at his sides again and lifted his chin, his hands hooked behind his back.

Aiden cleared his throat and ran a hand through his jet-black hair.

“After hiding the Kroneon on Crotona Island for the queen, my father died not knowing that my mother was pregnant. Janelle and I were almost eleven years apart, but we grew very close in the short time we were together. I helped to protect both her and my mother in her final days. That is, until Queen Cassia exiled me to live with the trolls. Janelle was furious with Cassia and my brigade advised her to retire to the Eastland Forest, more for her protection than the queen’s.When the queen finally did release me, Valkanon was able to inform me that Nelle had fled. This was before the war with the pirates, so he believed I would never be free of Cassia. Nelle would have escaped right after she turned fifteen.”

So that means she’s now twenty-one, Elijah silently reasoned. Old enough to be punished and I’ll not feel guilty about it.

Elijah considered what Aiden had said. She was still young; if she were a trained assassin, then brainwashing her as a naïve teenage girl to revolt against a king would have been the perfect time to start. Whoever was responsible for his assassination attempt, used Janelle as a weapon. There was no reason for Janelle to have a personal vendetta against him. He had no quarrel with the Newick witches or the elves. He had to show compassion to that young woman in his cell because she didn’t know any better. If she had, she had been led wrongly.

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