Page 11 of King Elijah (The Zemiran Chronicles 2)

“This is what I’ve decided, Aiden, given what you have told me,” Elijah said, running his hand down his face. He moved his neck from side to side to ease the tension that had built up. He still felt exhausted, and the stress of the day had only drained him more. “If you go against my will, you will no longer be allowed to cross my palace walls. Do you understand?”

Elijah’s last question was delivered kindly and carefully; the words of a king in the presence of a friend. Aiden nodded but kept his hand on his sword in the sheath. Elijah assumed that Aiden was ready to fight for his sister’s freedom if he gave the wrong answer.

“I will show mercy to Janelle and grant her freedom from sitting in her own filth inside my dungeon. But she’ll not be allowed to leave my palace gates. She will remain here until I find the answers as to why she tried to kill me and why she had a Newick gem. Most likely, your sister stole that gem to use against me. I need to find out why. You can help this process by cooperating and assisting me in finding these answers. The sooner I know, the sooner I can release her to your care.”

Aiden nodded and though the Elven warrior had always been loyal and brave, there was genuine fear in his eyes. A fear that made him feel uneasy.

“And what of Nell—Janelle?” Aiden asked. “Where will she sleep?”

Elijah leaned back in his chair and tapped his fingers rhythmically against the wooden tabletop.

“Aiden, would you like to stay here at the palace and ensure I don’t kill her?” Elijah asked with a slight smirk on his lips. He realized he was stepping on dangerous ground—Aiden would most likely slit his throat while he slept.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Elijah nodded. “Very well,” he said. “Janelle will sleep in my mother’s old garden room a few doors from mine and you and Valkanon will sleep in the two apartments near the ballroom.” The king stood and placed his own hand on the sword at his hip. “I have many eyes on this kingdom, Aiden. There are still many here who hate your kind, so listen carefully. You are, under no circumstances, to see your sister unless I grant you permission. You will continue to serve my guard until I find enough soldiers to replace the guards from the gate . . . the ones your sister slaughtered three nights ago, may I remind you.” Elijah gritted his teeth.

Aiden blinked. “Of course,” he said. “Thank you, King Elijah.”

Aiden bowed his head and exited the royal hall with Valkanon, joining his brigade in the hallway. Elijah turned to Liam as he came back into the room.

“Her name is Janelle,” he told Liam. “You are to bring her to the Garden Room. Have the ladies-in-waiting run a bath and clean her. Then, she is to wear the pretty red dress hanging in the far back closet that once belonged to one of my father’s mistresses. I expect her back in the dining hall for supper at six.”

“You—” Liam started and looked around the empty room as if he were looking for something or someone. “Sir, you want to have the staff bathe her, dress her, and have her dine with you? The woman who tried to kill you?This seems reckless.”

A wide smile grew on Elijah’s lips. “I need to gain Janelle’s trust, Liam. She is still a prisoner, but we will not treat her like an animal in my kingdom. I haven’t forgotten what she has done, though. Trust me on that.”

“Yes, sir. As you wish,” Liam said and rushed out of the room.

Elijah strolled across the hall and over to the window that faced the city.

The townsfolk below the hill the castle sat on bustled about, moving through the thick snow and sheets of ice. Now dormant, the once blossomed trees faded to almost nothing as the winter cold approached. Vast quantities of slick ice covered the sea like glass, making it nearly impossible to sail through, but the city didn’t stop. They didn’t hide away in the winter months. Their kingdom had been without magic—without beauty—for twenty years. Even though the cold chill of short days and long nights had come, they would press forward. All would readily survive it, knowing it could be so much worse.

Elijah turned back to the ballroom, slowly placing his arms in his thick wool coat. He wrapped it tightly around his waist before taking a seat on his brass throne. The former Prince Elijah, sworn to never be like his father, had decisions to make that his kingdom could not understand. Now, as the king, he knew they questioned if history would repeat itself. He was determined to prove to them it wouldn’t.

That alluring yet infuriating Elven assassin would need to be broken piece by piece until she gave up the rest of her secrets.

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