Page 106 of The Hive Queen

“Well, then, let’s not drag this out.” He lifts a hand in a beckoning motion. “Will the first petitioner step forward?”

Sharpe rises and walks over to stand in the center of the half-circle created by the table. “Thank you for hearing our petition today, esteemed Lords. I am Captain Gavin Sharpe of the Joint Task Force of Paranormal Investigations.”

“We know who you are, Captain Sharpe,” Lord Hoqi drawls. “What do you have to petition the demon court for that is so urgent that you could not go through our representative on the human plane?”

Sharpe straightens. “As you are aware, the Hive Queen escaped your prisons five years ago. She has now appeared in Clearhelm.”

“We know, Captain Sharpe,” the same demon says. “Did you come here just to tell us things that are already common knowledge?”

Sharpe’s shoulders square, and a hard glint fills his eyes. “It has come to our attention that you are in possession of one Darius of Fumontis, who is the last being to defeat this monster. We are petitioning for his release from Lord Talkis’s custody so that he can fight the Hive Queen once more.”

Lord Talkis stirs, the slick surface of his obsidian body sliding together with the sounds of a blade sliding over a wet stone. “Darius of Fumontis is an oath breaker. He will not be forgiven simply for your convenience.”

Sharpe’s tone remains calm. “It is not for convenience that I make this request. The Hive Queen is a monster capable of wiping out all living beings.”

“Which is why the court has already dispatched hunters to take her down,” Lord Hoqi says. “So, as you can see, we are already handling the situation.”

“You’ve had five years to handle the situation.” Sharpe’s hands curl into fists. “Now the court’s failure to recapture this creature has becomemyproblem, and I seek a swifter resolution to the issue.”

“The current hunter has been given two weeks to bring us the stinger of the Hive Queen,” Lord Talkis says. “Should the hunter fail, you may return to petition the court once more.”

Sharpe shakes his head. “Two weeks is too long—”

“It is decided.” Lord Hoqi raps his knuckles on the table. “Next!”

Sharpe’s shoulders slump, and he turns to stride back to the bench, sitting down.

I rise and give him a sympathetic smile as I pass on my way to the floor.

We expected his petition to be rejected, which is why he went first, but it still burns to be told to watch our people die for two more weeks while the court sits on their hands. Especially knowing that their hunter, Amalia, already failed.

I stop in front of the table, my feet planted shoulder’s width apart and my hands loose at my sides. “I, Merripen, daughter of Ralhad and Marius, come before the court to offer a bargain for the freedom of Darius of Fumontis. He will be absolved of all accusations of oath-breaking and be gifted the boon promised him for his unfailing service and loyalty during the Great War.”

A stir goes through the room, and murmurs rise behind me.

It’s more than I discussed asking for when I spoke about this with Lord Marius, but if I’m doing this, I want it all. There will be no loopholes for them to come for Darius again once we defeat the Hive Queen.

Lord Hoqi raps his knuckles against the table. “Quite in the courtroom!”

The murmurs fall silent.

Lord Hoqi studies me for a long moment before he turns to Lord Talkis. “What say you, Lord Talkis? You are the one Darius of Fumontis’s broke oath with.”

Lord Talkis lifts a dismissive finger. “As I already stated when Lord Marius made a similar, though less ambitious, petition last week, there is no amount of money that will absolve the debt Darius of Fumontis owes me.”

Surprised that my sire had already tried to free Darius and failed, I resist the urge to look back at him.

Instead, I turn to face Lord Talkis. “I did not come here to bargain with money.”

His head tilts to the side. “What else could you possibly have to bargain with that I would want?”

A slow smile spreads over my lips. “The demon citadel.”

“Excuse me?” one of the other demon lords breaks in. “Did you say the demon citadel?”

“Is that not enough?” I raise one eyebrow at the man. “Then I will offer the entirety of the demon plane.”

“That is not yours to offer.” He looks at the other demon lords. “You’re not even a member of the court. You stand before us only out of our respect for your sire.”

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