Total pages in book: 162
Estimated words: 165618 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 828(@200wpm)___ 662(@250wpm)___ 552(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 165618 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 828(@200wpm)___ 662(@250wpm)___ 552(@300wpm)
Dad summed it up succinctly. “History is full of cowards who fear progress.”
Too true.
“It’s also full of assholes who get off on amassing power, wielding it and doing shitty things with it, and even shittier things in order not to lose it,” I added.
“Sadly, this is correct,” Dad agreed.
He and I chatted for a bit. We made tentative plans for Tanyn and I to come for dinner before we returned to Sky’s Edge after the engagement party. And we rang off.
It was then I could finally give my full attention to the article I’d pulled up.
It read:
Official word released yesterday from Berg Castle, stated directly from King Tanyn himself, confirms he is courting Catla Truelock, of the Night’s Fall Truelocks.
He also reminded the citizens of Sky’s Edge, “The Demon Rift occurred 481 years ago. This was not a laudable time in Edgian history. But now is a good time to remind the beings of the Edge that the demons in those days were forced out of their homes and away from all they knew due to the tyrannical actions of a king. I believe we have all recently been reminded of how hopeless that feels. But as ever, we rise. We fight. We hope. And we work for better. In this instance, your future queen could be asked to leave her home and all she knows to be at my side, and to serve you. If it is to be Catla, I have no concerns she will earn your respect. In the meantime, I expect it.”
“Well, damn,” I whispered, feeling veritably gooey, and shocker: not minding it.
I read on.
This statement is surely in response to Sky Tales breaking the story that King Tanyn is courting the Fallian female.
The facts: Catla Truelock, 31, is the director of an art gallery in Nocturn, Tempera. She recently scored a showing of the venerated but reclusive artist, Terrinton’s latest works. She’s an honors graduate of Duepur University, majoring in art and art history. She’s the sole heiress to the famed Truelock fortune. And it has been confirmed by the Celestial Palace that she is in the inner circle of Laura, the True Bride…
It went on with tidbits about me, all true, all trivial, all positive.
What was not trivial was…
In the meantime, I expect it.
Damn, my male was a good male.
I nabbed my Palm and typed in, You and Mira didn’t let grass grow.
To which he didn’t wait to reply, You saw it?
It’s mega.
Pleased you approve. Then came, Can you lunch with me?
“Just try to keep me away,” I muttered to my Palm.
I can carve out the time.
He sent that small heart growing to the big one and exploding.
And I smiled.
I felt my hair brushed away from my neck.
Then I felt a kiss there.
My eyes fluttered open.
“Good morning, my love,” Tanyn whispered.
“Morning,” I mumbled.
“Go back to sleep,” he urged.
I felt his lips at my temple.
Vaguely.
Because I was already asleep.
Late morning, I was giving my cute snow boots another workout by standing in the half inch of snow covering the garden, and throwing a ball for Hurley, when I felt his approach.
Hurley abandoned me and raced to his daddy.
I just turned to his daddy.
“Hey,” I greeted.
When Tanyn arrived at me, he bent to take the ball from Hurley, threw it (a lot farther then I could), then rested his hand on my hip and angled in for a quick kiss.
“Hey,” he said when it was done.
“Taking a break from kingly duties?” I joked.
“In a manner,” he replied and bent again when Hurley returned with the ball. He sent it sailing and came back to me. “Mostly, we’ve heard from the chemists who were analyzing the results of the blood taken from our prisoners.”
Oh.
Good.
“And?”
“They feel the traces of what’s in that blood could conceivably counteract truth serum. I don’t know enough about this subject, but apparently, the authors of such things leave signatures. And this particular signature is of an apothecary who we can trace to line-item payments from the castle for services rendered to Tatra. He’s also, conveniently, disappeared. Went on ‘vacation’ the day after the troll attack, and he hasn’t returned. He is not at the resort where he said he’d be, and he’s also not answering any comms.”
“That doesn’t sound convenient at all,” I bitched, and then it was me who took the ball from Hurley and threw it. After I did that, I asked, “What about Arnaud?”
Tanyn actually smiled.
“What?” I pressed.
“When it was granted, he made a big stink about appealing the warrant to take his sample. It was a rude awakening that he wasn’t in Sky’s Edge anymore.”
It was known everywhere that the judicial system in the Edge was a quagmire. Appeals were rampant and the hearings for them granted for just about any reason a barrister could dream up. It took ages to get anything through the magisterial system in Sky’s Edge. Which was one of the reasons why it took years for them to grant the fact that Riland had illegally circumvented the Act of Succession to cut out Tanyn and finally declare Tanyn as rightful king.