Page 30 of Royal Alien Mate

“Very well,” Vaath said, taking five steps away. “I’ll be right here if you need me, my sunshine.”

Vaath faced Jav and motioned for the male to speak.

“We found the secret anti-Earther compound shortly before the attack on you,” Jav said. “We found recordings of communications in their stronghold. Not only have they been in direct contact with your father and ten of his advisors, but your father has financed and directed their operation from the start. I am sorry, old friend. I know this must be shocking to learn, but the King of Mars is behind the anti-Earther movement.”

Chapter 22

Vaath felt murderous.

He stood before his father in the banquet hall, seething with fury. But he didn’t allow his mood to show. He forced himself to remain outwardly calm, so as to not give his father any idea of what he was about to do.

A glance around the hall showed all the palace guards stationed at their usual spots. Some were on duty, while others were seated at tables, dining with their friends and their mates. By all appearances, nothing was amiss in the hall, but an undeniable tension filled the air. Vaath turned to stare at the king’s advisors, the fourteen males that made up the royal council. Ten of them were guilty and as good as dead. He made a point of pausing to look into each guilty man’s eyes for one moment too long as if to say, “I know what you did and I will make you suffer for your sins.”

“I am glad to see you unharmed, my son,” King Verruik said. “How is your mate? Why has she not joined us? Surely, our skilled doctors could have mended her wounds by now.” He smiled, though the grin didn’t reach his eyes, lending the king a sinister appearance.

“My mate is well. She is in a safe location, resting.” Vaath stood tall and glared at his father, summoning the memory of his grandfather.

May I be as brave as the former King of Marttiaxoxalia, the one whose departing spirit made the ground shake as his soul joined the stars above.

“Why have you requested a formal audience with me during the dinner hour?” the king asked. “Certainly, whatever it is you wish to discuss with me, could be talked about in private.” He laughed, as if trying to make a joke, and Vaath noticed him shifting around in his chair. He was nervous. Good. He ought to be terrified.

Vaath pressed a button on his wrist comm, causing a screen to ascend from the ceiling. Immediately, a video of King Verruik ordering thedrakksto murder Akiddah and his mail order bride began playing. Vaath turned the volume up loud enough that even those standing in nearby corridors would hear the king’s treacherous conversation. Once the video ended, the banquet hall erupted into shouts. Akiddah had been a well-liked tailor and he’d fitted most of the guards in their uniforms. Almost everyone in the room had at least met him before, though many had known him on a more personal level.

Raising his hand in the air, Vaath turned in a circle as he looked at those seated around him. The banquet hall soon quieted and he turned to face the royal council. “Some of you are guilty, as well.” He pointed at the royal advisors whose innocence Jav had already proven. “The four of you are loyal to Marttiaxoxalian interests, however.”

The four advisors cast angry looks at the secretdrakksamong them, then departed the table to stand behind an approaching group of guards led by Rem.

“Guards!” the king shouted. “I order you to seize my son and take him to the dungeons.”

Not a single guard made a move to imprison Vaath.

Chuckling, he looked at King Verruik. “It would appear you don’t inspire loyalty, Father.” He paused, considering his next words, words that would change the future of the Marttiaxoxalian Empire forever. “I formally challenge these ten members of the royal council tovoogg,” he roared, much to the approval of everyone in the banquet hall. He waited for the cheers to settle before he continued. “I also challenge you, King Verruik of Mars, tovoogg. If you are too afraid to fight me, I will allow you to choose banishment from the Marttiaxoxalian Empire.”

King Verruik jumped to his feet, his face turning a darker shade of blue than normal. “I-I am the king!” he shouted. “You cannot do this. Humans killed your mother. Have you forgotten so easily? Settling in this solar system was a grave mistake, one which I intend to rectify. Humans are a scourge! Even if it means our numbers will be fewer, we ought not to taint our bloodlines! Guards, seize him! I command it!”

Once again, the palace guards and the Vash’arr ignored him. Some even openly laughed. It was a wonder the Marttiaxoxalian Empire hadn’t collapsed under King Verruik’s leadership. Vaath vowed that when he was king, he would do better. He would lead by example and inspire men to follow him, just like his grandfather.

“Guards, please escort thedrakks,” Vaath said, nodding at the ten guilty council members, “to the Judgment Arena. My father, too. The fighting will commence at dawn, as the Gods require judgment to take place during the daylight hours.”

* * *

“What isvoogg?”Esmay asked, worry evident in her tone. She sat up against the pillows on the medical bed, her golden locks spilling over her shoulders with the movement.

He touched her hair. “You look radiant, my sweet bride,” he said, distracted by her beauty. “I am glad you are feeling better.”

“Vaath, I’m fine. Good as new, thanks to the doctor. He even gave me my first vitamin infusion and nanotechnology treatment.” She glanced around the secret cavern. “I’m only still in this bed because it’s cold down here. Now,” she said, pausing to take a deep breath, “tell me. What isvoogg?”

“It is judgment.”

“Okay, so your father and the ten royal advisors will be taken to court to see a judge?”

“Not quite.” He cupped the side of her face and trailed his fingertips over her soft cheek. “Vooggis a fight to the death. The Gods will punish the guilty party, which means the advisors will die at my hand. If my father opts to fight me instead of banishment, then he will also die at my hand.”

Her eyes widened. “You’re going to fight eleven big Martians, one by one, at dawn in some big arena deep within the capital city?”

“You need not worry, my sunshine, for I will be victorious. The guilty always die.”

“The guilty always die? Are you sure? I-I’m not trying to contradict you, but I don’t believe in the same gods as you, Vaath. I’m sorry, but I don’t, and I can’t help but worry for your wellbeing. Something could go wrong. You might become tired after fighting so many Martians back to back and then—”

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