Page 5 of Of Skulls Of Shackles

I had demanded tithes from them recently to satisfy this yearning, but there was a need to challenge them too. “Maybe I am not in the mood for prices tonight.”

Unguis’s tongue lolled. “No prith?”

Huckery and Loup froze.

I hummed. “Perhaps not. Perhaps that is the price.”

“That is no price at all,” Huckery sneered. “A trick.”

Twelve pawns turned their hisses, glares and rumbles on him.

I smiled. “Are you not very uncomfortable? Do you expect to feel good about the tithes demanded? I expect this is the perfect price for what you have done, and not done.”

Loup sat back on his haunches, but Huckery’s yellowed gaze gained the calculation that I deeply respected. He was the most discerning of all my pawns, a near prince among them, as Princess Raise was a near king among princesses.

“I am very uncomfortable,” said Unguis.

Loup swung his great beastly head to look at his brother. “As am I. More uncomfortable than I have felt with this queen’s other punishments.”

Huckery watched me closely. He saw, but did not quite see, what I had done.

I had not given punishment for their silence, and that was the punishment. I had rubbed at their wounds, as he had once described my efforts to treat them well. How delightful that a simple change of phrase had altered his perception of me offering no punishment at all.

“This is the punishment I have chosen for your silence of the assassination attempt against your queen,” I declared, then said to all, “Now to your nightly tasks. You will deliver five letters for me.”

Fifteen groans.

Has Been muttered, “Not another royal dinner affair.”

I smirked, feeling the torsion of my stitched lips. “No, not another of those. They are letters to princesses.”

Toil’s eyes rolled up into his blob, then reappeared. “My princess is upstairs.”

“As is ours,” said Sign, tipping his head as if listening. “In your personal lounge.”

I rose. “Then you shall not need to venture far. Deliver your letters. They are a summons for princesses to attend a queen.”

A representative from each king approached to take their letter. Unguis padded over, and I set the letter between his fangs.

“You can summon our princess with a stitch,” Huckery muttered. “Why not do that?”

Now I had the bridal gifts of princesses, yes, I could do that. “Because I will give a monster respect while I receive it, and while I am not maddened with obsession—no matter that she is a princess of ruin—I will not tug her here and there. She shall receive a letter like others.”

“Our liege will wish to know if you intend to keep her a week.”

“Yes,” I answered. “I intend to make good on my demand of retribution for your king’s attack. Princess Change will remain in my queendom for one week from the time of her arrival.”

I might only have one chance to learn the rhyme and reason of King Change. I must do so before he fathomed how I had wormed the same information from other princesses. I could not say when I may need to wage war and reveal my knowledge, and so further delays were too risky.

Gangrel cleared his throat, having tucked the letter inside his billowing tunic. “My queen, our princess is as moonlight, pure and impossible in her fanged delightfulness, but she… uh, she… will resist.”

“I imagine. Can three pawns motivate a princess?”

The three taking pawns chimed, “No.”

The princess was likely embarrassed to be in my company after crotch nuzzling, but she also had trust issues to navigate with her king. When Princess Bring had slimed Princess Take to my queendom wall, I had learned King Take’s rhyme and reason. I knew how seriously his princess viewed the matter of trust, and why she had to.

I withheld a sigh. “You might assure the princess thatallprincesses will be in attendance. She would be foolish to remain apart from such a visit that could provide her king with information.”

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