Page 12 of Heart of the High King
Chapter 6
Rafferty might not be sculpted like his brothers, thanks to his love of food and his constant fighting with his dragon, but that didn’t stop him from trying to best them in every weapon they used to train. Pivoting to the left, he slashed his sword through the air, which earned him a smattering of curse words from Sullivan, who barely missed being cut. The loud clang of metal filled the air as their weapons hit, and the force of it had the muscles in his arm trembling, but he would not be deterred. With a quick spin, Rafferty managed to swing around and was quick enough to slice a thin line in Sullivan’s shirt before his brother could even react.
“Well done, Paunchy,” his father called out when he reached the area of the backyard they’d designated for their exercising.
“He’s ruining all my clothing,” Sullivan grumbled, tossing his blade aside.
Not one to mistreat his weapons, Rafferty slid his blade into its scabbard. “You get slow after an hour, Sully.” It was a salve for Sullivan’s ego; no one at Court Kestle was Rafferty’s match with his two-handed sword.
“Perhaps I didn’t eat enough donuts this morning. I swear you must’ve inhaled sixteen.”
“They were delicious.”
“You’ve not met a food you don’t like,” Charlton interjected. “You’re eating me out of house and home. I still can’t believe I had to waste money to buy you boys new coronets. Imagine those emperors demanding dukes still wear them. I had your old ones melted eons ago.”
“You can have mine back if you want. I don’t leave home much,” Rafferty offered.
“That tender heart of yours is going to be your downfall someday, Paunchy. The emperors gave me an order, and I can’t refute it. This Council is driving me mad.”
“I still can’t believe Kendrick took the first opportunity to fill out a sanctuary application,” Sullivan stated. “I was doing my best to be kind to him.”
“Imagine going to the dragon court Ethelin called cursed. The man calls himself a High King. What the devil is that?” Charlton asked.
“The emperors consider his court part of the royal family. D’Vaire is powerful and well-connected to many Council leaders,” Rafferty explained. His mission since his arrival was to read every book allowed in the house. If he was going to live somewhere, he wanted to know as much as he could about it, and it had finally given him a path to dull his pain. Although he would always love Molly, she’d been too wonderful a woman to want him to torment himself. For the past few months since Kendrick had left, Rafferty had worked hard to heal and had learned to accept that there was no way he’d ever get his questions surrounding her answered while his family tried their best to adjust to their new life.
“I don’t want to know these politics; they’re too complicated,” Charlton complained.
“It’s my job to learn everything. Just ask me questions, Your Highness.”
“Then why are you just now telling me how powerful D’Vaire is?”
Rafferty shrugged. “Because it doesn’t really matter. Kendrick’s there now, and he doesn’t talk to me. I don’t even think he got my new number before he left. We’re not really connected to D’Vaire.”
“You should’ve worked harder to be his friend, Paunchy. I have his number. We text every couple of days or so,” Sullivan said. “He’s met his mate and is very happy.”
Both Charlton and Rafferty wore matching looks of shock. “His mate?” Charlton demanded. “What is with you boys lately? I should always be kept informed of things, and instead I learn my sons—my own flesh and blood—are keeping secrets.”
“In this case, I thought to spare your feelings. The ceremony is today, and he doesn’t want any of us there.”
“We’re his damn family,” Charlton exploded. “All he’s got left in the world with his mother passing on and he doesn’t want us to be there when he ties himself for eternity to his mate?”
“He told me he considers the D’Vaires his family,” Sullivan supplied. “Court Kestle is his past.”
“Is this because the twins have gotten into trouble? Because I told those two to knock off their shenanigans. Only a couple of months here and I’ve already got the fallen knights breathing down my neck. I don’t like these strict rules keeping us from living the way we want, but I also can’t afford to keep paying their fines for those speeding tickets. Not to mention those restaurant bills those idiots think it’s funny to run out on. Do you know I got another dragon asking me to transfer out this morning?” Charlton asked, his voice forlorn. “I’m losing control around here, and now my youngest child considers me an embarrassment.”
“It’s the Consilium Veneficus’s fault that we find ourselves in this situation.”
“Don’t forget the roles Kings Ethelin and Varius have played in it, Sully,” Rafferty added. “They stopped doing business with us, and we had no money.”
“We’re not going to have it for much longer if Nollan and Neil keep it up.”
Charlton appeared pained. “I can’t discipline my children. They just want to do what they want. A few minor infractions never hurt anyone, but tell that to these fallen knights.”
“What we need is powerful friends to help us gain some standing in the Council,” Sullivan said. “Paunchy, who is at the top of the list?”
“Besides D’Vaire?”
“You mean, he’s number one?” Charlton asked.
