Page 37 of The Rebel and the Rose
Sera’s eyes widened. Had Ransom lost his mind, speaking that way to the most powerful man in—
King Bertrand chuckled. The ripples of it raised the hairs on her arms, but his amusement seemed to set everyone else in the room at ease. Even one of his stern-faced advisers cracked a smile. Still smarting, the brawling soldiers resumed their spots against the walls. The king looked them over. ‘Next time, I’ll set some house rules for my prized Daggers. I suppose you’ll tell me they deserved it, Hale.’
‘Yes, Your Majesty,’ he said coldly.
The king gave Sera a once-over. ‘Did the girl run into your fist too, Ransom?’
That muscle in his jaw ticked. ‘The handiwork of your soldiers.’
The king’s eyes flashed with intrigue. He sat back in his chair, glancing between them. ‘I see.’
Sera took his utter lack of surprise at her injuries to mean he had likely ordered his soldiers to rough them up – or at the very least, didn’t tell themnotto – which meant he was exactly the careless asshole she figured he was. Perhaps he deserved his own brewing rebellion.
By the murderous look on Theo’s face, she guessed he was thinking the same.
They were in dangerous territory now. They would have to tread carefully, keep the mutinous expressions from their faces, and bite their tongues until they figured out what the hell was going on here.
Returning his attention to Ransom, the king said, ‘If only Dufort could see you now. What a beast he has raised.Brawling at the Summer Palace against the king’s own guards. Arrogant and unrepentant to the last. I expect he would be pleased with his successor.’
Despite the roaring fire, the temperature in the room plummeted.
Sera shuddered.
Ransom swallowed.
The king clicked his fingers, summoning refreshments, before turning his beady eyes on Theo. ‘Here sits Cordelia Mercure’s prized Shadowsmith,’ he said, stroking his beard. ‘No longer a student of Shade but ofLightfire, it seems… Tell me, Mr Branch, or should I sayVersini, was House Armand not exciting enough for you? Or are you often led astray by pretty little creatures?’
Sera fought the urge to gag. This man might well be King of Valterre but he was singularly revolting.
Theo kept his voice even. ‘I am merely a student of innovation, Your Majesty.’
The king hmm’d. ‘Just like yourillustriousancestors.’
Behind him, his quartet whispered furiously to one another.
Theo bristled, his lips pressed together so tightly, they lost their colour. Sera squeezed his knee under the table – three quick pulses:Keep it together.
Presently, a servant arrived with a tray full of wine goblets and a platter of cured meats, fresh bread rolls and grapes, and more kinds of cheese than Sera had ever seen before.
She knew she must be hungry since she couldn’t remember the last time she ate, but as the king took a deep swig from his goblet, her stomach twisted at the blood-red wine dribblingdown his beard. Shoving a wedge of mottled blue cheese into his mouth, he twisted in his seat, settling the fullness of his attention on her.
She hated how his eyes roamed, his tongue darting out to wet his stained lips. ‘Seraphine Marchant.’ He tipped his goblet at her. ‘At last, we meet.’
She could speak. Now it was Theo’s turn to squeeze her knee.
She offered a demure smile. ‘I didn’t realize we were overdue, Your Majesty.’
‘Well, you have been busy, according to my spies.’
‘Spring is an industrious time,’ she said, coolly. ‘Just look at how busy the birds are.’
She felt his advisers’ attentions sharpen, their mirrored frowns making them look eerily similar. The room had fallen deathly quiet now, the Daggers watching their exchange like a trio of hawks.
The king took another languid sup of wine. ‘For months now, I’ve longed to meet the firebrand who saved my capital from ruin…’
There was a hardness in his eyes that belied his words. A challenge was brewing there, as though in doing something about it, she had overstepped her mark. Made him look bad.
‘As I understand it, you managed to rid our hideous plague of sewer monsters with your innovative jars of Lightfire… Or so you have been telling people.’ The king cast a knowing glance towards his nearest adviser, a pale elderly man with a long silver beard.
