Page 141 of The King is Dead
“There is nothing to be gained in this line of discussion,” I snapped, glaring at my brothers, leaving Yilan to quell her men. “We are all here, safe, and unharmed.”Mostly.Yilan still had a tender spot on her skull that made my skin itch whenever I thought of it. “Our goal today is to learn each other, to find where our goals align, and to make plans to helpbothour peoples. Are any of you man enough to set your pride aside and fight forpeace?We all want the same thing here. But we can only achieve it together,” I muttered.
Jann’s lips thinned, but he didn’t say anything else. The Shadekin stayed quiet too, and a part of my stomach dropped.
I thought we had enough maturity and experience at this table to push aside prejudice and animosity and work for peace. But if they weren’t willing to eventalkto each other civilly—
“I’m man enough,” Diadre said with a wry twist to her lips.
Fucking Jann turned to look at her and huffed. “I don’t think that word means what you think it means.”
She gave him a very unimpressed look, then addressed the rest of the table. “My name is Diadre. I am a Captain in our ranks, and a close companion to our Queen. My brother Jhonas, here, was her trainer and Defender when she was young, so we were brought together at an early age. I have always admired the strength of the Nephilim and what I’ve seen of our, er, King gives me hope that there is more heart among you than I was led to believe. I see a future in which I will fight alongside you as an ally, rather than an adversary. I hope.”
“AfemaleCaptain?” Jann said with a heated smile.
“Just Captain is fine,” Diadre shot back. “Female or not.”
“Fine, indeed,” Jann replied, unperturbed. “If it’s an alliance you’re looking for, rest assured, we’re not just strong, butheavilyarmed. I’m very skilled with my spear if you’d like a demonstration.”
I rolled my eyes and opened my mouth to tell him to shut the fuck up, but Diadre beat me to it.
“In my experience, men who brag about theirweaponsgenerally don’t have a clue how to use them properly. So…no, thank you.”
Yilan coughed as Jann’s eyes narrowed.
But then Diadre added insult to injury when she patted his shoulder with a patronizing smile. “Don’t be discouraged. I’m sure there’s a woman out there somewhere who’d be very impressed by your spear.”
I cleared my throat and spoke up quickly before Jann demonstrated his formidable skill in verbal sparring. He’d been taken off guard coming up against a woman who didn’t fall to his charm immediately, but he could bebrutalwhen he stopped using it. I didn’t want to see the two of them come to blows. “I have two spears, if anyone was wondering—”
Yilan choked on the drink she’d just taken to hide her smile, then had to spend a few seconds clearing her throat.
“—but we already know everyone at this table is an asset in a fight. What we need today are your minds. My mate and Queen has a proposal. A clever plan to assist me in taking the Nephilim crown as my brothers hoped. What we need is for you all to pick it apart,look for the holes and risks. And form a strategy for how to ensure our peoples remain separate while they see each other as enemies, until Yilan and I can lay claim tobothnations and confer peace.”
That sobered them all, though I caught Jann shooting dark looks at Diadre to his left.
“Now, if you would all focus and introduce yourselves so the others can appreciate why we trust you and what brought you here, then perhaps we can start focusing on the task at hand?”
There was a rush of admiration and approval through the bond from my mate, but I kept my eyes on Jann, urging him to put his pride aside and show himself to be the loyal and intelligent man I knew him to be.
I sighed with relief when he muttered a curse under his breath, then introduced himself—keeping his eyes forward and addressing the table, rather than Diadre, thank God.
“I am Jannus the Halfling,” he said flatly. “The rumors of my blood heritage are true, the myths are not. I was raised through the ranks with Melek and we have fought side by side for decades. I came here to bring him back to our people if he was alive, and to avenge his death if he was not. He is the true and rightful ruler of the Nephilim, and I will apply every ounce of my influence and skill to place him on the throne. If you recognize his strength and integrity and crown him your King also, you’re smarter than I thought.”
I was touched, but winced at the implied insult at the end. But to my relief, Jhonas spoke up next, reiterating what his sister had told the table. Then Hever introduced himself in his crumbling rot of a voice.
Then, one by one, each of the remaining men did the same. At the end, they all eyed each other, still wary, but with begrudging respect.
“As you can see, there’s no one here who has not earned their place at this table,” I said quickly, before anyone got itchy and took a cheap shot. “So… Yilan, I think it’s time to explain your proposal so we can brainstorm the best and safest way forward…”
“…We understood it would require her presence among the Nephilim, but what you describe is returning her as a Prisoner of War!” Turo growled, his fist clenched on the table.
“It was my idea, Turo,” Yilan sighed. “And while I wouldappearto be a Prisoner, that’s only to ensure no one among the Nephilim is distracted from Melek’s run for the crown—and to give us both cover as I assist him in the shadows. In their eyes, my presence would be proof of his strength and cunning—which makes themlesslikely to challenge him, while in the cover of night, I will be hunting and removing threats, not putting myself in their hands.”
“Youhope,”Jhonas argued, though more calmly than Turo had. “Your Majesty, what you’re describing involves a great deal of risk—to both of you. If your subterfuge was found out, it would undermine Melek in their eyes, and my understanding is that the Nephilim’s response to that kind of trickery would be swift and brutal.”
When he met my eyes with the question there, I nodded reluctantly. “It’s true—but don’t forget that your Queen and I have already successfully deceived my people in this way in the past.”
“Barely!” Turo insisted. “We were fleeing at the end.”
“I was not,” I reminded him sharply. “Though I do take your point.”
