Page 49 of Splintered Shadow
Just as well. It would not do to sit through the ordeal of a formal dinner while hard.
Dinner was held in the banquet room, a cavernous room that stretched for ages. As hatchlings, Baris and Vekele raced down the length on hovering boards. When the steward caught them, they were reprimanded for nearly damaging antique furniture and banished to the gardens.
Tonight, two long tables stretched the length of the banquet room. Baris sat at the head table, raised slightly on a platform. Chemical lingered from the fresh paint on the cream-colored walls. Gold shimmered on the wood trim. Crystal light fixtures. Deep red carpeting over stone floors.
The banquet hall was very different from the neglected room Vekele remembered. Money had been poured into renovating the banquet hall for the sole purpose of announcing that Baris had enough wealth and power to squander his fortune on elaborate meals and murals painted on the ceiling that no one would notice.
Visiting nobility and dignitaries, all invited to the palace for the treaty negotiations and the wedding, filled the space. Half the guests had their karu with them, perched on the back of specially designed chairs. Vekele recognized some faces. He had fought alongside some and clashed against others. One particular male glared at Vekele, obviously still upset about the ear that he lost to Vekele’s blade.
Sarah’s head swiveled back and forth, taking it all in. Ghost trotted at her side.
Alarm at the void beast rippled through the crowd, followed by whispers about Sarah’s deformity.
“Is it tame? Will it attack us?”
“How dare they let that beast in here?”
“What happened to her?”
“The poor thing.”
How dare they mock and pity his mate? His shoulder blades itched, his wings ready to unfurl in a massive display and remind them exactly who he was. Pitch echoed his sentiments.
Sarah’s hand tightened on his arm. “Ignore them,” she said.
They approached the head table. Baris sat at the center. His betrothed, Joie Starshade, sat to his right. Corde Starshade, her father, sat on the other side of the king. Councilor Raelle and other members of the Starshade family were also at the table.
Two empty seats waited for Sarah and himself.
Baris lounged in the chair, an arm dangling casually over its back. “What have you brought me, brother?”
The room fell quiet.
“I present Sarah Krasinski of Earth,” Vekele said, his voice loud enough to carry through the hall. His words were overly formal, but they suited the situation. “I would ask the crown for permission to make her my mate.”
The hall fell into stunned silence.
“Your mate? Explain.” Baris leaned forward, intrigued.
Sarah stepped forward, Ghost right at her side. The void beast moved toward the king, tail wavering in a disturbing display as it moved in and out of shadows.
The guards at the wall tensed.
Sarah held out a hand, calling Ghost back. For a moment, the beast looked confused and very, very young. He recognized Baris and the karu and wanted to play.
“Not now. We talked about this, remember?” Sarah said in a placid tone. She rested a hand on Ghost’s head. His tongue lolled out one side, a perfectly happy little beast.
The whispers started immediately.
“She tamed it!”
“I thought it was going to tear out the king’s throat. I heard it growl.”
Baris raised a hand to silence the hall. “Enough,” he said, his voice rising above the din. He turned his attention to Sarah. “I do not recognize your name. What are you?”
“I’m human,” she answered, projecting her voice to carry. “I was transported here accidentally. I landed at a place called Miria. Prince Vekele found me and has graciously allowed me to stay in his home these last two weeks.”
Vekele glowed with pride at the way she commanded the crowd’s attention. She delivered the practiced lines with natural ease, like a born performer. During the flight, they rehearsed the speech Vekele needed to deliver. It had not helped. Vekele was no actor. It was decided to let Sarah speak for herself.
