Page 76 of The Last Wish of Bristol Keats
CHAPTER 55
Well, at least you’re not the last one here,” Madame Chastain announced. “Kasta and Melizan still haven’t arrived.”
Tyghan scanned the large round table. In addition to the officers and Eris, Esmee, and Olivia, there were unexpected guests—Lady Barrington and Lord Csorba. “Kasta’s not coming. I gave her urgent business to attend to. Melizan is probably on her way.”
He eyed Barrington and Csorba. “Look who’s here. But you couldn’t bother to show up when I urgently asked for a council vote.”
Lady Barrington offered a patronizing shake of her head. “Getting a unanimous council vote on such short notice is an impossible feat. You’re a young and unrealistic ruler, Your Majesty.”
“And yet, as Knight Commander, you put me in charge of sharp lethal objects.”
Lord Csorba scowled. “Warring and ruling are two different skills.”
“You may leave now,” Tyghan said, already done with their nonsense. “This meeting is for senior council members and officers only.”
“I told them,” Madame Chastain said, “but they refused to leave.”
“We won’t take up much of your time,” Lord Csorba said. “But we have urgent business too. We received a report that your charge is indeed fully bloodmarked.”
“That is privileged information.”
“As well we know,” Lady Barrington piped up, “and that is our point exactly. This information needs to be carefully guarded, but we’ve seen her freely flitting about the palace grounds. Considering her singular and vital role in our future, we find that to be unwise.”
“We think guards should be placed at her door,” Csorba continued, “and a collar to control her magic would be a prudent security measure.”
“She is an ally, not a prisoner.”
“She’s an asset. One too great to be careless with. She could provide us with advantages for centuries to come. And we do have to consider that she has certain loyalties to our enemies.”
Veins rose at Tyghan’s temples. “Get out,” he growled. “Get out before I rip out your tongues as an additional security measure.”
Lord Csorba jumped to his feet. “You will not be king much longer.”
“We know Cael is here,” Lady Barrington added as a warning. “He came to see us just a short while ago.”
Tyghan struggled to contain his fury without breaking any bones. “Guards!” he shouted. “Escort these council members to their quarters. They are not to seeanyoneuntil I give further orders. Not even a servant. And see that Reuben applies a collar to both of them. Gag and hood them in the meantime so they don’t disturb anyone.”
“What? Have you gone mad?” Lady Barrington yelled.
Lord Csorba raised a hand to summon magic, but Tyghan was faster, gathering a stream of bright energy into his hand that slammed the lord across the room, sending him tumbling to the floor. He rose to his feet, sputtering and disheveled. “You’ve gone too far this time!”
“You haven’t begun to see how far I will go to protect ourasset. You picked the wrong battle this time, Csorba.”
Everyone was stunned into silence as the guards escorted them out.
Quin finally broke the silence. “That was the best fucking thing I’ve seen all day.”
CHAPTER 56
Bristol came to a fork in the trail and was uncertain which way to go. She was making her way back from Reuben’s cottage after a fruitless attempt to see if he had learned anything from Willow. He hadn’t been there, but her burning desire for more information had subsided.I’m certain he’s safe. Maybe that was all she needed—someone to believe in the same thing she did, in the resourcefulness of her father. The wonder of Danu. Willow had shaken her belief, but Tyghan had strengthened it.
Now she headed for the dining pavilion. She had missed her midday meal and was starving. She had hoped to find a shortcut straight to Sun Court but then stopped, studying her unfamiliar surroundings. The palace had infinite pathways, and she had never traveled this one. But she could still see the spire of Sky Pavilion and used that as a beacon. One way or another, she would get there. She rounded a curve and came to a place she recognized. Judge’s Walk. She hadn’t passed through it since Cully first led her down the path.
She paused, talking stock of her surroundings. “Perfect,” she whispered, knowing the way from there, but inside she didn’t feel so perfect. She viewed the wide corridor more cautiously this time.The worst of the worst, Cully called them.By the time their sentence is over, they beg for death. She tried to recall where Pengary’s column was. He had given her a scare the last time she traveled this way. Cully had told her if you pressed an ear to the stone, you could hear the prisoner’s heartbeat. The silent ones were still empty. But Bristol had no intention of putting her ear to any column, so she would simply move quickly down the center of the walkway and hope she didn’t wake any of them. Thankfully, Cully said it was rare that they roused and pushed against their prison walls.
Partway across, she spotted a wine bottle near the base of a column. An offering for the condemned? But the bottle was empty. Someone had enjoyed it, but not anyone within the monoliths.They can see but never touch, smell but never taste. She couldn’t imagine the agony of that limbo existence, not unlike what Samuel went through as an unanchored shadow. He, like Liam, welcomed death when it was offered. She carefully stepped wide around the empty bottle, but then a terrible keening split the air. The scream of anguish quivered through her bones.Pengary, she assumed as she ducked to escape his giant muzzle and sharp teeth. But it wasn’t a dragon’s head straining toward her. She blinked, unable to move. It was a man. A man who looked like her father.
What was she seeing? Her head pounded.
