Page 17 of The King of Koraha
The King laughed. “I’m joking. Did you see her face, Najib?”
“That was uncalled for, sire,” he scolded.
“Oh, come on. She was already thinking something bad happened to the children. By the way, I’m insulted on behalf of all the kings that you would immediately think that.”
She slammed the cup down on the table. It broke, spilling tea. “I’d apologize, but the prior Water Prince and Heliacal Priestess of Zirdai had no trouble harming and killing children, sire.”
The humor in the King’s eyes died. “I’m sorry. The children are not harmed. In fact, it’s interesting that they all automatically hold their breaths when immersed. They’re quickly taken out of the water, dried off, and returned to their parents with a few extra coins in their pockets.”
Although relieved about the children, Shyla glared at the King. Safe and protected in his castle, he could make jokes while his people suffered. “You have your monks spying on all the cities. Why didn’t you do anything when they reported the atrocities in Zirdai? You’ve plenty of coins from taxes. Taxes that are supposed to improve everyone’s lives. Why not send your elite soldiers to help us?”
The King leaned back in his seat and rubbed a hand over his face. “I had no authority to do anything until the old king died. And even if I had broken the law, there are no more elite soldiers.” He exchanged a glance with Najib. “Plus, the taxes were stolen.”
Stunned, she gaped at him. That was…Shyla couldn’t find a word adequate enough for just how…horrible that revelation sounded.
“I think you should have led with the coins being stolen, sire,” Najib said. “It’s a bit confusing the other way.” The advisor turned to Shyla. “The elite soldiers left because we didn’t have any coins to pay them.”
“How…?” Shyla struggled to form a coherent sentence.
The King huffed and stabbed a finger at the guards in the room. “No one knows how the taxes disappeared.”
Shyla sensed their embarrassment and anger. “Why haven’t your guards left as well?”
The King’s ire melted and his shoulders slumped. “We sold most of the castle’s treasures to pay the ones who stayed.”
That explained the barren rooms. “When were the coins stolen?” Shyla asked. Was this what the King wanted to use her for? To find them?
“We think it was while the prior king was dying—he was in an unconscious state. I couldn’t assume leadership until he died so there was some confusion during that time.”
“How long was he incapacitated?”
“Eight hundred and ninety-one sun jumps.”
That was almost two and a half circuits! “Why didn’t the people of Koraha know their king was dying?” she demanded in a strident tone.
“Can you imagine what your previous Water Prince would have done if he’d known the King was unable to issue commands?”
Since she could well imagine the amount of people he would have killed to become the new king, her anger transformed into horror.
The King watched her expression closely. “And that’s also the reason there’s been no help for Zirdai or any of the other cities in need. And no official announcement of my accession. I don’t have the coins to send heralds or to travel to all the cities in Koraha.” His frustration was clear in every clipped word.
Shyla needed more tea to absorb all this information.
“Is this a good time to loop back to Shyla’s first question, Najib?”
“Give the woman a bit of a rest, sire. Let me get her a fresh cup of tea.” He cleaned up the broken pieces, sopped up the spilled liquid, and left.
Shyla tried to collect her thoughts. She had so many questions she didn’t know where to start. Anxiety and fear swirled in her stomach. Would the King insist she become his advisor since she’d woken The Eyes? He had the power to do it. No one dared disobey the King. Well, Shyla could run away and hide. The King didn’t have any coins to search for her. Except she’d constantly live in fear of being discovered. What kind of life was that? Not the one she hoped to have with Rendor.
Thinking about Rendor, she wondered what he was doing. Was he worried that she was taking too long? Was he already recruiting people to rescue her? Perhaps even fighting his way through all those levels until he reached the throne room? She sucked in a breath as an idea occurred to her.
“I know that sound. Do tell, Shyla.”
Shyla gestured at the gemstone mosaics. “Why don’t you sell these? Just one of them would be worth over a thousand coins.”
“I’ve considered it. However, they are all antiques, handed down from one king to the next. Each new king adds a piece to the collection.” The King took off his crown and rested it on the table. “It weighs a ton, but Najib suggested I wear it.” He ran his slender fingers through his thick curly hair. “I’d hate to lose a piece of our history, but I’ll do it if I must. Of course it would have to be done carefully, just like the sale of the other treasures. I’m sure you’ve already figured out that the theft of the coins needs to be kept a secret. If the other Water Princes and Princesses find out, someone will try to take the crown from me.”
Najib returned with another cup and a fresh pot of tea. “This blend will calm the nerves,” he said.
