Dragon Kin

36

Alicja

Ocean looked ... healthy, and at ease. But then he always looked that way.

I hadn't pictured him appearing well, when this moment arrived. I thought a hint of trepidation, but there was nothing of the sort. He almost felt ... amused. Or perhaps simply in a good mood.

I was sitting to the right of Victor, and Uncle Max was in a chair to the left. We were on a love seat of sorts, I was feeling feline and resting against him. Looking up, I saw that Victor was perplexed with Ocean as well.

"You rang, sir?" Ocean asked.

"Yes, I'm having just a moment if you please," Victor said slowly. And then he adjusted himself and met Ocean's demeanor with a confidence of his own. "You are the one who really killed my father."

"A fact I've taken great effort in hiding from you sir," he said with a nod, and slight bow of agreement.

"Yes,..." Victor said, stumbling a bit, "I acknowledge your efforts."

Now Ocean did bow his head, "I thank you sir."

"You are concerned I found out?" Victor asked.

"Well, of course," Ocean answered, "If I may be so bold it was the only step I screwed up on. Everything else has been to the letter."

"I'm not sure I follow..." Victor said.

"It was part of the order, that you should not discover the truth of action, sire. I was told to arrange it so that you wouldn't have suspicions toward me or start a war of any sort. Those were terms, which were stressed several times by the king and by your Uncle. Obviously, I have screwed the pooch as they say, and failed in that regard."

Who says that? What kind of people say things like that? I asked myself.

"Myself," Ocean continued, "because I'm your protector and you might object to my service if you knew the truth of the matter — and we didn't think you being newly made king and going to war in the same month would be good for the country."

"Thought I might object? Ocean you killed my father," Victor said with deep exasperation.

"Yes, sir. I thought we had established that," Ocean said, his head lowering his eyes searching the floor and then suddenly he bellowed in a roar of pain, "You think it didn't hurt!"

The pain in that cry was deep and damaging. Pictures fell off the wall. The doors burst open and guards poured into the room. Ocean stood straight and lowered his eyes, "My apologies, sir. I let that slip too far." Now his voice was calm, quiet, almost humble.

"We're alright, thank you. Please give us the room," Victor said, to the guards. He was rather calm, I felt. He was just telling me how powerful Ocean was. Was he relying on me to keep him secure?

"So you have regrets," Victor said.

"Regrets? No sir. I don't regret a thing except perhaps the failure to keep you from this grizzly mess," Ocean said.

Victor glanced at Max, "Uncle, where did you and my father... where did you seek Ocean out?"

Uncle Max cleared his throat and sat up, "In the demon dimension, sire."

"I think I knew that much, thank you. And you came willingly Ocean?"

"As willing as the tormented can be, sire."

"So you made a pact with my father, yes?" he continued.

"A pact? I suppose that's what it was, yes. I never thought of it in those terms, but yes."