Ten of Swords (Draft Only)

Chapter 29

Dinner was uncomfortable. Since Elise insisted on learning more about the castle and its inhabitants, she had dinner in the hall with the King's other guests. Aside from her, Rell had been the only other person from their group to eat in the hall. She introduced herself to the court mage and presumably began pestering them about what life as like as the royal mage.

There were several distinct groups, typically consisting of nobility and politicians. Anyone who was an employee blow a certain rank was not permitted to mingle with the guests in the dining hall. King Hereskel sat at a long table which was positioned at the far end of the dining room, eating, drinking and laughing with what was presumably his wife and consorts. It was disgusting, seeing him surrounded by beautiful women who doted on him and fluttered their eyelashes, vying for his favour in hopes of greater privilege and fortune. Grimly, she noted that they all had a few features in common that Alena had shared. Fine, delicate features. Vibrant eyes and dark, glossy hair. Each woman was a living precious gem. Aside from the queen, they were all around the same age as Alena had been when Elise had known her. He must have retired and replaced them when they got too old. Either this was his type, and Alena had simply fit in, or perhaps he never got over her. She was, after all, the only woman to ever give him a child. If he was telling the truth, that was.

Interrupting her thoughts, a young man crossed over from one of the other tables and sat himself next to Elise with a grunt. "Are you the new spymaster?" He inquired.

None too pleased with the company, but wary not to cause a scene, she opted not to tell the stranger to bugger off. "I don't know what you are talking about."

"It's alright," he leaned in, lowering his voice and extending a hand. "Lord Wael Aarle. I apprenticed with the former spymaster."

"I'm not yet at liberty to share my identity," Elise responded curtly. Since the king wanted to make sure they all had sufficient titles so that they didn't stick out too much, it was true. If she just shared her first name and not a title and valid family name, then it would be more suspicious than saying nothing.

The young man retracted his hand and laughed. "Now I am not so sure about spymaster, but certainly a spy. Only a poor spy sits alone in a royal dining hall without a sufficient cover story. The question is if you are an infiltrator or work for the king."

Already annoyed by the boy's smug attitude and presumptions, it was taking a great deal of self-control to act polite. "Neither. I am here as a guest of his highness against my will."

Clearly Lord Wael took that as a joke because he began to laugh with genuine amusement. Elise started to eat faster, so she could get out of there as soon as possible without insulting anyone. She was certain the young lord would have an ego sensitive enough that should anyone dare not want to be around him it would be perceived as a great offense.

"What is it that you are looking for in this hall, Miss Elise?"

She froze. Her distaste and low opinion of nobles had made her switch her brain off. Of course. If he had been the apprentice for the former spymaster, then a lot of the information that was passed on to the king must have passed through him as well. He was young and arrogant, but perhaps not as stupid as she often assumed the nobility to be. It was a good question. She didn't entirely know herself. Everything had just been spiralling out of control ever since Corden first tried to get her killed. Every day she felt more and more hopeless. Earlier that day, she had just become another plaything for the foul king Hereskel to play with.

She wanted control. To stop having to question everything and be subject to the whims of others. Even just the slightest semblance of the control she used to have, when not so long ago she commanded the agents of the rebellion. They had gone where she told them, gave her the information she told them to get, and moved as she willed. It wasn't much power in the grand scheme of things, but it wasn't power that she was after. All she wanted was some measure of certainty. Without information, everything was unpredictable, but if she just knew a little more then maybe, just maybe, she could finally see what was beyond the horizon.