A Soul For Trouble

Chapter 24

Kell watched Arden disappear into the palace, the wolf tight on her heels. He had to suppress a grin when the first squeal of terror echoed down the stairs. The servants might have a difficult time adjusting to Cinder's presence.

Therrin cocked his head to the side. "Is that a fire wolf?"

His brother's question pulled Kell away from his thoughts of Arden. "A what?"

"A fire wolf. I've read about them, but I thought they were just a myth."

Gandor rubbed his nose in disgust. "It's a smelly beast, and I'll have it destroyed with the other two as soon as Father gives the order."

"Not if I have anything to say about it." Kell shoved past his older brother and proceeded straight to his father's chambers in the west wing. It mattered who whispered in the King's ear first, and he wanted to make sure it was him.

He didn't bother knocking when he came to the inner chamber doors. One nice perk about being a prince. And, if his father's treatment of him was any indication, he was also the favorite son.

"Did you bring me Sulaino's head?" Heodis asked without looking up from his papers. His large body matched his desk—massive, regal, and imposing. The grey in his hair and beard did little to diminish his bearing.

"Unfortunately, no. Something else came up, but I think you'll be happy to hear I have a better plan for stopping the necromancer."

By this time, his brothers had entered the room. Therrin discreetly closed the doors behind them while Gandor lounged in a plush leather chair.

Heodis lifted his head. "Speak, before I get more wrinkles."

Kell grinned. As gruff as Father tried to sound, he knew he had his respect. He described his battle with Sulaino's undead and how Arden stopped them, making sure he spared no detail over the depth of her power. "I never realized how much we needed her help until I almost lost my head that night."

A scowl darkened his eldest brother's face. "She still used magic in the realm. The witch should burn in accordance with the law."

"So you think one minor violation of the law negates all the lives she saved that night and her potential to save even more lives?"

"The law is the law." Gandor held his gaze. "If we bend it now, we'll have all sorts of witches coming out of the woodwork and wrecking havoc."

"Might I get a word in?" Therrin stopped pacing in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows and rubbed his chin. "There's more to this than just dealing with a witch who reportedly has powers strong enough to defeat the necromancer by herself. What about the other prisoner? He claims to be a representative from Empress Marist."

Heodis leaned back in his chair. "An interesting twist to your story, Kell. When were you going to tell me about him?"

He didn't miss the triumphant gleam in Gandor's eyes. "I was coming to that. Her companion is an elf who calls himself Sir Devarius and claims to be a knight of Gravaria."

"An elf?" Therrin practically hopped up and down like an eager child. "I haven't seen one of those since—"

"Since the last so-called diplomatic envoy," Gandor finished. "You remember how well that went, don't you, Father?"

The king's face hardened, but he said nothing.

"This isn't a diplomatic envoy this time. Dev told me he came here to retrieve someone who had escaped from Gravaria. Unfortunately, this person was killed before he could capture him."