Page 12 of His Realm

Everything was coming into focus. “But if I go and he kills me, then Varic would be within his rights to kill his uncle.”

“He would never hurt you,” Eris promised. “He’d have to be insane.”

“Yes,” Zev agreed. “Varic has made his heart known on the subject of you to all in the realm. Even Decimus has received some sort of missive regarding his consort. And while Decimus may not fear the wrath of the king, that of the prince is another matter.”

I knew why. Varic was beloved, and would be followed on whatever path he chose. The king would not. In the world of the Noreia, there was no vampyr more powerful than Varic Maedoc.

Quiet for a moment, I turned to Zev. “Do we think the king would send me into the lion’s den to eventually draw Varic there to be rid of his uncle, and his realm, once and for all? Because if Varic ends whatever is happening there, then the king won’t be responsible?”

Zev crossed his arms.

“You really think the king is that devious?”

Zev squinted at me. “Are you kidding? Of course he’s that devious, and now he has the perfect reason for you traveling there that no one, even Varic, could argue with.”

“It’s good that it’s only us here.” Brenna sighed. “If anyone else in the palace heard us, we’d all be crucified for disloyalty.”

Zev grinned at her. “Lucky it’s just us idiots, then.”

“I really was looking forward to my vacation,” I murmured, knowing I was going to Greenland instead.

“Yes,” Brenna said acerbically, her eyes narrowing. “And it was humorous that you thought, even with the king granting you permission to take only Zev and Dae-Jung, that the four of us weren’t going as well.”

“I was merely thinking of you all because you would have been bored out of your minds in New Orleans doing nothing.”

“I like doing nothing, and people-watching is always fun,” she countered. “But really, none of us, including you, are going anywhere but Greenland.”

“Yeah, I know,” I said with a resigned sigh. “And may I say, the council members are going to murder me for asking them here for nothing.”

“You didn’t ask them here for nothing,” Zev apprised me. “Regardless of where you’re going, to Greenland or on vacation, replacements for you were needed.”

That was true.

“And honestly, they should check in more often.”

“I really wanted to go home,” I whispered.

“Is this not your home?” Dae-Jung asked me.

“It is,” Brenna told him. “He just wanted to visit his friend.”

“I love all of you, but I hate it here.”

“Because you have no power at the moment to change anything,” Zev stated flatly. “You’re like Sisyphus with the damn rock. All you’re allowed to do is patch that which we all know is broken.”

“It does seem as though you perform similar tasks on a daily basis,” Dae-Jung said kindly. “One wonders if those you have filling in for you in your absence will allow the same⁠—

what is the word?” he asked Brenna.

“Shenanigans,” she said.

“Yes. It will be interesting to see if Countess Minsi will be as tolerant as you.”

“I’m going with no.” Zev chuckled. “She was never one to mince words or waste time.”

“But really, that’s not going to be your problem,” Brenna offered. “You won’t be here to see that.”

“Don’t jinx me,” I warned her.