The Kingdom's Crown (Inheritance of Hunger #3) - Kathryn Moon Page 0,100
course! This wasn't just Kimmerian mead and wine, this was alcohol imported from every ship in the harbor. Or stolen from it, in some cases. It took me several moments of catching my breath and marveling at the vast wall before I noticed the man moving behind the bar.
At first glance, he seemed plain, just a man working, and I had to remember that Aric swore this was the southern King of Thieves before I looked again. At second glance, he became handsome. Elegant even. He was graceful as he moved, pouring and passing drinks in almost the same breath, one ear always tilted to the voices calling their orders into his ear, one hand always gathering the coin that landed on the bar before someone else could. I suspected he was tall, although it was hard to tell since he was usually bending and working. His hair was inky black, and there was something not quite Kimmerian about him. Hawkish sharp features and skin just a couple shades too dark. Most of the bar looked to have its fair share of foreign blood really. Perhaps they were sailors, or perhaps this was the look of the people who lived near the docks and met many travelers in their lives.
Cassius Thatcher was making his way methodically in our direction, working his way down the orders of the bar, and it gave me time to study him. He looked clever, if there was such a way to do so, and I never once saw where he put the money, even though I didn't feel the slightest trace of magic in the air.
Aric had pushed his way through the melee to lean against the bar, his hips resting close to mine. I glanced back over my shoulder briefly to see I was safely surrounded by my Chosen, their forms a protective wall around me. When I turned back, I found myself face to face with Cassius.
"Your…Majesty," he said, a smile as slick as oil sliding over his features.
"Your Majesty," I answered with a dip of my head.
"I should've brought her sooner," Aric said.
Cassius didn't look at Aric, his eyes didn't even flick in his direction. Stars, those eyes were almost entirely black. I'd never seen a color so dark. It left me with the odd impression that there was absolutely nothing to be read in his gaze, and his expression was far too smooth to really decipher.
"You're here now," Cassius said, more to me than Aric. His head tilted. "Why are you here now?"
"To meet Griffin," I said without thinking.
I only regretted it for a single heartbeat. Griffin's name seemed to strike this man, the elegant dark mask faltering to reveal genuine surprise and…something joyful. I'd understood Aric's claim of how dangerous Cassius must've been a second before, but now I also knew there was something wonderfully likable about the man.
"Give it away, why don't you," a soft dry voice muttered at my ear.
I spun with a gasp, finding that Owen and Wendell had parted to make room for Griffin at my back. "Griffin!" I cried, wrapping my arms around her.
Griffin stiffened in response, and through the cacophony of music and shouting and conversation, I heard the man behind the bar murmur, "Birdie," in greeting. Over Griffin's shoulder, a friendly and familiar lopsided grin greeted me.
I squealed and pulled away, clapping my hands together. "Scrapper! Oh! And Sam!"
"Your Loveliness," Scrapper said with a wobbling bow. At his side, a nervous but alert Sam dipped his head to me.
"Oh, I've missed you all! And I have so much to tell you and so much I want to hear!" I cried, spinning to face Griffin and laughing at the grimace she was wearing. "I'm sorry, I know tonight is important. It's just so good to see you again. We'll sort everything out now that we're together."
Aric's hand settled on my shoulder as if he could contain my excitement, trying to pin me back down to the floor.
"Your Majesty, you have neglected your duties to your court in the north," Griffin said, sudden and biting, her face twisted with anger or… "Your lack of attention to your people leaves me only one choice."
"Griffin?" I murmured, all my joy seeming to fizzle away like steam on the hot coals of her scowl.
"I challenge you, my king."
23
Bryony
The hush that followed expanded slowly, seeping from one body to the next as if the quiet were infectious.
"You what?" I asked, even though I'd heard the words perfectly.