Marvels and Misfits (Trixie Towers #1) - Scarlett Dawn Page 0,16
in the distance, and started a clipped walk to my destination. “I’ll take a quick shower and change before we talk.”
And it would be quick. I didn’t want to be in that castle any longer than I had to. My grandmother wouldn’t be there, but too many memories of her would be. Nothing was the same as it was before—including me.
Father ordered behind me, “Meet me in my study when you’re done. And wear something comfortable. I plan for us to spar afterward.”
I asked over my shoulder, “You didn’t throw away my favorite short sword, did you?”
“Never.”
“Excellent. I plan to kick your royal ass.”
CHAPTER THREE
Confession of a princess:
Father is throwing me into the deep end.
I wonder, though, if I will sink or swim.
If I started to drown, would he rescue me?
Or am I strong enough to save myself now?
Perhaps, I will become the water instead, consuming and destroying everything in its path. That sounds much more pleasant.
I guess I will see.
The king’s study hadn’t changed at all. The colors were still muted and dark, burgundy and navy and gold. It was too much gold, now that Mother had painted the outside of the castle that glaring color, but it did suit my father. Elegant, powerful, and arrogant, all mixed together in a tasteful décor.
I sat down opposite him and crossed my ankles, tucking my feet back against the navy sofa. Perfectly prim and proper. “What did you want to discuss, Father?”
King Traevon’s posture relaxed back against his stuffed leather chair, much less formal away from his desk. “First, I’d like to talk about your time away. How was it?”
I flipped a lazy circle with my pointer finger in the air, as if I were lassoing a rope. “It was a vacation. Caspian and I were complete shitheads the entire time, and enjoyed ourselves as much as possible.”
Father puffed on his shifter-made cigar. He claimed they made the best in all five kingdoms. “Was there any trouble?”
“Nothing we didn’t handle.” My eyes cast down to the floor, searching for any flower petals. There were none—odd, that. My gaze swung back up to his. “Where is Mother?”
“She went shopping in Jarisbur. She left this morning.”
“Oh.” Well, that wasn’t expected.
“Your mother didn’t know I sent for you.” Smoke billowed above his head, his emerald eyes staring without faltering through the cloudy haze. “I wanted to speak with you alone before she tried to intervene.”
I tilted my head to the side in silent query.
“Ask, Trixie. Communicate with your words.”
My teeth ground together. “What do you wish to discuss with me, without Mother’s commentary derailing your ultimate plan?”
King Traevon’s lips curled up at the edges around his cigar. “I like you all grown up, my daughter. You’re much feistier, more royal than you even know.”
I hid the way I preened inside, his compliment hitting me hard right in the chest. “Answer my question, Father.”
“Yes, well, you’ve reached your majority.” Two more puffs from the bloody cigar, and then he pointed it straight at me, the long ash precariously hanging on its edge. “You’ll start coming with me to the royal summits. I wish for you to start learning how I deal with the other rulers, to know what they are really like.”
Quite improper now, my jaw hung open. “Do you think you’re going to die soon or some other Fae blasted thing? I thought you’d start with the small parts of being a ruler, not throw me to the damned kings and queens first! This is unheard of!”
“I’m making it heard now.” Father ashed his cigar and flicked an errant, dark red lock off of his forehead. Those steady eyes didn’t release me. “Tell me something, my heir. Did you feel the ground shake last night?”
“I did.” I closed my mouth, done gawking.
Visibly, anyway.
“Did it feel odd to you at all?” He took a long pull off his cigar, watching me over the burning ember. “Did you feel anything other than the earth moving?”
I scrunched my brows in thought, but, eventually, shook my head. “I was too drunk last night to notice anything else. Why do you ask?”
“Because, my daughter, the tremor held power. Only the most powerful of us felt the whiplash. It leaked up into the air and punched me right in the gut. The power was old, and I have no clue what it was, or even what kind of being it could have come from. In all of my years, I’ve never experienced anything like it before.”