Father…” he sighed. “The females have gone.”
The old man looked up at him. “Explain. Gone where?”
Fear crept inside his head. He knew who started all this, and his father would come down hard on her. “The females are not happy and have gone to visit,” not the correct term, but it would do, “the forest dwellers.”
“Well, go bring them back,” the king said like there was little thought needed for that decision.
“They will not come back until things have changed.”
A spark flickered through his father’s eyes. His heart flipped. The man needed to remain calm. He did not want to fight the male. He was old and weak.
“What do they want to change?” the royal asked.
“I am not sure exactly. But the word equality was used.”
His father snorted. “Why should they be equal when they do not equally share male responsibilities? We fight for them. We die for them. How can they think they are equal?” He shook his head. “Find out what it will take to get them back here and report to me.”
“Yes, Father.” Ferrus bowed and headed back to the food prep to instruct Silvo to continue training with the men until he returned.
After Ferrus left the throne room, the king sighed and leaned against the throne. The females. He couldn’t deal with them. He couldn’t even look at them.
A knock came from the main entrance. He just wanted to eat his morning meal in peace.
“What is it?” the king called.
One of his soldiers poked his head in. “Sire, you have a visitor.”
At this time of the morning? “Tell them to come back later.”
“Your Highness, he travels from far away to negotiate with you.”
That caught his interest. “Give me a moment.”
“Yes, Majesty.” The guard ducked out and closed the main door. The king slipped off his lounging attire and put on his royal robes, grabbing a piece of bread before re-entering the chamber.
“You may enter,” he commanded. The door opened, and a fae-like creature he had never seen walked in. The visitor’s skin was pale, but he looked to be in good health. He wore strange garments made of fur he did not recognize. But what struck him the most was the dark magic swirling around the male.
The guest bowed his head. “I am Luzzeh Full, ruler of the kappies.”
The king’s brows rose. “The kappies have no leader.”
“They do now. They follow my orders.”
Interesting. This male who looked from another place had chosen the weakest creatures to gather for an army. With the magic surrounding the male, the king would have thought better decisions would have been made. Not everyone was capable of harnessing the evil power.
“What is it you want, Luzzeh?”
“I am looking for three females.”
Was he thinking of starting a harem? “I have many females who would excite a male for the right price.”
The leader frowned. “No, I’m looking for a specific trio.” He abruptly stopped. The first thing that entered the king’s mind was the three females his men had captured trespassing. Why these specific females.
“Who are they to you?” he asked his visitor.
The darkness around the man thickened as he expressed a sad illusion on his face. “These are my daughters. They have left the safety of my home after an argument with their mother.” Luzzeh smiled. “You know how younglings are.”
“Indeed, I do.”
The king knew the male was lying. Apparently, the visitor did not know fae could see the negative energy around him. But this brought an opportunity that had not occurred to him before now.
He had not missed how his son doted on the light-haired female. The boy could not take his eyes from her when they were here in the chamber. Though his son denied being attracted to the female, he knew. He had a mate once too. Those memories tried to surface, but he shut them down fiercely. Mates were strictly forbidden.
“Luzzeh, three females from another land are visiting us. I feel certain these are your daughters as they are different from anyone I have met.”
“Yes,” Luzzeh said, “that would be them. Strange clothing to you and words you don’t know.”
That was a perfect description. The loud female said, “inhumane,” which he had never heard.
Luzzeh bowed his head. “Your Majesty, most powerful of all, if you would hand them over to me, I will take them home, and you can be done with them.”
That would be good, he thought. He could get rid of the female Ferrus was fond of. “What have you in exchange for the females?”
“Exchange?” Luzzeh