The Art of Blood and Power (Book 2 in The Gifted Trilogy)

4- Politics and Motives

Seeing the first genuine look of surprise from Ash as I returned to the castle, my dress covered in dirt and my skin covered in bruises with Cicero in tow, was almost worth the attempted kidnapping.

    Granted, the subtle raise of his eyebrows and slight opening of his mouth were nothing compared to the look of the guards I passed at the front gates, but it was still the first betrayal of Ash being an actual human, so I'd take it.

    My appearance seemed to raise several gasps and shocked whispers but I ignored them all as I immediately headed towards the man unsurprisingly in the center of a crowd of nobles. Kess was leaning downwards towards a shorter man who was talking to him but at the sound of outbursts from my arrival, his eyes swept over the crowd.

    As soon as his eyes landed on me, Kess stiffened, a flare of panic alighting in his eyes as they swept up and down my body, no doubt assessing every visible scratch and bruise. To Cicero's credit, the stares and whispers of the noblemen didn't seem to faze him in the slightest. His hands remained casually tucked into his pockets as he took in the grandiose of the ballroom with a swift and dismissing glance.

    Clearing my throat uncomfortably against the silence of the room, I stopped before the group surrounding Kess. "Your Majesty, might I speak alone with you for a moment?"

Though I phrased it as a question, I headed towards the doors before he could reply, staring straight ahead as Cicero moved to walk beside me. The hallways were much dimmer and cooler than the ballroom. As soon as the doors closed behind Cicero, I leaned into the wall, squeezing my eyes shut and taking a breath for what felt like the first time since I entered the castle gates.

I felt a gentle hand rest on my shoulder at the same moment the doors slammed open again and Kess barged through, his face a mask of stone cold fury.

I opened my mouth to speak but he stopped me before I could. "This location isn't secure. And I'm sure whatever you're about to tell me isn't something for prying ears." Heading towards the stairs with June and Ash falling into place behind him, I had no choice but to follow.

"He seems nice" Cicero managed to joke and I was once again grateful for his presence. The world around me felt like it was shrinking but for some reason the cool sound of his voice seemed to make my situation not so daunting.

As we rounded the corner, Porter practically barreled into me, my surprise immediately being replaced with relief as Porter pulled me into a tight embrace.

"Stars, Wren," he spoke, his voice shaking. "You ran out of here so damn fast I couldn't keep up. I was worried sick thinking about what might have happened to you."

Squeezing my eyes shut, I managed to say back, "It's alright Porter, I'm safe. Besides, it shouldn't be your job to chase me when I do stupid things."

"Are you kidding?" he scoffed, pulling away so he could send me a goofy smile. "What do you think I've been doing for the past 12 years?"

"If you two are quite finished," Kess's voice clipped through the air, immediately causing the smile on Porter's face to vanish. "Wren seems to have a lot to explain to us."

Scowling yet knowing Kess had a point, I followed him through the door Ash held open for us. I recognized the area as Kess's strategy room, the place he disappeared off to with Ash seemingly every free moment he got.

As soon as the six of us were inside the room and the door closed, Kesserian whirled towards me. "What the hell happened to you out there?" he demanded fiercely.

"It was my fault, your Majesty" Cicero spoke before I could, avoiding my gaze as he went on. "Earlier today I met Wren at the stables and convinced her to meet me in the city later tonight. A couple of men found her before I could and attempted to kidnap her but I stopped them before they could. Still, she never would have been outside if it weren't for me so I accept full responsibility."