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

8- Unhappy Reunions

Compared to the first one, my second trip to the Nature Court involved far less chains and fighting on my part, yet the same amount of irritation courtesy of Kess's incessant fidgeting.

I rested my head against the cold window of the carriage, letting my eyes close as Kess's leg bounced up and down, moving with such speed that I was unsure whether the dirt road or his leg was the reason the carriage was shaking.

"Kess, if you don't want me to jump out of this carriage screaming like a madwoman, could you please give me just five minutes without your fidgeting?" I asked with exhaustion filling my voice. After our conversation last night, I was able to get two hours of sleep before waking up and the exhaustion was already taking its toll on me. Thinking about the long day ahead, filled with fake smiles and games of politics, made my growing headache worse.

Kess looked up in surprise, as if he hadn't even noticed his leg was bouncing. "I think it's just nerves," he said. "There are so many different ways today could go wrong."

I wrung my hands in my lap. "You and Ash have been planning for the End of Summer Harvest for days now. If something goes wrong I guarantee it isn't something that could have been predicted and planned for."

"You mean like Nox launching a silver fork at my neck?" Kess asked, only half-joking.

"Don't be ridiculous, I'm sure Ash made a plan for that possibility too" I answered.

Two loud knocks landed on the outside of our carriage, June's signal that we were approaching the Nature Court's gates. Kess looked over at me, his face growing serious. "Are you sure you can handle this?" He asked.

"No," I answered honestly. "But I haven't really got a choice, have I?"

Being the sole Champion of the Garner, my absence from the End of Summer Harvest would have undoubtedly spread across the other kingdoms like wildfire. It would be seen as a sign of weakness from the Ember Court and could make the kingdom more at risk for outside attacks.

"You're a distraction," Ash had explained to me the previous day, not bothering to soften the truth of my role. "The kings will be looking towards you to see what their next move should be. If you appear at ease and normal, they will take it as a sign that nothing has changed and Naturian is working the way it always has. But if you appear on edge and nervous, they'll take that as a sign to start preparing."

Preparing for war was the unspoken threat that loomed over all of us these days. While Kess had spoken about war with such certainty after the final trial, he was still trying to avoid the conflict as much as possible. The last thing he wanted was to endanger his people more than he already had.

I could sympathize with his desire to avoid any further damage to his kingdom or its people, but I also knew that no change even as small as removing Nox was going to occur without war and violence tearing this land and its people apart. Nox was not going to give up his crown without a fight, and even if we managed to kill him without starting a war, there were undoubtedly others in the Shadow Court who were just as cruel as him waiting to take his place.

There was also the conflict of my own motives. There would be no justice or peace while six thrones remained standing on Naturian. Whatever upcoming conflict occurred, whether it be minor arguments or an all-out war, I was either going to live to see the toppling of six kingdoms, or I was going to die trying.

Kess lifted the curtains to reveal the view of the Nature Court city as we passed by the gates. I didn't bother looking. I'd seen it all before and it had made my blood curdle. If I looked at it now, I was afraid I would have no reaction at all. Afraid that I had gotten so used to the luxuries of the past two months that I'd forgotten how appalling this view would look in a comparison to how the poor non-Gifted lived. More than anything else, I was afraid of growing numb to the injustices of Naturian.