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  "This is ridiculous. My king—" Eli interrupted in exasperation.

  Sven held up his hand, demanding silence.

  Eli sputtered to stop at his glare. I could almost see him recalibrating his approach. In the silence, Sven took his time looking them all over. I looked at them too, with a clear eye.

  Their garments were made of the finest cloth, embroidered with precious metals and crystals. Every single one of them was adorned in some kind of expensive jewelry or timepieces. Even the shoes on their feet were embroidered with expensive gems. Even apart from the finery they wore, their bodies told their stories. They were all plump, most of them carrying some excess weight around their middles. Their hands were baby soft as well. Heaven forbid any of them did any actual work with them. Even their hair was frozen into the latest styles, smoothed just so.

  Money could buy you a lot. And they were stupid enough to display everything they'd gotten with it.

  "I see," Sven finally stated, raising an eyebrow as he met all of their eyes.

  "Well, now, you must at least give us a chance to defend ourselves—" Cates demanded in that imperious way she had.

  But Sven wasn't having it. He got to his feet, the abrupt movement enough to silence her.

  "Thank you all for coming," he said firmly. "I have more meetings to take today. I'm certain you understand." There was a hint of mockery in that almost word for word repetition of what Cates said earlier. "If you will please see yourselves out?"

  I heard Eli's mouth snap shut with a click.

  Morrison and Jayna, the other two chieftains there, didn't say anything, as they hadn't said anything the entire meeting. I'm sure because they didn't want to stick their feet into their mouths if things didn't go well.

  "Of course, Your Majesty," Eli agreed through gritted teeth as they all rose and turned to leave with an indignant rustle of their clothes. "We do hope that you will consider all that you have learned today when making future decisions," he added with a direct stare. Just didn't know when to stop, that one.

  I stepped to the side as they filed past. Cates and Eli made sure to meet my eyes with their own angry ones. I met them easily. In them was a promise of retribution, something I found ridiculous. Ridiculous and stupid.

  Sven could have found out the facts simply by going through the records he had access to as king. Besides that, what could they do to me that hadn't already been done? Didn't they see what terrible straights we were in?

  I met them glare for glare. I wasn't afraid of them, and maybe that was stupid, but I was worried about too many other things that were much more important than an imagined vendetta against me.

  No, I wasn't concerned with them. I was more interested in how Sven had reacted. He didn't accept what they said at face value. He didn't bend at their flattery or their threats. Or...maybe I was reading too much into that one question. But it would have been prudent of him to play along with these particular chieftains.

  Yes, they were despicable as people, but they weren't lying about how much power they had. And it wasn't by accident. They'd spent many years amassing that power, both through building their wealth (sometimes through questionable avenues) and through political means. Yes, that power took a hit with Emberich's demise, but even with him gone, they still had strings they could pull. Most who had been in bed with him were still alive, even if he wasn't. If Sven was just thinking politically, he would have done well to remember that.

  "Now that the stink of perfume and entitlement are out of here, we can get down to business," Sven drawled as soon as the doors clicked shut behind the group.

  I whipped my head around to look at him, knowing immediately I'd given my surprise at his words away. Wide eyes and a half-open mouth would do that. But I didn't blame myself. It was one thing to beat around the bush, take part in subtle political manipulation. But to say something so clearly disparaging about them when they could well have overheard...

  Yes, I was surprised. It wasn't as though I was part of Sven's closely knit group. If he said it in front of me, he wasn't trying to keep it a secret.

  And wasn't that interesting.

  "Now," Sven continued, smiling at me, warmth reaching his eyes much more easily now.

  Transforming his face.

  I was struck all of a sudden by how handsome he looked with that genuine smile. The thought immediately made me take a big mental step back. Stupid. How handsome he was or wasn't didn't matter. Not at all.

  "What is it that you wanted to talk to me about, Adara?"

  I stared into those intelligent, focused eyes. And lost my train of thought.

  Damn.

  Chapter Four

  I needed a moment to collect my thoughts again, to focus on the reason why I was here in the first place. And it didn't have anything to do with a pretty face. I mentally smacked myself.

  My flock's complaints streamed through my head, the harsh words they wanted me to say. They weren't political creatures in this way. My delivery couldn't be quite that harsh.

  "I'm sorry to barge in without an appointment," I started.

  He waved that away, shaking his head.

  "I want you to come to me if there is something urgent," he countered.

  That was good. He was going to have to put his money where his mouth was really fast. I dove right in as I followed his lead and sat down, casting a quick glance at Arie and Joash. Neither of them said anything, but they were watching.

  "The flocks already had representatives in the city because there is such widespread devastation. And the major complaint I'm hearing is things aren't moving fast enough to help fix the issues." I shook my head, rubbing at the ring I wore on my right forefinger. I saw Sven glance down at that nervous twitch and knew he made note of it. Nothing seemed to escape his attention. "It is creating unrest among the flocks," I added bluntly. "Instability isn't what we need right now."

  If helping the flocks wasn't enough of a reason, I figured the addition of the political motivation might be helpful. I was willing to use every avenue I had to get the people what they needed.

  "I see," Sven said, his eyes thoughtful as they rested on mine.

  And I thought he really did see, both what was happening and what I was trying to do. I'd never felt as transparent as I did when he looked at me like that. It was...unnerving. He leaned back in his chair, his right hand coming up to tap at his chin.

  How was he going to react?

  "Well," he started after a few beats of silence. Beats that made my palms sweat. "I see no reason not to take things into high gear," he announced, leaning forward again. "If we need to move more quickly and allocate more resources, I think that that's an excellent idea."

  My fingers stilled on my ring. Wait. Really? Was it going to be this easy?

  "That's...good."

  Excellent, Adara. I was obviously a fount of eloquent words.

  His mouth turned up at the corners in response.

  "We'll obviously need someone to be in charge of coordinating the relief efforts. And since you have the most knowledge about what everyone needs, I think you are the logical and obvious choice to spearhead this."

  I took a deep breath, feeling a little bit lightheaded at the ease of his acquiescence. I'd been gearing up for a fight, and now I had nobody to attack. If was surprised at my first meeting with him, I had no idea what to think in this one.

  "I am up to the task," I assured him, pushing the words out after only a brief pause.

  "I am certain you are," he agreed. And I believed him. He sounded so sincere. But maybe that was just how skilled an actor he was. "I want you to give me daily updates on progress and your needs. If more meetings are necessary, send a message to my secretary or show up at this audience chamber and I'll make time for you. Does that sound workable?"

  I nodded, not knowing how else to react. He'd just given me everything I'd wanted. Without a fight.

  "Good," he said, his smile widening. He opened his mouth to say something else, but the
n his eyes flicked to the doors behind me, at the sound of their opening. He looked a little irritated at the interruption. "It looks as though my next meeting has arrived," he observed, turning back to me.

  I was already getting on my feet.

  "I will go get started," I said quietly. Then hesitated for a moment. "My thanks," I added, trying not to sound begrudging, but only partially succeeding.

  And he noticed, like he noticed everything. He inclined his head at me, his eyes twinkling as I turned away to walk out the doors.

  Igna glared at me as I exited, but I hardly even noticed it. All I could think about was how much I could do now. How much of a difference I could make, now that I had some practical power. And also how overwhelmed I felt, now that I did have the power of the crown behind me.

  Apparently.

  I'd spent so much time fighting for crumbs, I almost didn't know what to do.

  Almost.

  I smiled to myself, hurrying down the hall.

  I had things to do.

  Chapter Five

  "The supplies should be there in a couple of hours."

  "Oh, good," Rita said her face relieved. "I'll let everybody know."

  I nodded, turning to the next person who'd come in for a meeting.

  "Are the tents working out all right?" I asked Edmund.

  "Yes, though we will have to find a more permanent solution soon."

  I agreed, writing down notes as he spoke.

  The last few days had been a hectic whirlwind of speaking to people, figuring out how to get supplies over to them, and devising ways to allocate things properly. It had also been a bit of an uphill battle trying to wrangle everyone I needed to accomplish what I wanted.

  I'd had to resort to speaking about it with Sven a couple of times. He'd given the orders those times, but then people began cooperating more.

  After everyone realized that all of the resources were actually being allocated fairly according to need, my job became a lot easier.

  "Adara, we're going to head out with the water for your flock now," Stefan told me, ducking his head in.

  I smiled at him.

  "Perfect," I said, quickly checking the time. "You're right on schedule. When you get back, I have one more run for you today and then nothing until tomorrow."

  "Got it," he said with a sloppy salute as he stepped back into the hallway. "I'll check in with you when we get back."

  "Thank you."

  When he was gone, I went back to my tablet and went through my list, checking off a couple more things. There were quite a few items checked off. I felt the satisfaction of getting through so much in so little time course through my body. There was nothing like it. This was what I'd always wanted and couldn't have. This was what my job should have been from the get go rather than just a way to appease the masses, have them think that their concerns were being heard when the position was just a way to mollify them without any real action. I almost couldn't believe it had changed so drastically, so fast.

  But I didn't have time to dwell on that. Not when there was still so much to do. I glanced at the time again after going through some messages. I needed to leave for my daily meeting with Sven.

  We'd settled on a daily schedule for now because there was just so much to get through and so many updates to give. It was just easier than constant messages back and forth when I was nearby much of the time anyway. I never expected to see the new king so often. Or any king for that matter.

  King Sven.

  I needed to remind myself of that as often as I could. Foster a mental distance between us. If I had to see him every day, I needed to.

  I headed over to the chamber that had basically become his office. I understood why. It was large enough to house a sizable group, but small enough so even two didn't feel like they were rattling around in the space too much.

  Igna nodded at me grudgingly and opened one of the doors. Progress of a different kind.

  "Thank you," I acknowledged quietly.

  He nodded. We'd come to an understanding. I didn't aggravate him and he kept his cool.

  In this new version of reality, I was in and out of the king's audience chamber a lot. It just wasn't practical for us to be fully at odds. I didn't have time for it anyway.

  When I walked in, Sven was actually in the room alone for once, his gaze focused on the computer in front of them as he tapped away. He brushed his blonde hair back off of his face, a slight frown marring the skin between his brows. He tended not to wear the crown very much now. I had the feeling he'd kept it on for the initial meetings to help lend him an air of authority. I looked over to the side and saw it sitting in its usual spot on the desk next to him.

  He was also dressed in a simple tunic and flowing pants with no embroidery or extra detail. Nothing ornate, nothing flashy. I didn't even think this was a character he was playing. This was how he was before he was crowned. Simple, with no patience for frills of any kind, not just the ones on clothing. I thought he would change somewhat to accommodate his new status, but he hadn't. I could respect that, though I didn't know if that was a deliberate decision or he was just more comfortable this way.

  A lock of hair fell over his brow again and I had the urge to reach over and push it off his forehead. I had to resist that urge. He was the king. I really needed to stop having those kinds of thoughts. He wasn't just a man that I could pursue on a whim.

  As if on cue, he looked up and met my eyes as I stopped in front of his desk, his eyes warm as he smiled at me. The answering flutter in my stomach was a familiar annoyance at this point. I attempted to squash that as well, without a whole lot of success.

  King. King. King.

  Maybe if I repeated it to myself enough times, I'd stop having these stray thoughts and reactions.

  "Adara," he greeted me, gesturing towards one of the chairs across from him. "How are the efforts progressing? Do you need anything else from me?"

  I sat down in the cushioned chair, and shook my head.

  "No. I have food and water out to everyone who needs it, along with medical supplies. The few medical professionals who survived are on a visiting schedule. Shelters are in process as they require setup, too. And then we're going to have to figure out more permanent solutions."

  He nodded, setting his hands down on the arms of his chair as he looked at me. It wasn't a throne, but he somehow managed to command more authority in his simple clothes and plain chair than anyone else I'd ever met.

  Including Emberich. He'd used all the trappings, including the elevated stage. It felt a little vain and silly to think of around Sven.

  "That's a good start," he said approvingly. "You managed to get quite a lot done in a very short amount of time. I'm impressed."

  "Only because you allocated enough people and resources to it," I pointed out. "And things are calming down now, but only for the short term," I warned. "We haven't even begun rebuilding yet. That's a much longer project."

  He nodded, his face solemn.

  "Yes," he agreed. "You are right, of course." He sighed, rubbing at his face. And I saw for the first time that the position was wearing on him. He looked tired, like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. Which wasn't that far off from the truth. He did have the weight of our world on his shoulders.

  "The war...it was not at all my intention to have such a violent changing of power when we first started planning to take Emberich off the throne," he confessed quietly. "It was supposed to be a smooth transition. One that involved minimal bloodshed." He shook his head. "I know it will be one of the biggest regrets of my life. Even if it was necessary in the end."

  I took a careful breath, surprised at that candid response. My instinct was to be candid in return. Perhaps not a strategic move, but sometimes strategy got in the way, didn't it?

  "In the end, the war did more damage than Emberich did during the rest of his rule," I acknowledged quietly. "And it was triggered by that conspiracy."

  That was a fact.

/>   When I met his eyes again, they were unreadable. Like he'd closed off part of himself.

  The loss ached in my chest.

  "It had to be done," he said firmly. "We all wish it hadn't come down to a war, but that was also an indication of exactly how unbalanced Emberich was. He couldn't be allowed to continue ruling." He shook his head. "In any case, I agree that we have to focus on rebuilding now."

  I looked away, making a sound of agreement. I shouldn't have said that. It wasn't smart politically. I ignored the voice that said it wasn't smart personally either. That I'd pushed him away. That didn't matter. It couldn't. But I did need to keep in mind that I wasn't living in a vacuum. Anything I said or did could affect my flock. In aid received, in favors given in the future. And, for the first time I could remember...I felt tentatively hopeful for that future. As did a lot of the people I'd spoken to recently, after we'd started helping with the aftermath of the war. But, even so, tentative was underlined and bolded. The future was a nebulous thing after all.

  Sven had only been the king for a flash in the pan thus far. Nobody knew what kind of ruler he would shake out to be in the long run. Only time would tell.

  "Now, if you give me some details about how much food and water has been given out, how many more supplies you'll need, and what the expenses are going to be," Sven continued in a brisk tone, tapping at his keyboard, obviously ready to move on from the topic of Emberich and the war. I couldn't say I wanted to dwell on it either. So I opened up the spreadsheets I was keeping diligently for just these meetings.

  "Just sent the spreadsheets over," I informed him. "We're going to have to replenish water reserves soon," I noted, scrolling down the tablet's screen, reviewing how much we'd transported and how much we had left. "Our food stores still look pretty good, but we're going to have to ramp up the medical support for the less-severe injuries and for follow-up care," I added.

  He nodded as I was speaking, making his own notes.

  "I can ask Mia if she can spare some medical personnel," he murmured.

  Mia?