The King's Curse Preview

Today, they were going over the Aoeja territory. In the years since Aquillo had razed part of the former kingdom and claimed the rest as Dewar territory, there had been some disputes over land. Borders had been redrawn, and new settlements had formed. It didn’t matter much in the grand scheme of things. Aquillo seemed content with letting the kingdom rot, so it had been up to the people to figure things out.

“The Jumarae settlement is doing amazing things with hydropower. If you’d like, we can visit them sometime in the next few days so they can give you a firsthand account?”

“Fine,” Nyro replied before tapping the screen that hovered above the long table between him and the sijomal. “Why are these areas glowing?” 

The map of Aoeja contained the names of all the communities and districts, with a few unfamiliar ones. They were likely new settlements that had renamed themselves to establish independence. Some of the newer settlements glowed white against the translucent screen.

The sijomal cleared his throat and visibly shifted in his chair. “Those are areas the council is monitoring at the moment.”

“Monitoring. For what?”

“To make sure they don’t rise up and overthrow you.” Rore appeared in the chair next to Nyro’s. He must have portaled there, but in true Rore fashion, he chose an invisible portal to make his entrance more jarring. 

“How are you, Simon?”

“Good, sir. Thank you for asking.” 

The sijomal actually looked happy to see him. That made one of them. Aquillo’s fond memories of his childhood friend had done nothing to endear Nyro to him. He still saw him as a flashy egomaniac who enjoyed hearing himself talk too much.

“How is Tema?”

“Um, we separated. It’s been, uh, two years now.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Was it because of your drinking?” Nyro asked.

If they wanted to play this game, he would play. The sijomal’s wide eyes bounced from Rore to Nyro, confirming that he had hit the mark dead on. Strained silence hung in the air.

“Um —, “ the sijomal started.

“You don’t have to answer that, Simon.”

“Why not? We all seem to be friends here.” Nyro turned to face Rore.

He wore a blood-red suit that had tribal symbols sewn into the tailored vest. His red tie looked to be made of some kind of animal fur. It was exactly the kind of over-the-top outfit Nyro expected from him.

“So I should take your declaring war on me as an act of friendship?”

Dammit. Nyro knew he’d forgotten something.

“I’m not sure if I should be honored or insulted that you chose my kingdom.” Rore's red eyes flared.

Nyro sighed. “It has nothing to do with you or your kingdom. My men were sent to retrieve prisoners who had escaped from Dewar. That’s all. It wasn’t a declaration of war.”

“Oh well, in that case, let me return your men to you.” He waved his hand, and a portal opened. Twenty guards fell out of the portal onto the hard tile floor. Their faces were swollen and covered in dried blood and bruises. One of them screamed in pain when he landed on his arm. He quickly rolled onto his other side, taking the weight off his twisted arm. He wasn’t the only one with visible broken bones. “Safe and sound.”

The open air of the ambrary became thick with hostility. The two kings stared each other down while the sijomal- Simon- looked like he was about to piss his pants.

“As I said,” Nyro ground out between clenched teeth, “they were sent to retrieve prisoners who were trespassing in your kingdom. You should be grateful for the added protection.”

Rore smirked. “My people don’t need added protection, and the Inestar transplants are not trespassing. I offered them refuge.”

“You’re aware that these ‘transplants’ killed Aquillo?”

Rore’s red gaze drifted from Nyro to the other men in the room. He pondered his next words carefully. “I think we should discuss this privately.”

It was on the tip of Nyro’s tongue to point out that Rore had never shied away from an audience before, but he held back, sensing that the answers he had been missing were close, and this situation had shifted in his favor.

“Everyone out,” Nyro said.

---

Sign up for the newsletter to be notified whenever I release chapter snippets, and for The King's Curse release date.