Page 33 of A Monarch's Fall

“Who?” I asked. Arvid looked at me, confused. “Who bit her?” I clarified.

Arvid laughed.

“I hear it wasn’t a bite, but a dagger laced with venom,” he answered. “Oh, don’t look at me like that. Selene is a character who could use being pushed down a few steps. It will be good for her ego to learn that she is as mortal as the rest of us.”

“What do you want from me, Arvid?” I asked. “I’m not willing to play games with you.”

“I wanted to let you know that you have options,” he said cryptically.

“All I want is to go home,” I told him.

“And where is home, Percy, to you?” he asked.

Selene was home. Wherever she was, that was where I needed to be. I could feel the emptiness within me, the place that she was meant to fill.

“I understand, you’re a loyal slave, and you wish to return to your mistress,” he continued when I didn’t respond. “I can see from the way you have perked up that this is exactly what you desire.”

“I’m not a slave,” I corrected.

“Do you prefer blood whore, or pet?” He laughed.

I looked away from him.

“I belong to her, yes, but that doesn’t make me less than. It’s the opposite,” I told him, frustratedly.

Everyone assumed I was lower than Selene, that my position diminished me. All they focused on was that I gave my blood to her, that I wore her mark, that I deferred to her. They didn’t see how she cared for me, how she encouraged me to pursue my talents in healing, how she ensured I always had access to fresh fruit, that I was warm and safe, that she cherished our time together, that she listened to me intently. They saw my submission but ignored Selene’s devotion.

“Oh, I agree. Selene has made you a very valuable bargaining chip,” he told me.

“What do you want from me, Arvid?” I asked again.

“You are an integral part of the coming battles for The New Foundation and their witching branch. If rumours are to be believed, and I know that they can be, you are a very powerful young witch, Percy,” he said and paused to drink his wine.

I didn’t reply. I knew he was speaking of my new ability. I wouldn’t confirm anything for him. My abilities would never be used for war. And never against Selene.

“I have my suspicions regarding what the leadership of The New Foundation have planned, but so far nothing has been confirmed,” he explained further.

“What does this have to do with me?” I asked.

“You don’t want to be here, Percy. You want to return to Selene. I can potentially help you with that when the time is right. But I need something from you.” He leaned forward in his chair.

“Who are you around here, Arvid? Where am I? I saw a class schedule. Is this an academy?” I questioned.

“This is my home. A purpose-built, military training facility in the Halvorsen countryside. I am the host and greatest ally and lobbyist to The New Foundation’s cause,” he told me.

“And yet here you are, offering to help me escape when you suspect that I am important to The New Foundation in some way? Some ally you are,” I challenged and took a large drink from my can.

“Our goals align. A current win-win. On the surface. Yet recently, I’ve become aware that my new friends might not be being honest with me,” he told me.

“What a shock,” I deadpanned.

“Quite,” he agreed, missing the sarcasm entirely. “As it stands, my concern is that they have a primary concealed agenda. One which would interfere with my own and which I believe you are at the centre of.”

“What is your goal, Arvid? And what do you want with me?” I asked for what felt like the thousandth time.

“My goal is to inherit House Halvorsen, for the Halvorsen House and name to rise in power and dominance. I want to rule the southern Houses,” he announced. “There are many ways in which this could happen, Percy. But secession of the southern Houses, though this, my least favourite route, is currently the most viable. For that to happen, there needs to be a south left standing, a kingdom worth ruling.”

He sat back in his armchair and finished his glass of wine in one large gulp.