Page 80 of Exiled Heir

“Great. So it’s just torture for me, then. All aboard the Cade express line to hell.”

When my skin no longer felt like someone had taken a fish knife to it, I looked around. The room was dark, except for a massive stone table in the center lit from above by mage lights. There were twelve wooden chairs around it, each ornately carved, decorated with the same beasts and animals as the door to Cade’s room. There was another chair made of the same white stone as the table, and it looked more like a throne than a seat.

“Well, this isn’t ominous at all. It looks straight out ofSecret Organizations Monthly.” Stepping closer to Cade, I whispered, “I mean, would a few lamps hurt you guys?”

Shaking his head, I saw a twitch of Cade’s lips, as though he wanted to laugh. Then he turned serious. “Are you sure you can do this?”

“Yeah,” I said. Cade had said he needed backup, needed someone to reinforce and reiterate his position to the council, and I understood what that meant. Declan also liked to have someone at negotiations to make sure his position was as clear as the violence I promised. “I’ve got this. Don’t worry about me.”

Turning his head, Cade examined me. He reached up one hand, straightening my collar and brushing a finger over my hairline, fixing a strand that had gotten loose.

Then, he walked to the white stone chair, hesitating before taking a seat on it. His black clothes accented every line of his body, making his skin look even more pale, as though he was death himself sitting on a throne of bleached bone. This was Prince Bartlett, heir to House Bartlett.

A soft popping sound went off to my left. I spun, ready to face the threat, but it was only Petrona, the click of her walking stick loud in the cavernous dark space.

She raised her eyebrows, waiting until she was sitting in one of the ornate wooden chairs before turning to Cade.

“Prince Bartlett.” She nodded her head at him, although her eyes immediately strayed to where I stood.

“Councilwoman,” Cade greeted.

More pops echoed, coming frequently, like kernels in a popcorn machine. Members of the council appeared, most of them startling once they saw me standing behind Cade’s throne.

Eleven seats filled quickly, but the one across from Cade remained vacant.

“Let’s begin,” Cade said.

Half the table glanced at the empty chair, and one older member, his reading glasses slipping down low on his nose, said, “Without the seneschal?”

Cade looked around the room, one eyebrow going up. “The break was only for half an hour, wasn’t it? I recall several council sessions that had already started when I arrived late.”

“And several that occurred when you deigned not to show up at all,” Sonja said. She was dressed in a high-collared peach shirt, a formal blue robe draped over her shoulders. “You can forgive us for starting when you weren’t present, given that your presence was never guaranteed. Unlike our seneschal.”

“Either way, we agreed a half-hour break, so I am starting.” Cade leaned back in his throne. “We have not come to a conclusion regarding the purchase of property in Los Santos.”

“The expense alone makes it unfeasible. The property you’re talking about is valued at tens of millions of dollars. And given that we won’t be able to rent it out to anyone not in our house, and we will have to lease it exclusively to mages, it’s unlikely that it will bring in even a fraction of the expense.” A man further down the table shook his head. His robe was a shade darker than Sonja’s.

“I will admit, there is some appeal to returning to our former glory,” Petrona said. Her own robes were silver, and when I looked down the table, the only robes were blue or silver.

“Some of us do remember when Los Santos was House Bartlett territory,” one of the council members agreed. His robes were silver as well. “Taking back what was once ours will assure the world of our return to glory.”

“To what end?” Sonja said.

“Because we need to expand the house,” Cade snapped, clearly losing patience.

The gasp around the table was audible, even Petrona’s eyes going wide. Cade went pale, as though he hadn’t wanted to say that. I remembered what he’d said about the council not wanting to build more housing, despite the miles and miles of land they were sitting on.

Murmurs began immediately, multiplying until Cade had to raise his voice nearly to a shout to be heard.

“We expand, or we die!”

“Well, that’s rather dire, isn’t it?” Leon’s voice cut through the quiet room, and he stepped out of the shadows into the light. Sweeping aside his blue robes, he took the seat directly across from Cade. “My prince, I’m not sure whose counsel you have been taking, but no one on this esteemed body would advocate for such an extreme, imprudent move.”

“You suggest that reclaiming what belongs to House Bartlett is imprudent?” Cade’s voice was a whip across the room.

“I suggest expanding the house allows in those with untrained magic, no pedigree, no understanding of their station or the hierarchy that is integral to our house.” Leon’s words were calm, and he shook his head. “I understand that you wish to begin your tenure as king with more allies at your back, but you can only blame yourself for not courting those on this council who would already be in your corner. House Bartlett has all it needs.”

“Does it?” Cade’s eyes glittered, and I saw a hint of black curl out from under the cuff of his shirt.