Chapter 75
King Harvey quietly takes a seat beside me in his office as I stare at the treaty I am writing up. I have been sitting with it all day, oscillating between feeling as if my words will fall on deaf ears, and pure joy that humans will finally have a voice.
Will both sides listen to me?
King Harvey interlocks his fingers with mine. “Elena, you are doing wonderful. Please, do not stress.”
“What if they do not listen?”
King Harvey tilts his head to the side. “Plenty will not, but once it is law, they have no choice but to follow. Many will, and those that don’t will be punished. It is nothing new, Elena.”
“Yes, I know laws are important, but if there is a massive push…”
My husband brushes the hair out of my face with a gentle and steady hand. “They will not defy me.”
“King Harvey!” Beta Tom exclaims as he runs through the double doors. “The King of the North is here to see you!”
Automatically, Beta Tom turns to the left and bows as the King of the North and his wife walk into our office. The King of the North hobbles forward with great difficulty, his walking cane is just a long icicle that emits snowflakes with each stab at the ground. His wife is on his left arm, walking slowly. She has stark long white hair, and glowing blue eyes.
The grin she gives me is one full of ice and fangs.
Beta Tom leaves the room silently when King Harvey subtly waves his hand. King Harvey doesn’t move an ich as they move to stand in front of us, rather, he snaps his fingers and two red chairs appear across from us at the desk.
“King Harvey and his Luna Queen, Elena.” The King of the North greets, his voice gravel and dragging.
He pauses to cough into a gloved fleece hand and trembles with effort as he bends his knees to sit. His wife takes his walking stick and places it across her lap.
“Why are you here, King of the North?” King Harvey asks.
“To thank Elena.” The King of the North replies as he looks me dead in the face. “You have saved my life.”
“Yes. You are welcome.” I reply as politely as I can manage. His ice dead eyes are horrifying.
King Harvey looks at the King of the North with a frown. “Are you dying?”
“I believe so.” The King of the North sighs. “Elena, how powerful are you? I could not attend your luna ceremony.”
“I am no werewolf,” I laugh nervously. “I can do a few things.”
“My wife passed the test.” King Harvey interjects strongly. “That is all that matters.”
An icy awkward silence falls upon all of us, and the King of the North’s wife shifts uncomfortably in her seat.
She clears her throat. “That is very good, Elena.”
Her tone reminds me of a doctor being dismissive. I force away my frown.
“Thank you.” I even bow my head slightly to try to soften the situation.
King Harvey crosses his arms over his chest to my left and he raises his arms high enough that his sword is shown.
This is a warning.
The King of the North simply blinks. “When shall you have children?”
“Soon, I guess.” I say softly.
King Harvey sighs. “What disease do you have?”
“As far as I know, my heart is giving out, my body is deteriorating, King Harvey.”
“Must be the cold.” King Harvey replies dryly.
The King of the North rises slowly from his chair at his words and sighs. “Must be. May you show me around? I have not seen a castle that is not my own in some time.”
King Harvey nods. “I shall show you around.”
Taking King Harvey’s hand, I allow him to guide me out and around the castle. The King of the North examines everything silently as his wife steadies him on her side. I find it odd that they don’t speak, so I don’t either.
We have gone around the castle already once when suddenly the King of the North happily laughs as we walk into the armory.
“I miss wielding a sword…” The King of the North muses as he picks up a spare short sword from the floor and swings it.
His control of the blade and elegance makes me question his illness.
“Will you give humans their own armor to be protected from werewolves?” I think out loud.
“That is an excellent idea to add to the list…” King Harvey mutters. “What do we have so far again?”
“We have education for both parties, and an online course, we have added a day for them to get to know one another, a national holiday of understanding…”
King Harvey nods. “It’ll be for self-defense; we must stress that. So, we do not fund a war.”
“It will have to be seriously stressed…” I agree.
The King of the North is listening to us, I can tell how his hunched back tenses, but he doesn’t speak. His wife remains by his side mutely.
“Are we done here, King of the North?” King Harvey asks as he guides me out the front door.
The King of the North mutters something as he walks out and his wife laughs. I have no idea what language that was because I do recognize King Harvey’s language.
The King of the North and his wife walk ahead, I am relieved.
Suddenly, his wife falls and almost takes the King of the North with him. King Harvey rushes to help his wife up, when a blur of white sends me into a spare room at my left.
The King of the North now stands straight in front of me, his talons vibrating as icy mist leaks out of them. He pins me to the wall with this hand, sideways and covering my neck as if to choke me. His talons pierce the wall and his hand acts as a cage.
His blue eyes are now a blinding white, a swirl of snowstorm glowing in them.
“Stupid human!”
“ELENA!!” King Harvey screams from outside the door.
I hear him slamming his body into the door with full force. Out of the corner of my eye, I see the King of the North has iced the door closed with the same hand he has trapped me with.
My hand shoots out in front of me and thankfully burns with my luna energy and a red shockwave of energy begins to burn into his chest. The King of the North puffs out his chest and begins to put out my power, making me slam my hands down on his chest and sending him a few feet back.
“Your husband!” The King of the North pants as he points a crooked frozen finger at me. “Is the real target! His defenses are lowered! I can kill him!”
“You will never kill my husband!” I scream back as I throw another red energy wave at him, sending him farther back from me. A small flame begins to burn on his clothing. If only I focus… I can make it grow.
I have no time to react when King Harvey breaks the door down and, in a screaming, howling rage, throws himself at the King of the North. All I see is King Harvey’s fist rising and falling upon the King of the North’s face. In two punches, King Harvey breaks the ice barrier the King of the North had put on his face to protect himself.
Blood gushes from his mouth and nose as he gasps painfully.
“Harvey, enough!”
“He wanted to kill you!” King Harvey yells as his eyes now are silver, and his fangs are fully protruding.
The punching continues when suddenly the King of the North rises to strike. I put up a shield and when the King of the North encounters it, he screams in pain. There is a sudden blur of snow under King Harvey and the King of the North is gone.
“What the hell?” Rushing to my husband’s side, and I start to check him for wounds.
He kisses me intently and sighs into my neck out of relief.
We sit in silence.
