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Arthur sat back a little "For thea bit er, isn’t he?"

"My dear, there is soto think hed "Maybe you are"

"Well, one cannot be an illusion and a traitor," he said ly

"You’re not a traitor" I burand plan--so ure out what everyone else’s plans are--and where, in the midst of it all, you sit, I will keep those plans to myself"

"I’m queen I sit on the top," I said proudly, and Arthur smiled

"Amara, the queen very rarely sits on top You have all the power, but you will come to find that, essentially, you make very few of the decisions"

"So I’m a puppet?"

He cupped my hand in both of his "But you are not alone I will not see them control you"

"I didn’t realise they were" I frowned at the distant cliffs

"I know And this is why I watch from the sidelines, rather than to step in and make my point known Very few people notice a pahile the Bishops are rallying around the queen"

"And very few ever worry about the king, either, do they?"

"No And I i things from behind the scenes somewhere--unnoticed"

"You think?"

"I know" Arthur nodded "He always kne to play a hand, make you think you’d won until he blew you out of the water He was under Drake’s rule long enough to pick up soies"

I s for hi it was just some kind of ploy, you know, that maybe he found out about i his death"

Arthur gently rubbed his hand against his heart "When I first discovered io back?" I asked delicately "To the chao see his remains?"

He shook his head "I wanted to I wanted to sweep them from the fireplace and set the ony of thatwhere, when I was a child, uests to dine and dance To reach that door and find myself unable to enter was the final straw for me I left the castle and haven’t returned"

"I’ to say soet rid of Drake, you can refurbish it and e the fact that I’ve seen sopeople I loved"

I couldn’t help but to s about what Arthur said before "You must have known him pretty well--like, better than he knew hi in the background, using his queen as a pawn--a distraction fro so "If he was alive, that’s exactly what he’d do"

Arthur reached across and, using his thumb, swept a piece of dried seaweed away froh to know that, too I’ht back to the school football field--David’s secret sold tones in the sureen of his eyes that turned blue e made love "Hey, Arthur?"

"Yes, h to marry her, why did he betray her?"

"Power," he said sinificant, paranor"

"So he sold the infor like that"

"What did he ask for?"

"The power to transform into any creature he desired, so he could stalk the homes of men, feed from them, unnoticed"

"Really? For blood? That’s it?"

"Yes" Arthur scratched the base of his ear and took a breath "You have to understand, he was a vaed by the love of a human--still driven by the raw, voracious blood-obsession"

"And what did Drake do--did he give him the power?"

"Yes He did And after Lilith’s death, Peter disappeared"

"Where did he go?"

"No one knows So we call Petey, but it’s all speculation--no way to be certain"

"Wow Petey? A vampire?"

"Like I said, it’s a rumour--a very old one One I personally do not believe" Arthur brought his arms forward and dusted the sand off his hands

"So, how did Peter actually discover Lilith could die? Like, what brought him to discover her head could be chopped off?"

"They had a certain ahed into his hand "It was a love of raw passion, filled with neurotic hate"

"So, what? He just chopped off her head one day?"

"Well, he had no reason to believe it would co to cut her--"

"Ew That’s so awful"

Arthur srets that decision now," I said

"I i"

"Oh, he’s a dog," I said "Maybe not Petey, but he’s a dog all right--a dirty, e, Amara Until you have endured the path of those you scorn, your opinion should reet exhausted being so fanatical about this judge not stuff?

"Yes" Arthur laughed warmly "I actually do"

After a deep, cal sky I felt better now--lighter, not so clouded "Thank you, Arthur I really needed to talk to someone"

"Well, Prin--ers in his "Anyti and come to your aid--you need only look at me with those pretty eyes, and I’m all yours"

"Thanks"

"Like I said, anytiet Mike to agree, would you be on my Private Council?"

He se, and it is an honour that you even asked, but…I must decline"

"Why?"

"Because I believe I a a friend"

"That doesn’t make sense"

"Perhaps not to you, but--" he paused for a long tiht were several different directions of conversation "I care for you, and I areat queen Despite that…I’ve been forced to keep some secrets, Amara, and I know you will trust ood However, if I were on your Private Council, I would be obligated to tell you such things"

"Like what?"

He s the point of the word secret"<ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>