164
The King had sent his private jet to fly me to France. It was almost an eleven hour flight and I sat wondering what the King could possibly want from me. Apart from the invitation was a detailed itinerary of what to wear, when to be at the airport and when I would arrive at the King’s chateau.
When I stepped off the jet a black SUV with dark tinted windows were waiting for me. The front door opened and a man stepped out, dressed identically to Archibald, and opened the rear door for me. He bowed his head slightly as I climbed in and almost immediately the driver sped away from the jet.
“Mr Grey, upon your arrival at the chateau, you will be shown to your quarters to freshen up. The King will receive you in his personal office for refreshments and your official meeting. Tonight the King hosts a ball in honour of the crown prince’s seventeenth birthday,” the man next to the driver said.
“I guess I better brush up on my etiquette,” I said with a smile as the driver glanced at me in the rear view mirror.
We drove in silence for a few minutes and the car slowed as we neared a heavily manned gate. The guards were all armed as they checked the undercarriage of the car and gave the go-ahead for us to enter the property.
There were guards everywhere, some hidden and some in plain sight. This was my first taste of royalty and I immediately hated everything about it. The grandeur and wealth dripped off everything and I instantly missed the island with our less than extravagant cabins.
“Welcome to Chateau de Haviland,” the butler said as he escorted me inside.
It was a beautiful castle like structure, the grounds were huge, the gardens beautiful and the view over the Vienne River magnificent. The inside was just as extravagant as I had expected it to be and nobody smiled.
“Please follow me Sir, my name is Roland and I’ll show you to your quarters,” he said as another man insisted on carrying the small overnight suitcase.
The suite I was allocated was large, furnished in navy blue and gold. It looked like a very expensive hotel suite. A large flat screen tv was mounted to the wall across from the large king size bed. There was a dressing room and a large bathroom. I had access to a balcony and thick woods surrounded the property as far as I could see.
“I shall return in forty minutes to escort you to the King’s office,” Roland said and closed the door behind him.
“Thanks Roland,” I said loudly as I unzipped my suitcase and took out three suits. I wasn’t planning on staying here for more than one night.
True to his word, Roland had knocked on my door forty minutes later and I followed him down halls and staircases as he led me deeper into the chateau to where the King awaited my arrival. We passed many workers and I could sense their dragons like I had never sensed it before, it was like Abeloth was on high alert.
“Who do we have here Roland?” a young woman asked as she closed a door behind her and appeared in the hallway.
“This is Mr Grey, he has a very important appointment with your father,” Roland said.
“Well hello there Mr Grey,” she said and smiled at me.
“This is Princess Alexandra de Haviland,” Roland said.
“A pleasure Princess, please call me Ryder,” I said.
“Charming and good looking, whatever does daddy want with you?” she asked me.
“I’m about to find that out myself,” I said.
“I do hope you’re staying for the ball tonight, I’ll reserve all your dances,” she said and walked away.
Roland cleared his throat as I stared after the Princess and knocked on the door she had just exited. He waited approximately five seconds before opening the door and announcing me. The King looked like a normal person with his tie loosened and his jacket hanging over his chair.
“Thank you Roland,” he said and indicated for him to leave.
“Your Highness,” I said and bowed my head.
“Please take a seat,” he said as he rounded his desk and walked towards the sofa’s on the other end.
On the table was a bottle of scotch with two glasses and an ice bucket. It was a grand office and I wasn’t sure what I was expecting but it certainly wasn’t this casual King that poured me a drink. I sat down and took the glass he offered with a smile.
“Ryder Grey, born the second son of Sire Lucas Grey, elite hunter at age seventeen, Sire of Princeton at age nineteen, exiled for marking a woman while married to another, created your own tribe of all kinds in Bushnell and currently working for the Elders as hunter all at the age of twenty-five. How’d I do?” he asked me with a smile.
“You’re very informed my King,” I said.
“Please call me Rex in private. I like to know things about people. Is it true that your son was riding a wolf when Archie came to see you?” he asked me and I smiled at that.
“We’re very casual on the island,” I said.
“How old is he now?”
“Almost two,” I answered him.
“I lifted your exile for a very specific reason,” he said and gave me a pointed stare.
“And that reason is?”
“I’ve heard only good things about you, your temper not included. You’re a very skilled hunter, fantastic at what you do and you always get your man. There aren’t many dragons that can kill a vampire on full speed,” he said.
“I can also kill dragons,” I said.
“Ah yes, your last assignment was quite flat by the time he was discovered,” he said.
“Abeloth can be somewhat dramatic at times,” I said.
“I have a proposition for you Ryder, one I would very much like for you to accept,” he said.
“I’m listening.”
“I want to appoint you as the new King’s Assassin,” he said and leaned back into the sofa.
“What happened to the last one?” I asked him.
“The King has never had an assassin before, it’s a position created for you and I have no doubts that you’d be perfect at it,” he said.
“What would this position entail?” I asked him. Abeloth had perked up at the word assassin and I could feel his bloodlust rising.
“You’d be sent a name and a location and in return you’d be paid handsomely with proof of death,” he said.
“I don’t kill children,” I said.
“Good heavens no. These people are enemies of the throne, rarely women and never children,” he said.
“I can work with that,” I said.
“Your identity will remain hidden and instead you’ll be introduced as a security advisor to the throne and a personal friend of the King,” he said.
“Are we friends now?” I asked him and he laughed heartily at that.
“I think we could be,” he said.
“What’s the catch?” I asked him.
“You start tonight,” he said and leaned forward. “You also don’t ask me why I want these people dead.”
“You are my King and my duty is to serve and protect the throne,” I said as I stood up.
“A true dragon warrior. I’m glad to know that for once the rumours were true,” he said and stood up.
“Thank you my King, it will be an honour to serve the throne,” I said.
“Tell me though, why did you mark another if you were already set to be bonded?” he asked me.
“It’s a long story but my bonded half was presumed dead and the other woman got pregnant so I married her. My friend and I went to Montana to find a missing girl and by chance I saw her, she had no memory of who I was or her previous life and I knew from other cases that going to the dragon realm would bring her memories back.”
“You just go to the dragon realm?” he asked me.
“Abeloth grants me passage,” I said.
“So the gray dragon is the strongest in existence then,” he murmured softly and I didn’t think that he intended for me to hear that.
“So in the dragon realm Typhon bonded us since we were bonded halves,” I said.
“You’ve met Typhon?” he asked me with wide eyes.
“Haven’t you? Don’t we all meet Typhon when we merge with our dragons the first time?” I asked him.
“No, we don’t. This is the first time I’ve ever heard of anyone speaking directly to the father dragon,” he said.
“I feel the need to go to Typhon,” Abeloth said in my mind.
“Ryder, a word of advice if you don’t mind. Don’t tell people that you can travel to the dragon realm at will,” he said.
“The Elders of Illinois know,” I said.
“And they’ve never reported it, with good reason,” he said.
“Why do you look so worried?” I asked him.
“There are people that would try to use you to their advantage, people that will determine that the strongest beast should rule over our people,” he said.
“I would never betray the throne,” I said.
“What happened to the people that took your wife?” he asked me.
“I never said she was taken,” I said and looked at him as my eyes flashed yellow.
“I’m the King Ryder, do you really think I don’t know what’s happening everywhere?” he asked me.
“Their trail ran cold, I could never find any more information since no more women went missing after I found my wife,” I said.
“I think it’s because they realized the flaw in their grand design,” he said and I nodded. I had come to the same conclusion, it wasn’t that difficult to break through to them and make them remember.
“My King, if you’d like I can take you to Typhon,” I said.
“It would be the greatest honour of my life to meet Typhon,” he said as his phone pinged and he looked apologetically at me.
“You said earlier that I start tonight,” I said.
“This man needs to be silenced, preferably quietly,” he said and handed me a photo of a young man.
“Consider it done,” I said and handed the photo back to him. I could already feel the excitement flowing from Abeloth to me. The King had a new assassin and Abeloth relished in keeping the throne safe from whoever dared to attack it.
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