stood still, worried as he glanced past his King to the men standing on the stairs.
"What's happened?" Hern asked.
Before his father could clear the threshold, Conar came off the stairs and shouted, his words slurred from the effects of the rum and ale. "I will be King here!" He watched his father's retreating back. "It is my birthright. I will not allow you to take it away! I will see you dead before I will let that happen!"
Legion stared at his brother, thankful their father had not heard the threat. "Conar, that's treason!"
"Call it what you will. I will not be denied what is rightfully mine."
* * *
"I can't find him anywhere, Commander," Thom said gloomily. "My men have scoured the village and taverns. No one has seen him."
"Is his horse in the stable?" Teal asked.
Thom nodded. "I've already checked."
"Have you found out what caused the rift between the King and Conar this time?" Marsh inquired. He, like the others, stood milling about the outside entrance to the keep.
Legion shook his head. "Papa wouldn't discuss Conar with me. He said if I wanted to know, to ask my brother."
Teal glanced at him. "It must have been bad."
"Bad enough to warrant him being disinherited," Legion shot back.
Sentian Heil was propped up against the wall beside the front entrance. He knew. He had known since the ship ride to Oceania a year earlier. Obviously, the King had taken the news as the prince expected, only with more retaliation and vengeance.
Storm Jale came through the big double doors from the keep's interior. His face was white with shock. "Tell me it isn't true, Legion. Tell me His Grace hasn't joined the Domination."
"Where the hell did you hear that?" Legion snarled.
"I know it can't be true; but I heard it straight from His Majesty. He sent me to get High Priest Tohre and I heard them arguing. The King told Tohre he would see the priest in the Abyss for what His Grace had been forced to do. He said His Grace was being disinherited. Tohre told him that was just as well since His Grace would soon be leaving for the Great Abbey of the Domination to fulfill his obligations to them."
Legion sat on the stone steps. "I don't believe this."
"Makes sense," Teal remarked. "If Conar has joined that bunch, his father is well within his rights to take the throne from him."
Sentian raised a thick dark brow. "He did what he had to do."
"I disagree," Teal shot back. "There's no acceptable reason this side of the Pit."
"There has to be more to it than what appears on the surface," Legion said.
"There is," Sentian assured him. "He did it to protect his lady."
"But still—" Marsh began.
"Still what?" Sentian thundered. "Are you condemning him, too? What do you know of his motives, Edan? You were at Norus, weren't you? You saw how desperate he was to get back his lady. He felt he had no other choice. Those bastards didn't give him any other option! Where the hell do you think he ran off to that day?"
"But the Domination, Heil!" Teal argued. "He has always hated them. How could he let himself be used like they use one another?" He shuddered, remembering vividly what his older brother, Roget, had told him about the secret sect. "They do unspeakable things!"
Sentian sneered. "And you think because he joined them he's done unspeakable things?"
"Or let them be done to him," Teal mumbled.
Heil's voice was deadly calm as he glared at du Mer. "I thought you were his friend."
"Easy, Sentian," Thom warned. "Du Mer has a right to his opinion."
Sentian fixed the tall man with a look of hatred. "Opinions like that could get His Grace exiled!"
"He should have thought of that before he allied himself with that trash," du Mer shot back.
Sentian looked from one man to the other. "Do you all feel like that?"
Thom and Marsh looked away, unable to accept the challenge they saw written in Sentian Heil's dark eyes. Storm Jale looked away, too, his mouth hard and bitter. Teal glanced at him and then looked to Legion.
"You're deserting
"What's happened?" Hern asked.
Before his father could clear the threshold, Conar came off the stairs and shouted, his words slurred from the effects of the rum and ale. "I will be King here!" He watched his father's retreating back. "It is my birthright. I will not allow you to take it away! I will see you dead before I will let that happen!"
Legion stared at his brother, thankful their father had not heard the threat. "Conar, that's treason!"
"Call it what you will. I will not be denied what is rightfully mine."
* * *
"I can't find him anywhere, Commander," Thom said gloomily. "My men have scoured the village and taverns. No one has seen him."
"Is his horse in the stable?" Teal asked.
Thom nodded. "I've already checked."
"Have you found out what caused the rift between the King and Conar this time?" Marsh inquired. He, like the others, stood milling about the outside entrance to the keep.
Legion shook his head. "Papa wouldn't discuss Conar with me. He said if I wanted to know, to ask my brother."
Teal glanced at him. "It must have been bad."
"Bad enough to warrant him being disinherited," Legion shot back.
Sentian Heil was propped up against the wall beside the front entrance. He knew. He had known since the ship ride to Oceania a year earlier. Obviously, the King had taken the news as the prince expected, only with more retaliation and vengeance.
Storm Jale came through the big double doors from the keep's interior. His face was white with shock. "Tell me it isn't true, Legion. Tell me His Grace hasn't joined the Domination."
"Where the hell did you hear that?" Legion snarled.
"I know it can't be true; but I heard it straight from His Majesty. He sent me to get High Priest Tohre and I heard them arguing. The King told Tohre he would see the priest in the Abyss for what His Grace had been forced to do. He said His Grace was being disinherited. Tohre told him that was just as well since His Grace would soon be leaving for the Great Abbey of the Domination to fulfill his obligations to them."
Legion sat on the stone steps. "I don't believe this."
"Makes sense," Teal remarked. "If Conar has joined that bunch, his father is well within his rights to take the throne from him."
Sentian raised a thick dark brow. "He did what he had to do."
"I disagree," Teal shot back. "There's no acceptable reason this side of the Pit."
"There has to be more to it than what appears on the surface," Legion said.
"There is," Sentian assured him. "He did it to protect his lady."
"But still—" Marsh began.
"Still what?" Sentian thundered. "Are you condemning him, too? What do you know of his motives, Edan? You were at Norus, weren't you? You saw how desperate he was to get back his lady. He felt he had no other choice. Those bastards didn't give him any other option! Where the hell do you think he ran off to that day?"
"But the Domination, Heil!" Teal argued. "He has always hated them. How could he let himself be used like they use one another?" He shuddered, remembering vividly what his older brother, Roget, had told him about the secret sect. "They do unspeakable things!"
Sentian sneered. "And you think because he joined them he's done unspeakable things?"
"Or let them be done to him," Teal mumbled.
Heil's voice was deadly calm as he glared at du Mer. "I thought you were his friend."
"Easy, Sentian," Thom warned. "Du Mer has a right to his opinion."
Sentian fixed the tall man with a look of hatred. "Opinions like that could get His Grace exiled!"
"He should have thought of that before he allied himself with that trash," du Mer shot back.
Sentian looked from one man to the other. "Do you all feel like that?"
Thom and Marsh looked away, unable to accept the challenge they saw written in Sentian Heil's dark eyes. Storm Jale looked away, too, his mouth hard and bitter. Teal glanced at him and then looked to Legion.
"You're deserting
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