“My borders at Sixth Kingdom, as you well know. I am simply acting monarch here until Fulke’s heir can come of age.”
His green eyes gleam. “Indeed.”
I bristle at his tone, at his very lackadaisical demeanor.
Ravinger leans forward, the markings on his neck and face unnerving. For a moment, I think I see them move, just as the rotted fissures outside slithered across the ground when he was showing off his magic.
“If you’re looking for a formal apology, you won’t get one,” he tells me. “They weren’t even your soldiers, they were Fifth’s. Yet I thought it best to deliver them, considering your alliance with this kingdom has been so vocal. I wouldn’t want you to get the wrong idea, King Midas.”
“And what idea would that be?”
“That I am someone you can cross.” His statement lands bluntly, a strike of strength without even moving.
“And I’ll remind you that I haven’t crossed you. Sixth Kingdom has no qualms with Fourth.”
Ravinger lifts a hand and glances around the room. “And yet, here we are, in Fifth, right at the center of a qualm.”
If I could only reach across the table and choke off his miserable throat, rot-filled veins be damned.
“King Fulke was dealt with,” I say, not letting him ruffle me. “Unless you want to murder an innocent boy for his father’s sins, Fifth Kingdom is no longer your enemy. It was a last-minute attack from an eccentric king who’s now dead. I had nothing to do with it.”
“I have reports that say otherwise.”
All previous amusement is gone from his face in a blink. In its place, there’s something dark. Deadly. I’m reminded in an instant of how powerful he really is, which is exactly what he wants.
Despite myself, I feel a chill raise the hairs at the back of my neck.
“Your reports are inaccurate,” I reply steadily. I don’t dare look away from his eyes, no matter how much I want to.
One mustn’t look away from a predator.
“Are they.”
Not a question. A demand. To prove it.
I hold my arms out, the calm gesture of a benevolent king. “Surely we can come to an agreement. I want no battle from you, King Ravinger.”
“That’s unfortunate, since my army is already poised and at the ready, and as you said, you’re the acting ruler here.” The unnatural lines on his face remind me of war paint, marks of aggression created from his malignant magic. “The fact is, Fifth’s army attacked my border, and I do not let such offenses go unpunished.”
My rising worry is sharp. I feel it like rigid corners that dig beneath my skin, threatening to pierce through.
I’m close. So close to securing my hold here. I can’t afford this battle, because we would lose.
“Some would point out that there have been reports indicating you have been encroaching upon territories that are not your own. Perhaps that’s why Fulke attacked. He was protecting his borders,” I put in carefully.
Ravinger grins, but it’s not a smile, not even close. It’s a baring of teeth, and all that’s missing is the snarl.
He leans forward. “Prove it.”
I can tell his four soldiers are watching me, though I can’t see their eyes through the slits in their helmets. I look at the thorned one, my eyes flicking over the sharp points on his armor. He looms, as dark and heavy as the rest, his presence meant to remind me of the army outside.
My eyes drag back to the king. “As I said, I want no battle with you.”
“Then it seems we are at an impasse,” Ravinger replies with a shrug, as if deciding to wage a battle is of little consequence.
But really...it is of little consequence to him. I’ve observed Fifth’s soldiers. Ravinger’s army will obliterate this kingdom. He wouldn’t even have to use his power to do it.
“Surely we can think of something else, in order to spare innocent lives,” I offer with a placating smile. “Reparation for the attack on your border, for instance.”