We hadn’t been served any food yet—the broad golden plate at my place was empty and the golden goblet was as well. So I looked around the Feasting Hall some more, being careful not to meet anyone’s eyes. Instead of the Drakes and their mates, I pointedly studied the architecture, which was well-worth studying.
Like the Audience Chamber, the Feasting Hall had a high, vaulted ceiling. But instead of marble, this ceiling was made of colored glass. The vast, round dome showed a scarlet dragon flying in a blue sky and shooting orange and yellow flames. The dying sun, shining through the glass mosaic, cast colored shadows on the white marble floor, making a beautiful display.
After everyone was seated and all four of the double tables were filled, servants came around and filled everyone’s plates and goblets. The food looked and smelled to me like a cross between Spanish tapas and Indian cuisine—two types of food I had loved back when I was human.
Though human food often smelled disgusting to me now, this actually seemed intriguing and I wished I could try it. However, even touching my tongue to my fork let me know that my body wouldn’t be able to process it. So I was stuck just pushing the food around my plate and bringing nearly-empty utensils to my mouth to try and make it look like I was eating. I did the same thing with the fruity-smelling wine in the goblet, bringing it to my mouth and pretending to sip.
After everyone had been served and was busy eating, Ari’s mother rose from her carved wooden chair and rang a dainty-looking golden bell. Though it was small, the bell was powerfully loud in the large, echoing chamber. Everyone stopped eating and drinking and looked at her expectantly.
“Honored guests and members of the Court,” she began, speaking loudly and enunciating her words so that everyone in the vast dining area could hear her. “Today is a glad occasion for us all. My son, Ari, the Alpha-to-be, has chosen his L’lorna. Her name is Kaitlyn Fellows and she hails from the human world.”
At this information, an angry murmuring began at all the tables. But nobody said anything outright until Sasha Sanchez, Pedro’s mother, rose in her seat and shouted,
“This girl is not a Drake! How dare your son break the Edict and bring a non-Drake among us as his L’lorna? How dare you flaunt his choice in our faces when you know she brings bad luck to us all?”
Before Ari’s mother could answer, Mr. Seahorse rose from his place on my shoulder and charged at the angry woman’s face, chiming angrily. She gasped and jumped back, nearly tipping her chair over. Only the large snout of the green dragon behind her, who was doubtless her husband in Drake form, saved her from going ass-over-teakettle as my Mom used to say.
“What was that you were saying about my son’s L’lorna bringing bad luck, Sasha?” Ari’s mother raised one dark eyebrow delicately. “As you know, chimelings were thought to have all died out and yet one found Kaitlyn and claimed her for its own—just as my son’s Drake claimed her,” she said, raising her voice so that everyone could hear. “And everyone knows, the presence of a chimeling is powerful good luck. So I think you’d better reconsider your words.”
I was awed at the way she was sticking up for me! If Ari and I ever did get married, she would make an awesome mother-in-law. But though her words seemed to at least make the other women at the banquet look at me differently, Sasha Sanchez kept the nasty expression on her face.
As though she’s been sucking lemons all day, I thought and Ari’s Drake agreed with me.
As Mr. Seahorse flew back and landed pointedly on my shoulder, drawing murmurs of admiration from the women at the feast who hadn’t noticed him before Ari’s mother pointed him out, Sasha Sanchez straightened her gown and pulled her chair back up to the table. But she still wasn’t done. Leaning towards Ari’s mother, she hissed at her in a whisper that carried,
“Just because you come from peasant stock instead of nobility you think you can foist another peasant-born queen on us—and this one with scarred skin with not a drop of Drake blood in her veins. Well, you won’t get away with it, Maria! Those of us who come from the noble houses have been waiting for decades to have a proper queen in your position—we won’t be cheated out of it now!”
“What I think, Sasha, is that you’d better be careful what you say in the hearing of my husband’s Drake.” Ari’s mother gave her a level stare. “He does not take well to having his L’lorna criticized—nor does my son’s Drake appreciate your unkind words about the female he has chosen.”
As she spoke, both Ari’s Drake and his Sire’s Drake turned to glare at the angry woman and I noticed definite clouds of smoke drifting from the senior Drake’s nostrils. The green Drake behind Sasha’s chair bared his teeth but edged ever so slightly back when the other two huge beasts leaned towards him. Clearly he wouldn’t be able to fight either one of them alone—let alone both together.
“I believe you have offered insult, Sasha,” Ari’s mother said grimly. “I think you’d better make an apology to both me and my new daughter.”
She nodded at me as I sat there, trying to keep my chin high and my shoulders straight. The other woman’s nasty words had hurt me—though not as much as I might have expected. She was angry about her son and now I could tell where Pedro had gotten his nasty attitude from in the first place.
Sasha
