Aydra zoned out as her brother began discussing the crops coming in from the Village of Dreams. Her gaze darted around the room, until finally landing on the young prince and princess standing at the back of the room. She gave her sister a wink and a small smile, to which the princess chuckled under her breath.
“—of the precautions you’re taking for the next Dead Moons,” she heard her brother say.
Her attention averted to Draven as he moved his leg off the side of the chair and leaned forward, the snug black cotton tunic and leather vest he wore tightening around his rippled muscles. He cracked his neck and his gaze flickered around the faces in the room.
“Precautions?” he repeated in his low, raspy voice, a sharp brow raising on his forehead.
“You remember what happened during the last,” Rhaif continued. “Half the Village’s sheep were taken.”
“Then perhaps you’d better instruct your hunting parties to back down on how many deer they take in the next month,” Draven smarted as his long hair fell over his shoulders.
“You’ll learn to control the whereabouts of these creatures, Venari,” Rhaif growled.
Aydra snorted.
The entire room stared at her.
She huffed amusedly and shook her head, staring at her brother. “You cannot be serious,” she laughed. “Venari control where the Noctuans hunt? They are wild animals, not pets.”
“I cannot believe I am saying this, but…” the annoyed twinge in Draven’s taut jaw was apparent “—your sister is right,” he finally managed. “They are wild animals. To contain them to the forest, you would have to ask the Nitesh place one more curse on their heads.”
“She is due to arrive at one of our near meetings,” Rhaif said. “Perhaps we will.”
Draven’s nostrils flared. “The only reason they leave the Forest to begin with is if they cannot find food,” he said slowly. “They would not risk going so far from the darkness and chance being caught out in sunlight if their hunts were plentiful. Halt your parties from going inside the Forest until after this cycle. Give the forest a chance to be inviting to them again.”
He paused and looked around the table, head shaking in apparent disbelief. “I ride all over the Preymoor and Bitratus Hills to get here, and all I see are deer and rabbits. Yet you send your men into my realm to hunt, pushing the food out. They no longer fear the openness. They fear the forest.”
“As they should,” said one of the Dreamers. “It has taken us years to get these animals trained out of there.”
Draven’s jaw clenched and Aydra heard his knuckles crack above the table in his tightened fists. “You admit you are trying to starve us and the Noctuans then.”
The Dreamer, Ash, said nothing in response, and instead his gaze flickered to Rhaif. Rhaif’s nostrils flared impatiently, and he held a lazy hand up to Ash to quell his words.
“No one is saying such, Venari,” Rhaif said in a calm tone. “We merely ask that you—”
“How exactly do you expect me to control them?” Draven asked, his arms crossing over his chest.
“Send your men on hunts and ensnare their meals for them,” Rhaif smarted, “Just take care of it.”
A great bellow of a laugh emitted from Draven’s lips. “You want me to hand feed them?” he mocked. He shook his head and leaned forward again, the play of a sarcastic smirk playing on his lips. “Perhaps I’d be better giving them the location of this castle. Let them have a taste of royal blood.”
Rhaif lunged out of his seat, but Aydra shoved him back down.
“Not here,” she hissed at him.
A glint of amusement rose in Draven’s gaze, and he relaxed in his chair once more. Rhaif straightened his high collared black and shining gold long shirt and cleared his throat. His eyes flickered around the room, annoyance clearly still settled in his core.
Aydra sat forward and clenched her fists over the table. “Ash, Haut, can you not hunt in the Preymoor for the next few weeks? Or focus on fishing in our own backyard?” she asked of them.
Ash and Haut exchanged a look that she wasn’t quite sure how to take. They looked down at the end of the table towards the Venari, and then back to Aydra.
Ash finally gave her a nod. “We’ll increase the fishing parties. Give our men a shake up of their routine.”
“Thank you,” Aydra declared triumphantly. “Now, what else can I straighten out before my brother finds his voice again?”
A nervous chuckle radiated around the room. Her eyes found Draven’s across the room, and he gave her a silent nod of appreciation, one that had never happened before.
It wasn’t that she had any sort of soft spot for him, but his creatures, the Noctuans, were another story. The Noctuans were creatures who only were able to hunt during the Dead Moons, or when the moons vanished for a fortnight and complete darkness took over the land. A misunderstood group of creatures. They were feared by most because of not only their appearance, but because most were blood thirsty—which who could blame them if they were only allowed out to hunt four times a year.
“And as a last matter,” Rhaif said as he sat up, “there is the need to discuss the pests suddenly running amuck in our streets.” His eyes flickered across the table, and Draven’s head tilted just noticeably as every other person in the room turned to look at him.
Draven’s eyes darted
