04 Silence by Kailin Gow Read Free Book Online

had grown to love. Then Sophie moved over to Prince Vigor, who was still busy scowling over at them in silence. It seemed that her newfound youth had done something to bring out Aunt Sophie’s mischievous side, because she walked around him the way she might a statue, but then suddenly reached out to pinch the Prince’s rear. Prince Vigor yelped and spun towards her, reddening.
    “Ah, so you are real,” Aunt Sophie said. “And there I was thinking that you were just some sort of artwork with all that chisel broodiness. ‘Prince, scowling’ perhaps. So, are you going to give your step-cousin a hug?”
    Vigor looked briefly confused by the whole thing. “A what ?”
    He seemed slightly embarrassed by the whole episode, and even more embarrassed when King Waltham stepped forward to put an arm around Aunt Sophie’s shoulders, drawing her away from him.
    Being rescued, Briony suspected, wasn’t the Prince’s style.
    “Sophie, Vigor has spent no time in the human lands. Their customs are something he is not used to.”
    Hugging was a human custom? Briony thought back to the way the King had hugged her. Apparently, not all hugtandalfs had a problem with it.
    “ Well, we ’ll just have to get him used to it, won’t we?” Sophie said. She stepped forward as if to enfold Vigor in a crushing hug, but the Prince stepped back.
    “Stay away from me,” he snapped, and then stalked past them, exiting the rooms. King Waltham looked after him with regret.
    “Forgive Vigor. My adopted son has little time for things beyond our lands.”
    “ Well, we ’ll just have to change that too,” Aunt Sophie said. “Briony may be a Hugtandalfer, but she is still human. I don’t want Vigor or anyone in Palisor holding that against her.”
    Waltham reached out to pat Briony’s hand.
    “You have to forgive Vigor, Briony. When I did not know of you, I raised him to assume the throne. He has always believed that to be his destiny, and now, finding out that he must share it with you, he is angry.”
    Briony hesitated for a long moment. She didn’t like Vigor’s attitude. Of course she didn’t. But she didn’t like this talk of sharing thrones any more than that.
    “Why should Vigor have to share?” she demanded. “If he was raised to become king here, why shouldn’t he do that? I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, but I don’t want to be anyone’s ruler. I have a life back in Wicked. I’m needed there. I have friends there, a brother, and Kevin and Fallon …” She looked at Aunt Sophie, “and a diner and Preservation Society to run…”
    King Waltham looked shocked, and even Leytham seemed a little surprised. “But you are my blood heir,” the King said. “Palisor will be strengthened by it. If there is a legitimate blood heir to the throne, it cannot be ignored.” It looked as though he might say more, but he seemed to think better of it.
    “We will speak again after the feast. For now though, servants will have gone to your tower. You should prepare for the banquet.”
    Briony took the hint, and she walked back over the bridge to her tower with Aunt Sophie. Leytham stayed with his brother, apparently having further things to discuss, while Archer trailed a little way behind them until they got to the tower, but then led the way.
    “If the King wants you to ready yourselves, then you will need to go to the preparing room,” Archer said, leading the way along flights of stairs to a room with elegant lattice-work doors. “ I ’ll leave you to get ready.”
    As the dragon-shifter left, the doors opened, swinging out towards Briony and Aunt Sophie to reveal a large room with a balcony, where a trio of Hugtandalfer women were laying out dresses. The one who had opened the doors appeared no older than Briony or Aunt Sophie did, and smiled at them as she saw them before dropping into a curtsey.
    “Welcome, your highness, my lady. Everything is ready for you.”
    Briony didn’t know what to say to that, so she settled