Ajacii and Demons: The Ingenairii Series by Jeffrey Quyle Read Free Book Online Page A

you; have you never heard a thing? And why haven’t you told me anything in all this time?”
    “ I have never heard a thing from you,” Alec confirmed. “And it just seemed empty to send you one way messages about life in Krimshelm.”
    “ It wouldn’t be empty for me!” she protested. “I wanted to hear your voice in my head so much! Promise me you’ll send me more messages,” she insisted, not long before they both fell asleep.
    “ Good morning, your highness,” Alec heard a voice, and realized there was a dim light in the room. He raised his head and saw a servant holding a candle. “Good morning, sir,” she said with aplomb, as Alec nudged Caitlen.
    The princess groaned. “It can’t be time to get up; you kept me up too late last night,” she reached over to stroke Alec’s hair, before she slowly rose from bed and padded to the dressing room.
    “ Would you like something for breakfast sir?” the maid asked politely.
    “ I’d forgotten the good things about living in a palace,” Alec murmured. “I’ll have whatever reasonable breakfast the princess is having,” he replied.
    An hour later breakfast was eaten, the princess was dressed, and she was prepared to leave the suite. “It’s been most enjoyable having you here,” she said aloud as her chamberlain waited. I miss you so much. Can’t you come back every night ? She added through the hands they held.
    Perhaps; I have to help them in Krimshelm. A great battle is coming soon. When the war is won in Krimshelm, I will be able to return. Will your court be ready to receive me? he asked.
    That is a delicate question; we’ll see what can be done , she acknowledged. But I know that it will not keep us apart. I will work on sending you my love; please send me messages. Come if you can tonight.
    As she left, Alec saw Bethany glance in the door and wink at him.
    He got dressed, still bemused by his night with Caitlen, then slipped out of the palace, catching knowing grins and nods of heads that told him the presence of a Jag in the Princess’s suite was no secret, and he ruminated as he walked away from the palace and found a secluded spot to change his color back to his own. The society of Vincennes seemed so contradictory, to place such limits on the role of women in society, yet it condoned the existence of men who were Jags, and women were freely allowed to partake of their services.
    And still foreigners were so widely discriminated against, so shunned and disdained.
    He reached the bank and waited for the doors to open, then was the first person served, and the size of his withdrawal raised eyebrows. Alec decided to take back one thousand golds as a first gift to Menard, a demonstration of his ability to provide considerable sums of funds. But it would be a bulky, heavy load, one that would create some awkward movements for him.
    Alec asked to borrow a cart to take the gold outside, and as he went around the corner, he unloaded the cart, then began to hang the small heavy bags on his shoulders, on his sword belt, and in his hands. With that he began to translocate himself over the stages of the journey to return to Krimshelm.
    Minutes later he was in a small closet near Menard’s office. He unloaded all but one bag of gold, and carried that one to the major domo’s office. When he knocked on the door, a muffled voice replied “not now,” after which Alec ignored the command, opened the door, and dropped the bag on the desk where Menard was scribbling on a paper.
    “ I said ‘not now’!” Menard exploded. “Even for a heroic foreigner, that means ‘not now’.”
    “ Look in the bag. I’ll be back with more,” Alec replied and slipped back to the closet to bring two more bags.
    “ Where did you get this? You’ve got more?” Menard asked in astonishment as he opened the bag and saw its glittering contents.
    “ I’ll be back,” Alec replied, and after two more trips, Menard’s desk was covered in the strong leather bags that