“Then you draw your dagger and show him what it means to cross the Blackwoods. Wyvern hearts bleed just as easily as men’s.” Amiranthe had said the words but did she truly mean them? Her brother by blood sat on the throne, Usteon, and she knew that this would not end well. As she had watched her boy grew up, she noticed the darkness of his father with the looks of her uncle. She didn’t see much of herself in her son, perhaps the darkness that lurked was not from his father but from her.

Amiranthe stabbed the meat with her fork, again and again. Falyse, behind her, coughed softly as she arranged her tight bun. There was not satisfaction in those blue eyes, secretly Amiranthe knew that the woman had trained her, with her demeanour and her slight movements.

Unusually she did not wear black instead a dress blue and moonstones that trailed down the edges towards her feet. The bodice had a Hart elegantly embroidered at the hem. Falyse nodded and Amiranthe bowed as her son entered the room. Edmund wore a doublet of maroon, even as his greatest friend Yurn Glyntfenn trailed behind him. Yurn wore a cloak with trimmed silver snakes that trailed down his arm. The heir to the Glyntfenn house, Yurn always strutted around with that smug look on his face as though there was something he knew that you didn’t.

Edmund was blind to this, whether consciously or not. Yurn, seeing that lady Amiranthe was seated at the edge of the Hartwood table, bowed before taking a seat opposite her. “My Lady Amiranthe, I hope that the flame has blessed you with rest this night.” Unconsciously she touched her necklace, a gold cast necklace which had a wyvern breathing fire shaped like a torch. Edmund raised a hand, Falyse ready to accept a command. She motioned for two of the servants to provide wine for the lord and her guests. The strangest part of this day was Falyse not wearing black.

“Yurn, how do you fare?” Yurn slicked his black eyebrows which were juxtaposed with the shock of red hair. He wore his chainmail inside, Amiranthe could see Falyse’s withering gaze on her guest. Amiranthe may not like his family but she must try with Yurn. “I am well; it seems that there is great unrest in the land at the moment? There has been talk of rebellion against Usteon.”

“It would be unwise considering what happened to Trystan and that Bellachian whore.” Yurn noticed the edge in her voice it seemed; perhaps she would have to temper it some.

“Mother, you know that Trystan was a fool, he chose the wrong generals to win his war. That was the problem; he allowed himself to be forced into a stalemate.” Falyse motioned to two her servants, who were bringing out three plates of roast boar, with freshly baked bread and cheese. Amiranthe noticed the knife, it would be fast enough, sharp enough to get Yurn with. Falyse seemed to know what she was thinking, and moved the knife closer to Edmund.

“Will that be all, my lord, my lady.” She bowed to each in turn. “And if I may master Yurn, I think his downfall was that he believed that Usteon deep down wanted peace. That and he should never have trusted Dansen.” Yurn, shuffled his chair and opened the door for Falyse, she bowed as she left.

“A shrewd woman you have there, Edmund.” Amiranthe stood up from her chair, and walked towards Edmund. Edmund kissed her hand, he offered her a goblet.

“Yurn, I know that your family allied themselves with Usteon in the war, why?” Yurn put his goblet down then brushed his forehead with his sleeve.

“There were reasons and certain conditions.” “What reasons were so important that you betrayed your liege in favour of the King?” “You said it yourself…the king, our king. Usteon was Erik’s brother, your husband.”

“Stop bandying your words, Yurn“ Edmund said “be careful what you say of my father. He may have been my sire but he was still a bastard.” Red Erik, the man that she had been forced to marry. She still remembered the wyvern merging their souls. She had pleaded with her father; she had begged and screamed at her mother. Red Erik had been the king; she had had no choice but to drag her feet as she was married. After that…after that she had blanked it out.

“Mother, are you well?” Edmund was holding her up, Amiranthe’s feet had betrayed her, the world shifted and moved as she remembered.

“Amiranthe, Edmund. Find Falyse and bring her, tell her to bring the wet silver.” Amiranthe tried to reach for a goblet, but the muscles in her hand denied her. Amiranthe had had the tremors ever since she had been suffering from pains in the head. The Alchemist had told her the only way to cure it was the liquid silver, the headache was gone but then the tremors started.

“Lord Edmund, we must not give her the silver. It is making her worse, you can see that the tremors are getting worse.” Falyse said. “Mother…”

“Do not give it to her” Yurn agreed “I have seen this before. You remember my uncle Hugh? He also took Silver and that drove him mad.” Amiranthe was never so glad to have Yurn as her son’s friend as she was now. She nodded appreciatively.

“For now we will not give it you but if your symptoms worsen we will continue.” Amiranthe nodded, Edmund had more of her in then Erik. Amiranthe wiped the tear; Amiranthe couldn’t bear to go through that again. 

Next Chapter: Shattershots