Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 129584 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 648(@200wpm)___ 518(@250wpm)___ 432(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129584 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 648(@200wpm)___ 518(@250wpm)___ 432(@300wpm)
“Not that I don’t like reading. It’s just—”
“You don’t strike me as the type to sit still for too long,” Sora finished, and Ravi relaxed again.
With the bandages in place, Ravi handed over his shirt, allowing Sora to carefully pull it back over his head.
“Really, don’t tell Lisette I said you’re so amazing. She’s great, too.”
Sora winked at him. “Trust me, I don’t want your head mage finding out I went back over her work. She’ll kick me right out of this castle.”
Ravi made a show of zipping his lips together, locking them, and tossing the key over his shoulder.
“Since you’re not too busy, would you be able to help me with something?”
“Of course!”
“I need to make an appointment to speak with the king.”
Ravi’s brow furrowed for a moment, as he looked at him like he had slipped into a language his translator spell couldn’t handle.
“An appointment?” Ravi repeated. Sora opened his mouth to explain more, but Ravi was already shaking his head and laughing. “You don’t make an appointment to speak with Hoheit. You just go talk to him.”
Now it was Sora’s turn to look at Ravi in confusion. “But you can’t…the entire clan can’t just pop in on the king whenever something occurs to them. He’d never get anything done.”
Ravi rolled his eyes a little and tilted his head to the side. “Well, I mean, people go to Hoheit for Hoheit-type things. If a mage or dragon has a magic question, you usually go to Lisette. Or if you have a security question, then Baldewin is your guy. And people are now driving Cassie and North crazy with computer questions.”
“And what’s a King Alric-type thing?”
“Big clan-related issues or even Jaeggi problems.”
“So, I shouldn’t ask him about my clogged bathroom sink.”
Ravi cackled and gave Sora a little shove toward the door. “No, I totally dare you to. It would be hilarious. I seriously doubt Alric would know what to do with a clogged sink, but I swear he would try to fix it himself.”
“My sink is not clogged, and there is no way I would ask your king about such a thing,” Sora quickly replied, horror coloring his words.
Moving toward the door, Ravi carefully pulled it open without wincing. “Come on. I’ll show you where his office is. You can see if he’s available now.”
Sora followed Ravi down the hall. Even injured, the dragon kept a brisk pace.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. He doesn’t usually have meetings at this hour, but with reporters, new mages, and the recent Jaeggi attack, there’s no telling what he’s doing right now. We can just stick our heads into his office and see if he’s free.”
Sora wasn’t so sure about this relaxed approach to the king, but Ravi was one of the king’s retainers and personal bodyguards. If anyone knew King Alric’s schedule, it would be Ravi.
He didn’t want to disturb King Alric when he was trying to effectively plan for the safety and future of the Burkhard Clan, but the news Sora carried could change many things for them.
After a couple of staircases and several corridors, they were standing in front of a massive oak door. Ravi made a fist and pounded on it a few times.
“Are you decent?” Ravi called.
Sora’s mouth fell open, and muffled laughter came from the other side of the door, proving that King Alric was not alone.
“Cameron’s not even in here!” King Alric shouted back.
Ravi turned the handle and pushed the door open. He stuck his head inside, a wide grin on his face. “Oh, so you are decent.”
Sora followed him inside to find Dieter and Gunter standing in front of a massive desk, while King Alric sat in his chair. His eyes might have been narrowed on Ravi, but a hint of a smile played on the king’s lips.
“While it is nice to see you, Ravi, I believe you’re supposed to be on rest for at least another day,” King Alric chided.
Ravi waved one hand at the king and made a slightly dismissive noise. “I’m not on duty. I’m helping Sora ‘make an appointment’ to see you.”
And, yes, he even made the air quotes as he was speaking.
King Alric smiled warmly at Sora, seemingly accustomed to Ravi’s antics. “We can speak now, if you’d like. I was just finishing up this meeting.”
Both Dieter and Gunter bowed their heads to the king before turning toward the door, but Sora took a step forward, a hand raised to stop them. Now that the moment was finally upon him, he found his heart beating like crazy. This might not go well. But he prayed it would. It took effort to keep both his expression and voice calm.
“They can stay. It may be best. Or, rather, easiest. You see, I wanted to tell you about my clan. I have petitioned my family and been given permission to fully introduce myself. Forgive me for the wait. My true name is Abe Sora, of the Abe clan, and we’re a part of what we call the Sodalicium. But I think you call us the Lost Clan.”