Chapter 24

•City of Mountains•

•Kaniva - Capital of the City of Mountains•

•Ravier's House•

Butler Hart opened up the doors from within for Lady Reta, he was the only servant permitted to remain in the reception room but he was constrained to stand in a corner to wait on them.

"They've been waiting for you, said they wouldn't begin serious talks till you've poured wine." He whispered to her before speaking out loud.

"Her Ladyship! Lady Reta Ravier!" He announced to the rest of the room, swinging the doors open so that Reta could glide in with her maids.

Reta flinched at the way they all turned their heads to watch her walk in, she had never been more grateful for the rule that stated that Ladies should not speak in a gathering of men.

She bit her lip to hide the trembling, it also helped that the lower part of her face was hidden behind a black lacy fan, two black, long, and thin strips of gauze were tied to her wrists.

She slowly made her way to the front of the table, they had chosen the small reception room which could house ten to fifteen people at the same time, all seated on imposing high backed chairs around an immense table, a somber fireplace crackled in a corner of the room.

All done in black, of course, everything was marble with inlaid diamonds, even the chair upholstery was done in black.

When she got to the front of the table, she paused and bowed deeply, her head bowed. Her maids followed suit but they were required to kneel and place their heads on the ground while all Reta needed to do was curtsey.

She remained bowed for one tense moment that always seemed endless to her, plus it also annoyed her. She understood the bowing part but why make her wait in that position for an unnecessarily long time.

"You may rise, Lady Reta." Her father's voice luckily released her from her self imposed punishment.

"You may rise, maidservants." She murmured to Aleya and Taluka quickly, from behind her fan before she could even fully get up from her curtsey, pleased when the girls gratefully got up and got back into their positions behind her.

No more words were needed after this except the Cabinet Ministers who were rowdy and throwing jabs at each other.

She poured wine first for her father, who sat at the head of the table with a stoic expression, his bright red hair graying at the sides.

Next was Duke Falcon, he had upsettingly bright eyes and eyed Reta in a way that made her feel like he was visually preparing her for a shroud.

She hid her shiver well as she delicately poured the red wine into his crystal cup, the wine looking like spilled blood.

The next person she would have to pour wine for made her skin crawl and she did not bother to hide her shiver as his tepid brown eyes latched onto her, Duke Scarlett.

An average individual who fancied himself as a ladies man, Reta didn't care for all that but the psychological trauma she went through because of the shifty Elf was bothersome.

As she made a move to pour his wine from a crystal decanter into his crystal cup, Aleya remained true to her words, sidling up beside Reta and the Duke so that he wouldn't be able to brush her wrist or grab an arm.

She all but ran from him when she was done pouring his wine, her older brother was next and she couldn't help but notice his tight expression. She had a feeling he knew what Scarlett did every time she was called upon to pour wine but he never said anything to her, and she never asked either.

Next were the Barons in their customary white robes with ruby red girdles and belts, she was required by tradition to serve the Dukes first even before the Head of the Lower Cabinet.

Baron Edgen was a portly man, on the smallish side with greying hair around his head, the top of his head was a shiny pink dome.

Even though he looked thoroughly nondescript, his bland features couldn't hide the intelligent blue eyes deeply set into his chubby face.

He reminded her of a cheerful, old fisherman she had seen once during one of their vacations to the seaside.

The next Minister was a burly Baron, with huge meaty arms and a bushy beard, he looked more like a Low class Elf than a Cabinet Minister.

She didn't mind this at all even though she knew that the other Ministers used this against him often, in her opinion Baron Orn was a pretty decent guy.

As soon as the last drop of red wine she was supposed to pour plopped into the cup, Reta didn't hesitate to quickly but carefully drop the decanter back on the crystal tray at the center of the table, making her way back to the table to bow once more.

Rin watched his sister practically run out of the room when their father gave the go ahead for her to rise again, as he watched her go out, absently he wished he could do the same.

The frequent gatherings were tiresome and it didn't help that they always discussed the same things.

 "Jiva." Falcon began, taking a generous sip from his cup of wine. "You always serve excellent wine." He complimented and Rin had to stop himself from rolling his eyes.

The annoying chit said that every bloody day.

But his father, the ever graceful host, regally tilted his head. "Thank you Rit, I had them pressed at my winery."

Rit Falcon took another delicate sip and pinned the Head of the Diamond-Black Faction a hard look. "Indeed, I hear you had one of those in one of the west villages if I'm not mistaken."

Rin clenched his jaw at this jab. 'bullshit' Falcon already knew this.

But Jiva just smiled graciously and took a sip of his glass of wine as well. "I have more than ten and none are in the western villages." He corrected in a voice full of patience.

Rin was already boiling though, everyone knew that the winery was the backbone of the Ravier House's income and the west villages were located in Stone Town which was to the west, the poorest region in the City. He had no patience for small talk, even worse was the genial discussions between the High Class Elves, it exhausted him.

"Pardon my memory, it gets faulty these days." He chuckled lightly, eyes hard because he couldn't tick Jiva off which had been his plan all along. "Right, Zen?" He prodded coldly, still glaring at Jiva, crushing his wine cup in a fist.

"Of course." The shifty Duke replied, ever ready to be an alibi. "Were you not telling me the other day that…"

Rin just tuned out his irritating voice, he knew what the Dukes were trying to do, he knew because they did it at every gathering. They were trying to fluster his father so that they could get information out of him when his guard was down, Rin was proud of his father for not showing any weaknesses, he knew that this was part of what he would have to tolerate when he became the Head as well.

"Heard from the King yet?" Rit finally asked what they had all gathered for, although he asked the question absently like it wasn't so important, Rin could tell otherwise as his bright eyes sharpened.

"Not yet but at most in a fortnight we should get a message from his Majesty." Jiva explained patiently, crossing his long slender fingers over the table.

They weren't going to like this.

He was right.

"You said that last week!" Rit exploded.

"And the week before that." Edgen added quietly, nodding in his habitual way like a sleepy lizard.

"I only relay what I am informed of." He said quietly but his voice hardened just a tiny little bit, making Rit straighten his back. Jiva was still the head after all.

All Raviers were, it had always been that way, the first Head of the Diamond-Black Faction ages ago had been a Ravier, and ever since then, it was decided that it would forever remain in their bloodline.

The Ruby-White Faction decided their Heads by election, eligible Barons were chosen and the rest we're required to elect.

"Of course." Rit agreed and dipped his head down. "My apologies, my Lord, I'm just a worried subject, trying to inquire about the King."

"I understand Rit but even I haven't been granted access to see the King, the Royal Physician expressly stated that no one at all was to interrupt the King's rest.

"Then surely the Queen should have something to say." Baron Orn spoke up in his rough voice. "Uprisings are beginning, the people are calling it the 'Reckoning'"

Jiva's face hardened at this, the 'Reckoning' was the period between a Monarch's death, the crowning of a new Monarch, and the chaos that is birthed from it.

"The 'Reckoning' you say?" He repeated, pinning the buff Baron a dangerous glare from his pitch-black eyes. "Don't get ahead of yourself Orn and don't think that I am unaware that it's the Cabinet Ministers that are spreading the rumors of the 'Reckoning'." He concluded, pinning each one of them a death glare.

"That's a highly accusatory statement to make…" Rit said smoothly an evil light coming into his eerie pale eyes.

Rin resisted the urge to slam his head on the marble table in front of him, his expression however was as stoic as ever, similar pitch-black eyes to that of his father coolly taking everything in.

Today was going to end up being another endless and exhausting day filled with meaningless words and pointless arguments but that was exactly what Rit wanted, all he needed was one show of weakness from Jiva and he would swoop in faster than a vulture on a dying prey.