Madman's Gambit - Part 22

Lada made it to The Room of Rooks in record time. As she approached the door, she slipped her hand into her smock to extract the small apple she had brought for Rostya.

She remembered the first time she saw Otac Darko feed his tiger, Akim, a pitted cherry, she was disproportionally flabbergasted, as she had grown up on the belief that the massive predators ate flesh and flesh, alone. And yet, the beast who was sired from a long lineage of well-honed hunters rested at the feet of the king, rolled onto his back for stomach rubs and sweet treats.

Lada liked to think Kolya was still like that – hard and severe, but willing to be loved and fed treats on rare occasions. But, then again, she hadn't seen him since Otac Darko's funeral – not alone.

Of course, she had paid her respects, as the entire staff of Castle Mechi did, but to personally speak with her childhood friend, embrace him tightly, reminisce on the life of his father, she hadn't been yet given the opportunity.