𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆'𝐒 𝐂𝐑𝐘

Chapter 12

On a particularly sunny afternoon, Kaida found herself standing on the glass bridge.

It overlooked the chalk cliffs behind the Palace, which eventually dipped into the icy depths of the South Sea.

The bridge was more like a well ventilated greenhouse with 2 glass walls and a glass ceiling connecting a walkway.

It was incredibly high and it was a test of nerve walking across it.

Kaida was hesitant at first, but once she found her place right in the middle, a wave of calmness washed over her.

The view was picturesque and the summer sky was dotted with tufts of fluffy ash clouds which held back some of the golden rays shooting from the Sun.

From her periphery, Kaida caught a lone figure approaching her.

"Don't you have King stuff to be doing?"

She shouted

"Can a King not take a break?"

Was the sarcastic reply that met her

Maven was dressed formally, his Kingly regalia completed by the twisted crown on his head.

When he stood beside her, he stood facing her with his back to the view, elbows propped up on the railing.

He tilted his head back exposing his jawline and the contours of his neck and closed his eyes.

The crown did not shift an inch.

"To be honest, everyone is stressing me out today."

Maven breaths out a sigh and Kaida can see his eyeballs roll through his closed eyes.

"The Council does not listen. The Lakelanders have advanced and they are shaken up, but I am not afraid. I need for them to come forward, so they can be trapped."

Maven's fingers flex absentmindedly

"And then Ayala Viper is breathing down my neck about finding the Guard. She is a stubborn one. The Guard are planning something, they will be weakest when they come out of the shadows. That is when they will be vulnerable. She does not have patience, she wants to act now."

Kaida listens as he gives her an insight into what he's up to these days. What he's thinking.

"How do you know?"

One of Maven's eyes snap open to glance at Kaida.

Careful

"How do you know the Guard are planning something?"

Kaida presses on fearlessly.

Did he have a spy on the inside?

"Intuition."

That is all Maven gives her in response.

"You know what, I never should have started. I came to find you to avoid talking about these things. This is not the Guard's time. This is not the Lakelanders time. It is yours."

"Well then, I guess I'll have to make the most of the next 10 minutes."

Kaida teases but Maven is so busy, she barely sees him during the day.

She still smiles through it, and Maven smiles back apologetically.

Kaida shifts around to stand directly in front of him, and with his relaxed stances she did not even have to tiptoe much as she stretched her arms to remove the crown from his head.