Restart Again: Volume 2 by Adam Scott (best adventure books to read .TXT) 📗

analysis of him. Judging by how intently his advisors attend to him, he’s either completely inept or new to the position. Maybe both. He’s certainly never heard the word ‘no’ before, if his discussion in the council chamber is any indication. If the people employed to give him advice are that submissive, I can’t imagine what he’s used to among the servants and common people. I resisted the urge to grin. This might actually be fun.

“So this is the man I’ve heard so much about these past few weeks?” Virram said, glancing at his advisors. “I expected somebody more...impressive, based on the stories.” He paused for a moment to give us another once over, then motioned to Lia. “You should follow her example and show respect to the man judging you for your crimes.”

“I’ve been told before that I’m not very good at showing respect, I’m afraid,” I said with a shrug. “Especially for royalty.”

The room fell deadly silent as the councilors watched Virram. With my enhanced senses, I heard a slight click as his jaw clenched, but he recovered quickly with a dismissive laugh. “That may prove to be an unfortunate decision for you.” Every word dripped with arrogance, a clear display of his belief in his own absolute authority; the tone made the hair on the back of my neck stand straight.

Virram extended his hand, and the closest advisor handed him a sheet of paper. He held it out with an exaggerated snap of his wrist and read the contents aloud. “Lux. Arrested for two counts of assault and attempted murder. Currently wanted for the crimes of evading judgement and the murder of seven guardsmen. Should be considered extremely dangerous.” He lowered the rap sheet and cocked his head. “Do you understand the severity of your situation now? Perhaps you’ve suddenly remembered your respect for royalty?”

I smiled. “I fully understand the situation.” There was another round of silence as the men on the dais waited for a show of respect that never came.

“The punishment for evading justice is double the original sentence,” Virram eventually responded. “The punishment for the murder of a city official is death. You murdered seven of my city guards.” He seemed to pause for dramatic effect as he watched me for a new reaction. “Guards, I might add, who were beloved by the citizens of Yoria.”

He doesn’t seem to understand when a tactic has failed. “As I said, I fully understand the situation.” I watched with delight as one of the councilors stood in a huff and pointed at me angrily.

“You are addressing the KING, you lowborn scum!” he shouted from his place at the right arm of the throne. “If you don’t show the proper respect, I’ll have the guards—” The man cut himself off abruptly as Virram raised a hand. The young king had a devious grin on his face as he shook his head.

“Please, Gullen. As your king, I hoped you would have more faith in me. There are better ways to proceed than yelling,” he chided as if he were talking to a small child. The councilor sat down sheepishly, and Virram once again motioned to Lia. “You there, girl. I’ve been told that even after you were informed of this man’s crimes, you chose to fight my men instead of aiding in his capture. That is a serious crime. Tell me your name, and explain yourself.”

Lia looked up from her kneeling position to address the king. “My name—”

“She,” I interrupted loudly before she could give away her name, “is the girl your seven dead guardsmen kidnapped, wrongfully imprisoned in the dungeon, and intended to torture in order to gain leverage over her father.” The words echoed harshly across the hall. Even though I had expected he would attempt to leverage Lia against me, the tactic still rankled me, and my bitterness managed to break through my calm facade for a moment. I recovered quickly and continued. “I don’t see how she is relevant to my sentencing, though.”

“I will decide what is relevant to your sentencing!” Virram snapped as he slammed his fist against the arm of the golden throne. I barely held back a smile as he attempted to compose himself. He cleared his throat and wiped a small drop of spittle from his lips, then spoke again in a more even tone. “You seem to have a death wish, Lux. Any sane man would know by now that the only way out of this chamber is by my good graces, yet here you stand insulting the most powerful man in Kaldan with witty quips. It appears nobody has ever told you that you are too smart for your own good, and that it will—”

“We can leave this charade behind anytime you’re ready,” I interrupted loudly. “As much as I’m enjoying your lovely show, I’m more interested to hear exactly why you need my help, and what you’re willing to offer me to get it.” I knew my strategy was a gamble, but the odds were stacked in my favor from the two previous encounters in my two previous lives that had played out in the same way. If this works, I’ve won.

Virram recoiled in shock, though whether it was due to my statement or the disrespect of being interrupted, I couldn’t tell. The advisor sitting at the left arm of the throne jumped up from his chair and rushed to the king’s side. He whispered into Virram’s ear so quickly, I could hardly keep up. “My king, I think it would be in your best interest to adjourn to the council chambers so we can discuss—”

“Shut up, Olten. By the Primes, shut up before I kill you,” Virram hissed. “How the fuck does he know?”

“It’s impossible, sire. The only people that know are sitting beside you.” Olten’s eyes flicked nervously towards me as he spoke. “There is no way. It’s impossible.”

“No, it’s clearly possible, because he just fucking said it!” Virram shot back. “One of you told somebody,