Read Online Sons (Book 2) by Scott V. Duff - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Scott V. Duff
Ads: Link
reverberated off the walls.
“That’s why we didn’t want to wait in the van,” Ethan said loudly, grinning down the table at me. That got the rest of us laughing, but it panicked Harris and Fuller. They nearly sprinted the last half of the room to get to the dais. Peraza followed at a more sedate pace but he knew what was going on. Phillips was with him, whispering in Peraza’s ear the same story he’d told Fuller.
Another gong sounded in the background. Apparently this was a universal signal that I wasn’t clued in on that meant it was time to eat as everyone started moving more directly to tables. If there was assigned seating, I didn’t see how anyone knew which was theirs, but there weren’t any disagreements on seats that I saw. Fuller came up behind his chair nervously as I watched the room fall into order. The two vice-presidents, I think the North American man was called something else, were the last to walk up the side aisle from the door and take their seats on the dais.
As Phillips started to pass behind him, Fuller stopped him with a whispered, “Where’s Seward?”
“Still working on that third issue,” Phillips whispered back. “I’ve sent someone to remind him of his priorities, sir.” Fuller nodded curtly and pulled his chair out.
He took a more pleasant and conversational tone with me, almost like flipping a switch. “I hope you’ve had a pleasant evening so far, Mr. McClure,” he said.
I choked on the water I was sipping, laughing a bit. “I guess you could say that. It’s been interesting, anyway,” I said, noncommittally.
“So I’ve just been told,” Fuller said to me as Phillips sat between Peter and me. “I apologize for your earlier… difficulties and appreciate your discretion in not bringing down my house because of them.”
“You’re welcome, Mr. Fuller,” I said. “I didn’t think it necessary to destroy such a magnificent building just because some officious twit felt the need to test me. Speaking of… Mr. Phillips, where is Mr. Seward? Still having problems, is he?”
“He should be here momentarily,” Phillips answered, avoiding the poke at Seward completely.
“I doubt that,” I said chuckling. Seward was actively trying to overtake the wards along with three other men at the moment. From what I could see, they were a good distance away in the house.
“You’ve been a busy young man the past few months, Mr. McClure,” Fuller said, changing the subject.
“Yes, it has been a busy and difficult few weeks, that’s for sure,” I answered as a small mob of waiters took to the floor carrying wine bottles and an assortment of beverages. “I think we’ll be able to slow down a little after Thursday. We need to slow down anyway.”
“I can’t imagine, truthfully,” he said, picking up the cork from a wine bottle a steward had just placed on his right. He glanced at the bottle being presented to him, then felt and listened to the cork as he squeezed it lightly. He nodded once and the steward poured a small amount in his glass, which he twirled, looking for some quality lost on me. “Did you know what you were getting yourself into, when you took that power away from the elf?”
“No, not at all,” I said. “I was just trying to kill him before he killed me. And there was no question that he had to die that day. He’d already tried to take Ehran and Ethan, probably my Dad, too. Then all of us at Grammand on top of that? The Rat Bastard had to die.”
“Will you be taking over his agreements as well as his kingdom?” Fuller asked, then he sipped the sample of wine. He nodded again, so the steward filled the bulbous glass halfway, stepped to my right and filled mine the same, leaving the bottle sitting on the table between us.
“I didn’t take his kingdom,” I answered, shaking my head. “His kingdom was in the Wyldes of Faery and was destroyed quite thoroughly by the Queens
“That’s why we didn’t want to wait in the van,” Ethan said loudly, grinning down the table at me. That got the rest of us laughing, but it panicked Harris and Fuller. They nearly sprinted the last half of the room to get to the dais. Peraza followed at a more sedate pace but he knew what was going on. Phillips was with him, whispering in Peraza’s ear the same story he’d told Fuller.
Another gong sounded in the background. Apparently this was a universal signal that I wasn’t clued in on that meant it was time to eat as everyone started moving more directly to tables. If there was assigned seating, I didn’t see how anyone knew which was theirs, but there weren’t any disagreements on seats that I saw. Fuller came up behind his chair nervously as I watched the room fall into order. The two vice-presidents, I think the North American man was called something else, were the last to walk up the side aisle from the door and take their seats on the dais.
As Phillips started to pass behind him, Fuller stopped him with a whispered, “Where’s Seward?”
“Still working on that third issue,” Phillips whispered back. “I’ve sent someone to remind him of his priorities, sir.” Fuller nodded curtly and pulled his chair out.
He took a more pleasant and conversational tone with me, almost like flipping a switch. “I hope you’ve had a pleasant evening so far, Mr. McClure,” he said.
I choked on the water I was sipping, laughing a bit. “I guess you could say that. It’s been interesting, anyway,” I said, noncommittally.
“So I’ve just been told,” Fuller said to me as Phillips sat between Peter and me. “I apologize for your earlier… difficulties and appreciate your discretion in not bringing down my house because of them.”
“You’re welcome, Mr. Fuller,” I said. “I didn’t think it necessary to destroy such a magnificent building just because some officious twit felt the need to test me. Speaking of… Mr. Phillips, where is Mr. Seward? Still having problems, is he?”
“He should be here momentarily,” Phillips answered, avoiding the poke at Seward completely.
“I doubt that,” I said chuckling. Seward was actively trying to overtake the wards along with three other men at the moment. From what I could see, they were a good distance away in the house.
“You’ve been a busy young man the past few months, Mr. McClure,” Fuller said, changing the subject.
“Yes, it has been a busy and difficult few weeks, that’s for sure,” I answered as a small mob of waiters took to the floor carrying wine bottles and an assortment of beverages. “I think we’ll be able to slow down a little after Thursday. We need to slow down anyway.”
“I can’t imagine, truthfully,” he said, picking up the cork from a wine bottle a steward had just placed on his right. He glanced at the bottle being presented to him, then felt and listened to the cork as he squeezed it lightly. He nodded once and the steward poured a small amount in his glass, which he twirled, looking for some quality lost on me. “Did you know what you were getting yourself into, when you took that power away from the elf?”
“No, not at all,” I said. “I was just trying to kill him before he killed me. And there was no question that he had to die that day. He’d already tried to take Ehran and Ethan, probably my Dad, too. Then all of us at Grammand on top of that? The Rat Bastard had to die.”
“Will you be taking over his agreements as well as his kingdom?” Fuller asked, then he sipped the sample of wine. He nodded again, so the steward filled the bulbous glass halfway, stepped to my right and filled mine the same, leaving the bottle sitting on the table between us.
“I didn’t take his kingdom,” I answered, shaking my head. “His kingdom was in the Wyldes of Faery and was destroyed quite thoroughly by the Queens
Similar Books
