Grim sighed, long and loud as he leaned further back in his chair. "What are our options than?"
The man who had first spoken, lashed out again with vicious, condescending words, "Is that not while you are here, Highness? To provide us with options and to command your loyal servants?"
For years now, Grayson Raeborn had been challenging Grim. From the moment the Bloodspurn King had begun to lose his mind and Grim had taken over, the man had decided he wanted power and control. But everything came with a price.
Raeborn was willing to sacrifice his position, his family, and his own self in his pursuit of power. The man had lived centuries, manipulating which ever king came into power because the former was assassinated or some other thing. Grim knew that the most dangerous job in the Underworld was not of a Collector, Messenger, PeaceKeeper, Council Member, or Guard, it was that of a king. Paws, that's all kings were; discarded as soon as they became inept and replaced with another pawn, by another Council. He had known this since birth, that the monarchy was simply a figure for the people to love and support. Grim knew that the real power lie with the Council of Guardians and the Watchers. His father had accepted it in exchange for having the one thing his heart desired. His father had forsaken his power, so that he could break a rule without consequences.
Grim was not his father and would not make his mistakes. The man would continue to challenge him, continue to needle him until he seceded power and became another figure head. But that was not the person Grim wanted to be. He was going to be king, that had been his birthright always, but he would choose the kind of king he wanted to be.
"You challenge me, Grayson," Grim's words were soft, not a question but neither an accusation. He rose fluidly from his perch. "We are in a time of crisis, and you sit there and play power games.
"Have I not been lient in my response to your attitudes? Have I not been fair?" Grim placed his hands on the back of the other reapers chair and felt Raeborn's power lash out at him like a cornered animal. The temperature in the room dropped, so cold that the council members noticed the frost collecting on their cloaks and the icicles twinkling in the air. "You have tested me for the last time."
Grim's voice boomed with power as he stepped aside then hauled Raeborn's chair back until it slammed against the wall. He was in front of the reaper in a second, hands gripped around the arm rest, body blocking the other reaper in. "
I hereby sentence you to three centuries in the Puluto Desert.
"
The command was absolute, laced with power even a reaper could not escape. It was the power passed down from each Bloodspurn King, absorbed from the ashes of their victims. He didn't use it often, had never used it with a Council member, but than there had never been a point before.
Angry and outraged power flashed out, trying to coil around Grim, but with a single word he suppressed it. "
Stop
."
Fear permeated the council room, thicker than any soup. It was a great motivator, fear. It was what built his kingdom, what had sustained it for years. Grim knew that, understood its place in the grand scheme of it all, but he did not like it. Fear was temporary, a thing that could be overcome by something even more powerful. Devotion, love, loyalty, those were the things of substances and eternity. Grim understood this, accepted that he would need them, and do anything to get them.
He turned away from Raeborn and to the council at large. "This inner bickering and power struggle will come to an end now. I am your king, the one you have sworn allegiance to. If you would like to challenge me, to try and manipulate me as your tool, then you can join Raeborn on his journey."
Silence reigned in the room, and Grim knew he had just cemented his role. Too many of his people had died, too many things had been left unchecked for him to continue to pussy-foot around the issue at hand. He had to step up, accept that he would be king, that he would marry a girl many considered the enemy, and accept that he could not just think of himself in first person anymore, because he wasn't just him, he was every single reaper in the Bloodspurn kingdom. They were the only ones who governed him.
"We are all in accordance then?" Grim spoke the words softly, his gaze lingering on every member of the council. No one turned away, no one spoke out of turn. This was a new beginning, a new term in their history.
Grim gave a quick nod and then summoned a fog to conceal his form as he shifted into his human skin. Half a blink later he stood before the Council of Guardians in form-fitting black slacks and a blue fisherman's sweater that matched his eyes. He would not conform to their dictates, not suffer their nonsense. He was who he had always been, a Bloodspurn King. It was time he started to act like it.
Striding purposely back to his chair, Grim spared Raeborn a glance. "You may start your journey. Leave immediately."
With mechanical movement Raeborn rose and than left the room. The minute the door closed, it was as if Grim could breath again, like a huge weight had been lifted.
"We can take PeaceKeeper trainees and post them in different locations, ones that have not been targeted yet, but ones we suspect might be." With that one line, thoughts and ideas began to flow easily in the room. Every council member voiced their opinion or ideas on the best course of action to ensure no other reapers in the kingdom died.
Grim relaxed back in his chair, letting his tight muscles unwind. This was the kind of council he wanted, one that was bent on the protection of the Bloodspurn people. Still, he could feel the dissension in the room, old ways clashing with the new. It would take time, Grim knew, to reach a state where each member thought of themselves as an extension of their province, but they had made headway.
And as all eyes turned to him for his thoughts, Grim knew that he had made the right call; that despite his lack of choice, being a leader was who he was. "It is decided than," his voice boomed around the room as he stood abruptly. "We proceed with the wedding, but we keep close watch over the Castoffs. Take a few Royal Guards and place them in vulnerable regions. Try to find out who is killing our people, and what makes them a target. And if you have any other concerns or would like to speak to me privately, do so." With that said, he left the room.
