Nikolai eventually sated his desires; the dense time with Sarah came to an end, with her unable to walk, remaining in the room. He stepped into the main hall of Vladik's palace. Tonight would be a banquet related to Zara's death.
Unlike a wake, the Djinn celebrated life and death.
Tonight was the celebration of Zara's life, and after today, Nikolai would lose his title and powers.
"Brother-in-law."
"Nikolai? Are you having a good evening?"
He thought that being a king would mean sitting on a throne, ignoring the other people and dealing with important business. But in Al'Qutar, the king and queen spent time with the guests, speaking, drinking and lamenting together.
"It's as good as it could be."
Vladik's lips twitched as he leaned closer, whispering in Nikolai's ear.
"Don't lie, I know you've done nothing but fornicate with that woman for the twelve hours!"
"Eh, how did you know?" Nikolai shrugged, pretending to be shocked.
