“My King,” Nash asked, “is this necessary?”
Immediately, Agamen lashed out in a condescending voice, “How dare you question the King!” he said, stepping closer to Nash threateningly with his hand raised.
Nash instinctively tried to stop time so he could move away from Agamen, but his ability failed to work again.
“Stop!” King Sargus commanded. Agamen stopped his hand in mid-swing and looked to the King, who stared back at him. “You overstep your authority, Agamen,” the King scolded him.
Agamen looked hurt. “I am sorry, my King,” he said, resuming his former position and posture. He scowled at Nash when the King could not see him.
“I understand how you feel about killing women, Nash,” King Sargus said and looked away in shame. “Sometimes it is necessary, though, and we are unable to come up with an alternative.”
“What about the groom?” Nash asked.
“We considered that,”King Sargus answered. “The window of opportunity would be extremely small unless you found some way to kill him as he traveled from Drenad to Praetha, and even if you did, King Hugue has several sons. It would only delay the wedding.”
Nash considered the information he had been given. Agamen was clearly irritated that the King was treating Nash more like an advisor than an assassin. “How many sons does King Hugue have, and what are their ages?” Nash asked.
King Sargus was intrigued by Nash’s persistence, and he smiled. “You have a plan?” he asked. “There are three boys. The eldest, who is the groom and heir to the throne, is eighteen. His brothers are sixteen and thirteen.”
“King Sargus, I must protest,” Agamen began to say, but the King held his hand up as if to brush him off. He stopped talking and brooded.
Nash ignored Agamen and considered his options.