Free Mortal Enchantment by Stacey O'Neale Page B

chances, I took one tiny sip.
    A council member with incredibly long white-blond hair turned to Jarrod. ‟Any word from the search party?”
    Jarrod cleared his throat. ‟They haven't found anything near the area where we believe he was taken. Not a single clue was left at the scene. They have searched through every inch of our territory and found nothing.”
    This was exactly as I’d feared. They were no closer to finding him than they were the day I arrived. And instead of helping them, I was preparing for the Ball, where I was sure to embarrass myself. I tried to hide the panic brewing in my chest. ‟What about the other courts?” I asked. “What have they found?”
    A few of the council members let out an irritated gasp. It seemed even the sound of my voice annoyed them. ‟We must be cautious when requesting information from the other courts,” Jarrod said.
    ‟Why?” My voice was sharper than I had planned.
    A pixie-cut blond woman with purple jewels in her hair turned to me with eyes squinted. She seemed pained to make direct eye contact. ‟This is a delicate situation we're in and protocol must be followed. We cannot simply ask the courts for their results. It would be taken as an insult. We must trust that they will tell us when they have new information.”
    Her snotty tone was enough to earn her my bitch stare. It took every ounce of my patience not to give it to her. ‟So, the plan is to wait on them for information?” I shook my head. “We have to come up with something better. Perhaps, if I could go to the council meeting and speak to the leaders of the other courts directly? Maybe—”
    ‟Princess Kalin,” Jarrod interrupted, a softness to his tone. ‟We empathize with your urgency for results, but you have to understand, we have our own methods for getting these matters resolved.”
    What I understood more than anything was that my father would not be found anytime soon and the system I was working within was only making the situation direr. There had to be some way for me to move the search along. I had to find a way into those council meetings, but how? Learning my power and preparing for the Ball took up the entire day. I didn’t expect either to let up anytime soon.
    Rowan had said he wasn’t part of my court. Because of that freedom, he probably knew Avalon better than anyone. Maybe I could persuade him to help me? My muscles weakened. It had been a while since I’d eaten. The servants had already left with the appetizers before I sat down. I reached out, plucking a few of the berries from the massive centerpiece. I popped them into my mouth.
    A large piece of the bitter fruit lodged in my throat. I gagged, unable to breathe. In a panic, I grabbed the tablecloth. The tug on the fabric was enough to knock the wine glasses over, spilling on several council members. They collectively shrieked. I tried to stand. Jarrod raced around the table, positioning behind me to perform the Heimlich maneuver. After a few seconds, I spit the berry onto the table.
    ‟They're not edible, Princess. Only meant for decoration.”
    In between my heavy panting, I heard curses and laughter. I wished I could sink into the floor. This evening had been a total disaster in every way. I had to get out of here. Without another word, I headed for the door while Jarrod pursued me.
    ‟You don't have to leave,” Jarrod said. “We can go back.”
    ‟No,” I croaked.
    ‟Then at least let me escort you to your room.”
    Since he was still following me, I didn’t appear to have a choice. I kept a pretty fast pace as I headed to my bedroom. Behind me, I heard something that sounded like a chuckle. I stopped. When I turned, I saw it was Jarrod laughing. My chest filled with anger. I pointed behind him. ‟You think all that back there was funny?”
    Jarrod pressed his fist on his mouth, clearing his throat. ‟My apologies, Princess. I wasn't laughing at you. It just occurred to me that your mother had a very similar