65 A King In Need Of Saving

The air crackled with forced merriment as King Declan and his entourage approached Gabriel and Isabella. The music dipped slightly, drawing a few curious glances their way. King Declan, his portly frame adorned in a gaudy suit, approached Gabriel and Isabella, his arm linked with his third wife, a striking woman with eyes that glittered like polished obsidian. The king radiating a faint unease, gestured towards the woman beside him.

"Gabriel," he announced, his voice booming over the music, "this is my wife, Eva."

The woman, cloaked in a gown of midnight black that seemed to devour the light around her, offered a smile that never quite reached her eyes. "A pleasure to finally meet you," she purred, extending a hand towards them. "How are you all settling into Coleridge?"