The great courtroom—normally large enough to hold thousands—felt suddenly small. The King and his ministers gathered to discuss the most important issue: the Prophecy.
"Milord, everyone is talking about this," said one councilman.
"Stop it, Robert!" another snapped. "You believe there's someone in the Flores Kingdom with abilities that surpass the King and the royal bloodline?"
King Sebastian raised a hand. "Stop talking. Who is this person? If it is a man—kill him."
Albert, the councilman who had warned Robert, hesitated. "Milord, it's a woman. She seems harmless—just a princess whose mother was a werewolf and whose father is a vampire."
"Bring the woman here," Sebastian ordered.
Albert shook his head in disapproval. "Milord, she's only fourteen. I don't believe she has the powers Robert claims."
Robert cut in. "I saw her once. She had blue eyes and wore a hood. I followed her, and she came at me with a knife."
"You scared the poor girl," Albert said. "What was she supposed to do—bring you flowers?" The King looked fatigued; the Prophecy felt like a distraction. The girl could be a hybrid, he thought. A child.
Then Robert added, "No! That's not it. Her eyes changed—blue to gold."
The courtroom fell silent. Even if she were a hybrid, she was only fourteen. Werewolves don't usually show themselves so young, and vampires with golden eyes usually belonged to the oldest pure-blood generations.
"Are you sure that's what you saw, Robert?" Sebastian asked coldly. "You aren't inventing this to hide the embarrassment of being bested by a child?"
"No, Milord. I am telling the truth." Robert's voice was steady.
"Let her live, Milord," Albert pleaded. "She's only a child and harmless."
Sebastian's face hardened. "Tell their family the King will visit tomorrow. And Robert—if your information is false, I will snap your neck and show the council what it means to waste the King's time."
Robert grinned. "You won't have any trouble, Milord." He smelled an opportunity for revenge. Even if she was a child, she should never have hurt him.