Page 72 of Ocean of Silver

“Ah, yes,” he said as he took a step closer to me. “I wanted to inspect her appearance. She needs to be dressed appropriately in order for this to work.” I felt like I was already on display as he scanned my body from head to toe. “Come here, girl.”

I glanced at Tezya before I closed the distance between me and the King. He spun a finger, indicating for me to turn around. “I want to see the back.” My chest felt like it was in my throat as I waited with my back to the King. I’d never felt so vulnerable in my life. A shiver escaped me as cold fingers grazed over my shoulders, and I knew he must have moved from his spot by the mantle. But I hadn’t heard footsteps.

Tezya’s body tensed as I was forced to face him. The King gently pushed my hair over my shoulder, exposing the intricate straps of the back of my dress. It took everything in me to remain still as his fingers traveled down my spine. He hooked a finger through the straps and tightened the dress, making my breasts show through the fabric. “That’s better, but you’re not quite ready yet.”

A heavy weight went across my neck, and I jolted before I realized what he was doing. “I am aware that the Dark Prince can speak telepathically. I don’t very well want you ruining our plans by communicating with him,” he said as he clasped the necklace around my neck. The Alluse ran through me, and I knew it was Complete as I felt all connection to water dissipate. Ever since I had been training with Tezya, I’d learned to sense the element everywhere, to know where to look for it since I could only manipulate. I was loving wielding it and getting better at it too, but now, with the Alluse blocking me, I didn’t feel whole. I felt my connection to water snap, and I hated it.

“Have a servant fix her hair so that it’s up. I want her back on display,” the King ordered Tezya as he spun me around again, this time so that I was facing him. He leaned forward, wrapping his hands around my neck, choking me for a split second before the necklace was off again. The sensation of my powers immediately flooded back into me, leaving behind the numbness of the chain. He chucked it at Tezya, throwing it over my head. “Have Arcane make a different one. I want it tight around her neck, not dangling. Other than that, she’s ready,” he smirked, looking down at me.

A man crept out of the shadows. I jumped, almost twisting my ankle on the ridiculous heels I was forced to wear. I hadn’t realized someone else was in the room.

“Hello,” the stranger grinned, still half submerged in darkness. His voice was raspy and menacing, and I realized he was far worse than the King. When he finally stepped into the light, I noticed his skin was as pale as his opal eyes. “It’s been far too long, Tezya,” the man smiled as he eyed Tez from behind me. His voice felt like nails were digging into every part of my skin, grazing down my body, leaving blood tracks in its wake.

Tezya grabbed my arm and pulled me back toward him. The man arched a thin, red brow. His dull hair was nothing like Vallie’s firecracker red. It was rough and coarse and lifeless. There was nothing alive or natural about him.

“Athler will be watching you throughout the night, making sure that you are both believable. If either of you do not act accordingly, he will see to it that it’s fixed,” the King remarked.

I inhaled, finally putting a face to the King’s second in command.

“That won’t be necessary,” Tezya rasped through gritted teeth, his hand still gripping my arm.

“For your sake, I hope so.”

Tezya’s grip tightened slightly. “And what exactly is expected of us?”

Athler smiled.

* * *

The meeting tookan eternity to finish as I waited for the second portion of the evening to start. I wasn’t allowed inside. Since I wasn’t a Royal or a member of either Council, I was forced to wait patiently outside until it was over. Tezya sent away the Luxian soldiers that the King ordered to watch me and had Brock stay with me instead. Neither of us said anything. I was too anxious to actually speak, and Brock, luckily, didn’t seem to mind the silence.

The King demanded that my hair was styled up off my back, so I couldn’t twirl the long, loose ends like I normally did when I was nervous. I had nothing to do, but sit, look pretty, and wait, which was not boding well for me. I couldn’tnotfidget. I didn’t know what to do with myself as I waited and waited and waited for the meeting to be over.

Many times I contemplated asking Brock how much longer it would be before I thought better of it. They held this meeting annually. Both Kingdoms had a year’s worth of things to discuss, so of course, it was expected to take a while. I just wanted this entire night to be over. I wanted it in the past. Even if that meant it was a bad memory, I wanted it behind me.

At some point, I started endlessly picking at the skin around my nails. I was filled with so much dread, with adrenaline too, that I didn’t feel any pain as I took chucks of skin off. It was torture, just sitting here and waiting, knowing what was to come after. What we were instructed to do…

It wasn’t until nightfall—when Tezya found us and took in my frantic, anxiety-ridden state and the skin I had just torn open—that I noticed what he saw. Blood dripped down from my nail to my palm before it disappeared, just vanished like it had never existed. It dawned on me then—why I never felt anything—Brock was taking away my sense of touch to the area while healing me at the same time. That’s why it wasn’t painful, why my fingers were still intact.

“I’m sorry,” I gasped as I stared at my hands. New skin had already formed around each fingernail. How long had I been sitting here doing that? How long had Brock taken away the pain and healed me over and over, only for me to do it all again? He never said anything—hadn’t complained once. He just let me, knowing I had to let off the tension coursing through me somehow.

I quickly shoved my hands behind my back so I couldn’t pick at them anymore.

“No worries,” Brock smiled softly. He looked at me with sympathy and understanding. It made my gut turn and had me dreading tonight that much more.

“Are you okay?” Tez asked once Brock stood and walked away, leaving us alone in the hall.

No—no. I wasn’t okay. I wasn’t ready, but I nodded, embarrassed at myself for not noticing what Brock was doing. For being so consumed in my own head that I hadn’t paid attention to the pain he was taking on or the power he was using to heal me. “Yup,” I said instead. Tezya didn’t seem to believe me, so I diverted, “How was the meeting?”

“About as painful as that,” he mocked, gesturing toward my healed fingers.

“Very funny.” I blew out a breath, then stood from the bench I’d been sitting on all day.

“You ready?”

“I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. I just want to get this over with.”

Tezya squeezed the top of my right shoulder once. “Me too,” he whispered, then pulled something out of his suit pocket. It was the new necklace the King requested. Silver flashed in the setting sun, and I saw glimpses of the necklace reflected in Tezya’s eyes. It was a plain thick chain with no pendant or pretty designs on it. Just metal linked to more metal, and I got the impression that it was made to resemble shackles, just a prettier and less obvious version. I held my hand out, ready to take the necklace from him, but he shook his head. “Let me.”

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