Page 30 of Light Up the Night

“She has never been bested.” He laughed. “No, that is what will bring the masses to praise you and peek at her. They are alert because her troops will likely already be on the march and thirsting for blood.”

“What do we do?” Keif asked, putting his hand at the small of my back. He quickened our pace a little but never took his eye off Pariah.

“Hope that Lady Time shows us favor. It is imperative that Azaria cave before they arrive.”

It sounded like the Torch of the Sea had erupted again. The closer I drew to the cells, the louder it became. The first thing I noticed when I opened the door was King Ryver kicking at the door of his cage.

“I will sign your death warrant and see it through myself!” he promised, thrusting his hands through the bars. He almost managed to grab ahold of Pariah. “You’re a traitor and a fucking coward.”

I instinctively swung the staff. It connected with his arm and made an ugly cracking sound. He growled like an animal and stalked me with his eyes before returning his attention to Pariah. He spat as hard as he could but fell short of hitting his target by a few feet.

I sniffed as if the whole thing were beneath me and scanned the other cells. Messiah used his torch to light the other half of the room, illuminating the warrior within. She wore full armor, and on the floor at her feet was a helmet with long black feathers.

Her eyes followed me in a feline way that left no question toward her desire to pounce.

“If I had that stick, you’d be dead already,” she sang with a toothy smile.

“Let us not speak of death.” I did my best to sound like Isabella. Regal and fearless. “I do not want conflict with you, but make no mistake, we will not speak of peace, until he is returned.”

“He? That fool we dragged out of here?” She laughed and cast a handful of braids over her shoulder. “He isn’t worth having. All his hardness with slaves, he cried like a baby when I split his tongue.”

I narrowed my eyes on her and gripped the staff a little tighter. What was wrong with people on this side of the world, who did that type of stuff?

“Why would you do that?” I asked, unable to filter my many thoughts.

“It had to happen.” Azaria replied with a shrug that I could have smacked her for.

“What the fuck could he possibly do…” I began, still unable to comprehend the benefit of it, aside from pure sadistic amusement.

“He threatened my life,” Azaria clipped.

I laughed quietly and used the staff to point toward her man.

“Isn’t that what your… King just did to me?”

She slowly shook her head. Her shoulders were squared back in a strained way that told me she was forcing her royal posture. Even more, her chest was rising and falling much faster than what was normal.

The irony of it all was that I had apparently gained something from my time in Atticus and Isabella’s web. I could read people before they even knew what their body was thinking.

“If your men storm this Hall before I have my king back, I will kill yours in front of you.” My voice turned from silver to ice, just that quick. “...Do not. Test. Me.”

I turned to discover King Ryver pressed in the corner of his cage. He had apparently drawn as close as he could when I addressed his queen. He was the weaker of the two, I realized, just as the war horn blew again.

Ender sprang for the door of King Ryver’s cage, but I threw my hand up in a silent signal and pointed to Azaria’s.

“I didn’t enter this war to die for nothing. If I’m to die and Lazarus is not to be returned, then the Inlet will at least be given something to brag about despite the loss.” Panic collided with rage and flooded my voice until I sounded so cold it made Pariah smile and nod with approval. “Get her out of that fucking cage. If the men step one foot into this Hall, I will kill her.”

“Kill her if it pleases you, my Queen.” Pariah lowered his honey smooth voice and sank to his knee. “I merely strived to deliver her as a token of my affection.”

“You strive to stand at my side,” I called him on his bluff—it was too late, anyhow.

“Who wouldn’t…” He smiled and it met his eyes.

“Look at her.” I swatted the air in Azaria’s direction “Am I to believe your affection for me is as worthless as she is?”

“I fall more in love with you by the minute…” he provocatively mused.

I reached out before I could think on it and grabbed his throat, tenderly at first, but when he didn’t stop me, I tightened my grip until his eyes became as lust-drunk as his voice.

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