Page 72 of Of Nine So Bold

The duke knew I was a dwarf. He hadn’t said it outright, not yet. But “true” Erenlian was code enough for me to read between those gaping lines.

He gave me a cruel smile. “We are more than this weak creature dreams. We are capable of more than the Aneirans know.” He turned back to the room, lifting a fist in the air. “And we are greater than any cage!”

Cries of support came from around the cavern. Proud rage took up residence on so many faces.

But not all. Even as some giants called for my head on a pike, others tried to sink back into the stone like maybe they could hide. And I wasn’t so much of a fool to think the duke didn’t notice the difference and know exactly how these people were responding to his words. The reaction was thepoint. To keep the biggest and strongest united in rage and hate behind him, while the others knew to stay in line.

Or else.

Turning back to me, Duke Ensid’s smirk didn’t reach his eyes. No, those were as cold as a grave. “I say it’s time to remind the humans why Erenlians make them so afraid.”

At his motion, Norbert grabbed my arm.

“My lord,” Ignatius called. “This is what they want us to?—”

“Enough, scholar,” the duke retorted without taking his attention from me. “We’ve given the humans our blood and sweat. We don’t need to give them our mercy too.”

I yanked at Norbert’s grasp, but there was no way to escape it. “I’m not human!”

Norbert scoffed. “Bullshit.”

Panic rose. I had one chance. One, and it was risky beyond measure. “I’m not, I swear! I’m a dwarf. I was found as an infant in the Forest of Azurine, and I survived the war with six other dwarves. My magic is bound just like yours, but I swear I’m?—”

Norbert grabbed my other arm, jerking me forward. “Please. I’ve known dwarves,human. They’re bigger than you.”

I stared at him. When had he?—

“How many pieces?” he continued to Duke Ensid.

The duke smiled. “One for every year we’ve been trapped here.”

My heart was racing so fast, I couldn’t breathe. Instinctively, I reached for my magic, but nothing was there. “You’re killingyour own kind if you kill me! Erenlians are better than this! Erenlians are more than bullies who prey on?—”

The blaring sound of the next workday’s alarm cut me off. Footsteps carried down the tunnel.

Norbert snarled while his buddies stared at me, incredulous. “Guess Dad was right,” he spat. “Huh,human?”

I didn’t know what to say. There couldn’t be truth to what the duke claimed. The Aneirans had thrown me in here to die, same as all the rest. They wouldn’t show up to save me now.

But maybe the gods were looking out for me, making coincidence work in my favor.

That meager hope died when I saw the faces of the giants in the cavern. This wasn’t a favor from the gods. This was confirmation in the eyes of every prisoner here that I was human and deserved everything the duke claimed and more.

And from the cruel smirk on the duke’s face, he knew it.

The guards came into view. “Get up, you lazy brutes,” the one in the lead called. “You’ve had all night to rest. Time to get back to work.”

I faltered, thrown by the blatant lie as much as their presence. And I knew protest was probably useless. My options were work or dismemberment, and none of the Erenlians would believe I was on their side regardless. But the exhaustion on the faces of the giants around me drove the words from my lips anyway. “You just threw us in here minutes ago. You can’t expect us to go back to work this soon.”

The lead guard scoffed and tapped the metal ring on his wrist.

Pain shot through me so fast and hard, I didn’t even have time to scream. My vision blacked out, and I couldn’t feel anything except the agony roaring through every single inch and ounce of my being.

“See, runt?” The guard’s words swam out of the darkness. “Your stoneskin pals here know better than to call us liars. We say you’ve had a night’s rest, then that’s what you’ve had.”

Trembling all over, I opened my eyes. I was on the cavern floor, my heart tumbling over itself just to stay beating. My breath caught in my throat, making me cough like maybe I had been screaming without knowing it. My face burned and felt tacky with blood from where it’d hit the stone floor when I fell.

Every giant around me was staring, confused distrust on their faces.

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