Page 79 of Fate and Flame
“Long,” I answered sharply.
He faced Rhogan, examining his wings for several minutes. “I got a message you were coming, but damn. You should have flown.”
“I was helping my friend escort a bunch of rebels south. They’re all at the compound right now.”
“We’ll get someone down there to invite them up to the next meeting. Wren’s usually too busy, but Sabra isn’t.”
“I forgot they were part of the rebellion,” Nadra said. “That guy said there weren’t many high fae.”
“Not from the north specifically, but he isn’t a reliable source of information. Plenty of southernhigh faeare also part of our rebellion. But they mostly just support the cause from a distance. Even the king wears our phoenix symbol on his skin.”
“Yes, we’ve met,” I answered. “They helped me and some others fight King Autus’ soldiers near Volos in the north.” I paused, examining his cluttered office. Rebellion leader apparently didn’t mean organized. “We won’t keep you. I’ve brought a serum south I believe you’ll be interested in, but we also want to know what the plan is. Most of our northerners were killed or fled south.”
He shrugged casually, as if we weren’t discussing a war.
“Do we have a plan?” Rhogan asked, shifting forward on the squeaky chair he had turned backwards to compensate for his wings.
“Right now, we are going to sit back and see how the kingdoms move against each other before we commit anything to them.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Nadra asked, flying up and out of her chair, letting it ricochet off the wall behind her. She pointed a shaking finger in the direction of the palace. “This king has been funding the rebellion for years. You can’t just do nothing.”
“That king has only been king for the blink of an eye,” he answered, slumping backward.
“Fine, thiscourthas been. And you don’t know shit. You don’t see what’s happening up there. How long have you been down here in this hole collecting the king’s coins and divvying them up amongst yourselves while the lesser fae in the north die in packs?”
Her hands shook as Rhogan and I stood at the same time. I reached for her, but she jerked away.
“No, this isn’t right. Your claim to be a rebel is really fucking convenient when you don’t have to actually fight anything. When you don’t have a king breathing down your neck and mind fucking you. This isn’t a rebellion, it’s a gods-damn fifth court. And you thinkyou’reking, shelling out false hope likes it’s motherfucking candy.”
She turned on her heel and stormed out of that room so fast, the flash of red was the last thing Murtad would see of her. Rhogan and I followed quickly behind. Odds were, there was more to Murtad’s motivations, but at that point, I didn’t care at all. The self-proclaimed shallow female had just rocked the rebellion leader’s world.
“So, that went well,” Rhogan said as we crossed the city again, heading back to the lists, hoping to see someone who could get us into the castle.
I wasn’t above begging Gaea, but I didn’t think it would come to that. We joined the crowd, and I wrapped my arm around Nadra’s shoulder. She was still shaking, and I could feel her frustration as if it were my own.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” she said, plopping onto the bench.
“I’ve never been prouder or more turned on in my whole life,” I whispered.
“Really?” she asked, her shoulders melting.
“Really.”
“He had it coming.” She pursed her lips together. “We survived the king. We climbed a mountain. We came all this way.” She faced forward but slid her hand on my thigh, rubbing her fingers back and forth in such a way I thought I might have to find a dark alley. The desire was so strong. We were so desperate for a moment alone together, I don’t think she would have even protested.
The males training in the lists were the same ones that were there when we left, only now they were broken into groups and practicing swordplay as several guards and a giant directed them. I couldn’t believe training was a spectator sport. This was the south though. They were bred for fighting. Or so I’d heard.
A northerner I had seen at breakfast had footwork like a dancer, but he couldn’t keep his arms up. The moment someone swung at him, he dropped his shoulders, and Rhogan and I began counting how many times he’d been hit. But by the time they had switched weapons, he’d actually made pretty good strides. The southerners were skilled trainers.
“Think we’ll get to watch the giant fight?” Rhogan asked.
“Who would ever fight with him?”
“I would.” Rhogan shrugged, a shiver going through his wings.
“Because what you lack in brains you make up for in muscle?” Nadra asked.
“Damn, you’re vicious today,” he answered.
