Page 77 of Royal Captive
Well, until Hayida materialized into it from thin air.
My lips parted in shock, but this must be a common occurrence, since the other prisoners around me barely glanced up. They were much more interested in the food that had also materialized.
And the worst part was that it looked just as delicious and filling as all the fae food had so far. Warm bread with butter, ham, potatoes, gravy, cheese, and sweets. I eyed it all hungrily, but guilt kept me back. Eve was likely just as starved as I was.
“Eat. You’re no good to her grumpy and weak,” Hayida said.
Shooting him a glare, I attacked the food with gusto. We didn’t have plates or utensils; instead, we just tore chunks of whatever we wanted and put it straight into our mouths. I half-expected there to be a mad grab for food; surely, a fellow ofStrumo’s size would hog the meat for himself, growing boy he was.
But no. The only one grabbing at food and acting like an animal was me.
“Slow down,” the female fae next to me chastised, eyeing me like I’d just licked the table itself.
“I’m hungry,” I growled in between bites.
Hayida snorted. “Leave him be.”
The female’s eyes flitted quickly to Hayida, then away from me.
And everyone let me be.
Despite the lack of implements, everyone ate politely and with excellent manners. Even though I know all of us ate well, there was just as much food on the table at the end of the meal as there had been when it had first appeared.
More fae magick. We could do so much good with it back in my realm. I could feed every hungry person in each kingdom!
I was just contemplating how many rolls I could fit down my tunic for Eve when they all disappeared, even the one in my hand.
“She can’t eat it anyway. Or have you forgotten already?”
I flinched as Hayida had somehow gotten behind me, whispering into my ear. The rest of my table stood and filed out into line, but the guards surrounded Hayida and me again.
“Wrists out,” one ordered.
Hayida complied, sticking his arm out while not taking his eyes and that stupid grin off me.
I growled, tucking my injured wrist back into my chest.
“Stupid boy, just—”
A jolt of purple energy shot out of a guard’s staff and zapped me, setting every nerve on fire in a way that was so much worse than anything I’d ever felt, even through the cuffs. My musclesseized as I lost control of them, and they pulled my arm out and cut the old cuff off.
Tutting at the blackened skin and white bone showing through my wrist, one guard swore while another recoiled. Hayida made an impressed whistle through his teeth, bending down closer to get another look. Nausea rolled in my stomach, and I kept my eyes anywhere but on the injury.
The guard who swore dug in his pockets and produced a small vial with a bright green liquid. He uncorked it with his teeth as the four other guards held me down. I didn’t have time to panic as he unceremoniously dumped the contents on my wrist.
Pure, unfiltered agony.
I didn’t scream. There was no point. Screaming wouldn’t stop my nerves from lighting up like fire or the white-hot, searing intensity that shot through my veins. The same guard slapped a new cuff on my wrist, and I chanced a glance, seeing nothing but pure, unblemished skin. The pain still lingered in my veins like a phantom’s kiss.
The guards let me collapse to the ground, a twitching, convulsing mess. They moved away, backing at the other prisoners to get a move on and to quick gawking.
“Not bad. Most fae scream like little elflings the first time pure magick hits their skin.” Hayida hovered over me, one eyebrow raised with grudging respect.
Too bad I didn’t give a shit.
Deep breaths. Embrace the pain, don’t fight it.
Eventually, I realized there was a hand hanging over me. Hayida’s. I accepted, and he pulled me up to my feet like I weighed no more than a sparrow.
