Page 88 of Royal Captive
My head tilted to the side. “What do you mean?”
Shyllon shot a desperate look at Fallon, who threw her hands in the air.
“You know what? I don’t care anymore,” she insisted. “Do whatever you have to do. I’m going back. Father needs to hear about … all of this bullshit.” Without another glance at us, she walked out of the cell.
Alihandro didn’t stop her. Shouldn’t he? Shouldn't he be concerned his cover was blown?
Shyllon took a deep breath. “Surely, we can agree on a few things, like the importance of having a barrier between our worlds, and that a war is bad for both sides.”
He was addressing Alihandro, but a sound of disbelief escaped from my throat. “You’re kidding, right? Why on earth would I want the fae to have access to my home? So you can steal more slaves? So you can terrorize more people with your ‘games’ and slaughter more helpless little children?”
Shyllon balked. “What do you mean, children? We don’t kill children! Why would you say such a thing?”
I barked out a laugh that held no humor. “And Cassus’s family did themselves in?”
His brows furrowed like he was tremendously confused.
“Shyllon, don’t be as stupid as you look. There is no way Cassus was getting away from that catastrophe of the Royal Hunt without consequences.” She folded her arms across herchest, glancing at her nails as though we were discussing the weather and not assassination.
Frustration welled in my veins. Shyllon probably had no idea what Fallon or I were talking about. Would he believe me if I told him? I opened my mouth, ready to argue with him, but stopped short because in the end, it didn’t matter. The fae weren’t the only ones who were killed. Ellis’s little brother and sister had also been victims, and the fae hadn’t killed them.
No, that had been the work of humans alone: desperate and hungry humans who would likely welcome the fae with open arms and fight each other for a chance to live in this realm with its bountiful food, riches, and enough for everyone.
What exactly was I fighting for again? How could I argue against the barrier when everyone in the kingdom would likely be better off here even if they were technically slaves?
What if it having the fae take over was actually what was in the best of everyone’s interests long term? My heart hurt. I didn’t know what was right or wrong anymore.
“No more death games,” I finally said. “No more manipulating humans into killing each other. Just ask if anyone wants to come to this realm. Offer food, clothing, shelter, and you’ll get swarmed with volunteers.”
Fallon laughed, but it died quickly when Ellis and I stayed serious. Shyllon shot her a glare.
This was a backdoor negotiation between two rulers, and Fallon wasn’t one of them.
Her blush continued down her ears to her cheeks as if she just realized this.
“Just … ask? And we will have volunteers?” Shyllon said again, voice rising incredulously.
“We disagree with the basic concept of slavery,” Ellis jumped in, “but we cannot fault your overall treatment. Everyone here has enough and has their basic needs taken care of. Wecannot compete.” His head hung down, cheeks reddened with embarrassment. “I think you will easily find volunteers to come here.”
Yeah, if they don’t mind being human footstools or being denigrated at every turn.
Then again, people had done worse for food, hadn’t they?
“Fennis wanted Ellis to work with him to subdue the rebels,” I started quickly, an idea quickly coming to mind. “What if we work with you instead? What if we help you quiet things down and take control away from Fennis, and in return, we end the death and violence and open a friendship between our realms?”
I glanced desperately between Alihandro and Shyllon. Surely, they could see this was the best way.
Shyllon’s eyes bugged out, and Fallon’s jaw dropped. “You cannot be serious,” Shyllon managed weakly. “I never wanted the throne. I’m not even ten miles from the throne in my mind. My father could rule for centuries more. I …” He shook his head. “You would betray your own people? For what?”
I ran a hand through my scraggly braid, frustrated. “We would do this because we care about the people! My people are starved! They are cold! They fight and plot and overthrow because it distracts them from their misery, and …” Parallels came together and connected pieces, events and people knitting together until they formed one clear, cohesive picture. “That’s it. That’s the point of the games. It isn’t to entertain your people or even to get new slaves, because we all know you could just fucking ask for new slaves and get them if you showed them a slice of what life is like there. It’s deeper than that. Gods, I hate Fennis. I hate Hayida. I hateall of you.”
Ellis put a hand on my shoulder. “What is it?”
“We should have listened to Peri,” I whispered, my voice shaking. “Don’t you remember? She said she got imprisoned for being too kind to a slave.”
I whirled around on Shyllon. “What does it take to be imprisoned here? What crimes are they guilty of?”
Shyllon blinked at me. “What do you mean? They're here for criminal activity.”
