Page 21 of Royal Captive
“Move.”
A younger guard in the back with short, dark hair prodded me forward, but the urgency in his voice was cautious and not cruel. I picked up the pace to keep up with the others.
The woman in charge led us up a sweeping staircase with a large balcony at the top that overlooked much of the foyer. In another life, I would have liked to stop and gawk, trying to look at everything at once around me. For now, I took in as much as I could, including the red velvet carpets, the heavy curtains with gold trim, and the flickering of hundreds of candles. Smoke mixed indiscriminately with the scent of burning incense. The setting was enough to make you heavy-lidded and lazy.
The guard behind me growled slightly as my steps slowed, so, with a sigh, I moved on. We went left, and the hallway stretched on forever, the tapestries and furnishings growing less impressive the further west we went. Eventually, the walls became white-washed; the carpet gave way to plain stone, and the surrounding space was completely sparse and utilitarian.
Almost like home, I wryly thought.
We paused in front of a door on the right, and the woman pulled a large hand bell from the pouch in her dress and shook it mightily. It was hard not to wince as the clang resounded around us. Doors opened up and down the hall like dominoes, men and women alike sticking their heads out and quickly crowding into the narrow hallway. A male fae was there as well, pushing his way to the front and grinning like it was his birthday.
“We have new arrivals and a large party tonight. Lord Cassus will stop by for inspection, and bring a few honored guests. Wewillbe ready.”
The men and women around us were nodding, elbowing each other and grinning with excitement. Did they actually look forward to such news?
“Wyn, you and your group are in charge of Kasen.” The woman put a hand on the shoulder of the man in our group; he winced. “Sadit, you are in charge of the other three ladies.”
I frowned, since that left me the odd man (or woman) out. Everyone else knew it as well, since dozens of curious eyes immediately turned to me. The male fae stepped forward, with hair so pale it was almost white. His black tunic and breeches only made it stand out more as he flashed his fangs at me. “Our little queen here has a special assignment, I heard.”
“Not a queen,” I bit out, refusing to give on this one specific, yet important, point.
The woman’s eyebrow rose. “Oh? And why’s that?”
I flushed, heat coloring my cheeks. “Never had a coronation, technically. And I don’t have a crown.”
The surrounding men and women laughed and tittered at me. I wanted to crawl into a hole and die.
The fae clapped his hands together, dark eyes sparkling with mirth. “Well now, I think we can help with that, can’t we?”
Jeers and whistles followed this announcement.
“What do you mean?” I asked quietly, my voice barely above a whisper.
I didn’t need the sinking feeling in my chest to let me know that this wouldn’t be anything good. The fae’s expression turned deadly, his fangs on full display to not only me, but everyone else in the room.
“Didn’t you know?” he asked. “You are something exotic: a queen—sorry, princess—royalty from a faraway land. We have a special place of honor here for a human like you.”
I didn’t look at any of the others who traveled with me. I couldn’t. I refused to see the looks of horror and dawning comprehension on their faces as they realized what was going on. I should’ve realized this would be my fate.
I was an idiot.
“Quit gawking! Get the new ones ready!” the woman snapped at everyone. Reluctantly, they moved, taking my travel companions with them.
Annie turned and tried to hang onto me, but the dark-haired guard held me back, and the others pulled her away to a room with the other new women.
“EVE!” Annie shouted, but a door slammed and she was gone.
My lips parted, but no sound came out. How many more times would I be forced to do this? Ripped apart from my friends and everything I knew, only to be mocked and spit upon … again.
I lunged away from the dark-haired guard but didn’t go far, shrinking back into him as the blond fae advanced on me. In a split second, the guard’s arms on my upper arms went from constricting to protective as his fingers dug into my biceps. I couldn’t explain it, but I justknewthe dark-haired fae was preferable over the nasty blond one.
“I will take her to Lord Cassus’s suite to prepare,” the dark-haired guard said, his gaze directed downward and his tone careful.
The blond fae’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t start this again, Alihandro. Remember what happened to the last woman you tried to … champion?” The man tensed behind me, and the fae laughed. His hand waved dismissively at us.
“Remember what happened the last time you challenged me?” the guard spat back, feral anger in his eyes. “Can you piss standing up yet?”
The other fae went white and backed up.
