Page 71 of Royal Captive
“What kind of political prisoners?” Ellis asked.
Hayida blew out a smoke ring toward a female fae’s face thirty yards away. She made a disgusted face and snarled, but otherwise ignored Hayida.
“I think you know. Strumo and his crew are rewarded for taking out as many of the king’s enemies as possible. After all, the fewer prisoners there are to choose from, then the more likely you are to be chosen to compete for your freedom in the Royal Hunt, eh?”
He chuckled darkly to himself.
“You weren’t in the Royal Hunt,” I said sharply.
His expression remained neutral. “Got banned after my games.”
Ellis huffed. “Impossible. Winners are granted their freedom. You’re still here.”
Hayida’s nose wrinkled. “Does he always state the obvious like a child?”
The grumpy fae was growing on me, but my attention was diverted by yelling. On the north side of the yard, Strumo advanced on a human man, who fell to the ground and held his hands out in front of him desperately. “No! Please! I’m sorry!”
“Might want to look away,” Hayida remarked calmly despite his eyes trained on the pair. Ellis watched beside me, silent as the grave.
I thought about rushing over there, but what could I do? Draw Strumo’s attention to me? I didn’t have time either way; it was over before it had barely begun. Strumo brought his massive fist back and punched the man in the face as hard as he could.
Ellis and I flinched at the wet crunching sound that bounced off the yard’s walls. The man fell over, his face busted wide open like a watermelon.
He was dead before he hit the ground.
“Well, at least it was quick,” Hayida remarked. “Usually Strumo takes his time. You must have pissed him off.”
I whipped around, indignant. “I did nothing!”
“Is violence like this common?” Ellis asked neutrally.
Hayida raised an eyebrow. “Well, this is only the third death today. That’s quite tame, to be honest. Then again, right after a Royal Hunt, things settle down for a while. No sense culling the rest of the field when it’ll be another hundred years before the next group gets chosen, eh?”
His grin turned wistful.
“I miss the old days.”
I sat back down on the edge of the flower bed, stunned. Three deaths a day was quiet. I shot a desperate look at Ellis, whose eyes shone with sympathy as he rested a hand on my shoulder. I reached up to grasp it, feeling just as desolate as I had when we’d woken up in the prison pen back in our realm, freezing my tits off.
Hayida gave us a mocking salute, sauntering off to the opposite side of the prison yard. Ellis and I tracked his movements across the yard, noting how no one (fae or human) got in his way or tried to impede his progress. Rather, it was the other way around—they all ignored him.
“If anyone is behind a rebellion against the king, my vote is on him,” Ellis grit out.
I turned around to face him. “Seriously? You’re still going through with your mad plan to help the slave king?”
His face pinched. “I won’t apologize for doing what I must to keep you safe.”
My eyes narrowed at him. “Then I don’t apologize for what I have to do.”
I left Ellis and strode across the middle of the yard, hot on Hayida’s heels.
Twenty-Four
EVE
There was more to Hayida than met the eye. I was sure of it.
And not just obvious magickal skills. He had that intangible sort of power that you couldn’t outright identify and put your finger on. I saw it in the way the other prisoners kept notice of him but also kept clear of him. Even the guards and their gazes, as they shifted from prisoner to prisoner, skipped right over Hayida as if it would be rude of them to stare at him. Plus, he gave out an aura of a figure of authority, regardless of his status as a prisoner.
