Page 74 of Royal Captive
“The next Hunt, of course. It’s never too early to weed out the competition, after all.” His mismatched eyes flicked to Ellis. “Assu vu nu mang pa nourr.”
Ellis blanched. “Po?”
The sound of the fae language flowing effortlessly from his lips did something to me. Something sinfully delicious.
Focus, Eve. Gods above.
Hayida’s nostrils flared.
“It’s no skin off my back if she does or doesn’t.”
“The stories are true, then?” Ellis pressed. “The prophecy … What does that mean for me?”
Hayida gazed at Ellis thoughtfully, both of them locked together as if they’d forgotten I was there to begin with.
“You knew this day was coming. You saw it a long time ago. You heard whispers of its coming your entire life. Don’t balk now. I balked once and now I’m here.”
Hayida slapped his knee, laughing uproariously.
Ellis’s eyes narrowed, his hands curling into fists. “I don’tbalk.”
Hayida’s eyes flashed as he stood, leaning over Ellis with his impressive height for the first time.
“You’ve done nothing but balk your entire life, little elfe.Don’t do it now when it finally matters. That was my mistake. There are no prophecies—only the choices we make in life.”
A horn sounded above us and the prisoners as one shuffled into one large line, ready to trudge back through the gates. It was hard to miss how deliberately everyone ignored us. And Hayida.
I lined up behind the cryptic fae, and Ellis brought up the rear. As the line puttered toward the gate slowly, he leaned down and whispered into my ear, “Hayida is the one in charge of the rebellion. He has to be.”
Before I could snap something back about how he should focus on how the old fae had saved our asses, Hayida himself whipped around, fangs flashing. He winked once with his gold eye at us, then turned back around as though nothing had happened.
Urgh, we were definitely going to die here.
Inside the iron gate and down the hallway, prisoners peeled off one by one back to their cells until it was just the three of us left at the end of the line. We stared into the empty stone of Ellis and my cell.
“Where is your cell?” I asked Hayida as the guards none-so-gently prodded Ellis and I through our cell door and slammed the iron gate behind us, locking it by slamming down the latch. The four guards converged on Hayida with their staffs drawn.
“My cell? I don’t think I’ve ever seen it,” Hayida remarked lightly, unconcerned as the guards raised their staffs.
Hayida chuckled darkly. “I’m never conscious for it.”
The staffs came down, striking his body. Purple magick flared around him, and with horror I realized the staffs were feeding off of Hayida’s power, the source of magick for the staffs.When I could open my eyes again, the fae guards and Hayida were gone, leaving Ellis, me, and an empty cell.
“Eve. I—”
“I don’t want to talk right now, Ellis.”
I slumped down in my cell, turning my back to him as I sat on the hard stone that served as my bed. Pulling my knees up to my chest, I tried to conserve whatever warmth still lingered in my cell. The temperature would plummet as soon as night fell.
“Eve, please I—”
“What did Hayida say to you in the yard?” I demanded instead. I was tired of games and tired of being talked about like I wasn’t there. It reminded me of how my father used to talk above me and around me as if I were a possession to be managed.
“He said not to let you eat the food, but I don’t understand why he thinks I control that.” He paused. “You have eaten since we’ve been here, yes?”
I snorted. We’ve been trapped in the fae realm for about a week. I’d be dead if I hadn’t eaten yet!
“Don’t be ridiculous. Of course I’ve eaten. I wouldn’t be up and walking around if I hadn’t. There’s no truth to any of those stupid fairytales,” I finished, resting my chin on my knees.
