Page 82 of Shifter King
He leaned out in the tree, holding out his hand to one of the striped brown birds. The nearest one hopped on his finger, and he grinned.
Amelia wiped her hand beneath her eyes and then secured it as best she could. If she did it right, he might even be able to return to this dream later. This seemed to be one area of mindreading where she was naturally skilled.
Once she finished, she took a final look. He had swung around and now hung from his knees. Two little butterflies fluttered past, their blue wings a little uneven. This was the best she could do. Perhaps the best one she had created yet. The sunlight felt real, warming her despite the cold of the cell and the stone she sat against.
But she needed to go. She moved out of the dream and back into her own mind, surprised at how easy it was.
A calm had descended. Brucao had said his was a selfish request, but it had helped her calm her own thoughts to help him find some limited peace. Maybe she could reach Naatos. It was late. Was he still searching?
She stretched out, reaching for him. Groans and cries pressed against her, the heavy thoughts and feelings of others nearby sopping against her and crushing down. It felt cruel not to answer them. To not even acknowledge the sorrow and desperation and rage. But she pushed against them, clenching her eyes shut tighter.
Her head ached, and her elmis throbbed.
Then she caught the edge. A stark abrasive thread, sharp and clear. She pressed toward it. "Naatos?"
The voices clambered against one another, louder and heavier. She thrust against them and stretched out farther, honing in on that distinct presence. "Naatos?"
It felt like pushing through cold sopping ooze, but she pushed all the harder. Then she glimpsed something. A form. Yes! It was him. "Naatos!" she shouted, straining forward.
He came almost into focus, the outlines of his body hazy and his eyes indistinct. "Amelia!"
Yes! That was his voice.
She struggled forward, but her legs no longer moved so swiftly. He lunged at her. His arm stretched out to her.
Everything she wanted to say, everything she needed to say, it all sprang up, tumbling together. But why couldn't she reach him? Why couldn't she move? His voice distorted.
She twisted forward, straining all the more.
Her fingers nearly brushed his.
A blinding pain struck her across the jaw. The world turned upside down. She struggled up, driving her hands down into the now liquefying floor.
Naatos had fallen back as well, but his face had become clear. The sharpness and utter agony in his face as he looked at her. Reached for her. His jaw tightened.
The breath left her lungs. It felt as if someone stood on her chest. She shook her head, then mouthed the only thing she could think of that mattered. "I love you."
Another blow followed. She found herself staring up at the ceiling of her cell, one of the guards standing over her. He blurred in and out of focus, his booted foot in the center of her chest. "The queen wants to see you now," a gruff voice snarled.
THE TWO BEALORN LEADERS
They didn’t take her to the throne room this time. They didn’t even leave the underground. They dragged her along a series of passages until they reached a section whose walls and floors had been polished until they were slick as cut marble. Then they brought her into a long narrow room.
If it had existed before Zorna’s reign, it might have been used for worship or some sort of sacred activities. The walls had been evened out with scooping chisel marks, but the ledge in the back appeared natural with an elegant stone formation that resembled a tree situated directly in the back. From some angles, the natural stone shapes resembled faces staring in as if in judgment or contemplation.
Several other individuals were present as well, now in dark robes and with simpler ornamentation. They only watched her with solemn eyes as the guards dragged her up to the front and shoved her to her knees in front of Zorna.
"You have done a grave disservice to both our races," Zorna said. "You had the opportunity to show yourself a true ally to a noble people, and you spat in my face. As such, unless my son petitions to overrule, the offer of marriage is rescinded. You will bear children as a concubine for the prince. After that, you will have no protections. Your treatment will be far worse if you do not accept your punishment and bear it immediately."
Amelia remained on her knees, studying the woman and everyone present. Though their minds were loud, they were uneasy as well. Cautious before Zorna.
Zorna herself exuded only angry confidence. She legitimately believed Amelia had wronged her. Somehow that was not comforting.
"All here will testify that I am just in my rulings. And yours is this. You will apologize to me officially here and wherever else it is determined to be needed. If any demand to know of your presence here and whether you are willingly here, you will testify that it is. That you are happy with your servitude to this great nation. That you would choose no other. And you will drink this goblet of psychic wine in testimony of these vows." She gestured to a large goblet that sat on the table beside her throne as if the queen herself had drunk some recently.
Amelia bit the inside of her lip, choosing her words carefully. Thank Elonumato for Brucao. She might have taken this deal otherwise. "I apologize, your Majesty. And I will apologize for whatever you ask of me, but I cannot drink wine."
"You must," Zorna said flatly. Her eyes sparked. "Psychic wine will reveal what truly lies behind your facade. It affects every race and every person differently, but it is a way for there to be total truth. This is the only way I can trust you."
