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“She’s a fae,” one of them said. “She defeated Torsten this morning and he said she can use stones to fight—”

“The fae are able to use nature-based magic,” the water elemental user said with an impatient wave. “Thatincludesearth magic.”

“My point is that we can’t take her lightly,” the other man pressed, shooting a glare at her. “Who knows what else she can do?”

“I’ve got it under control.” The water elemental user snapped his fingers. “Magni, stay with me. Eyfura, please call Captain Asulf. As for the rest of you, please leave and guard the hallway.”

Hesitation brewed between the guards and the water elemental man raised an eyebrow. “Is that understood?”

“Yes, sir,” they said simultaneously before dispersing.

Another dark-haired man, Magni, she assumed, stood beside the first man. He towered over her and peered at her with a distasteful look in his sharp green eyes, a scowl twisting his pretty face. His hands were bunched together to his side and if Kolfinna didn’t know any better, she’d say he was itching to swing at her.

The water elemental user kneeled beside Kolfinna until they were almost at the same level. His brown eyes, which reminded her of tree bark and soil, were kind but stern. She recognized him as one of the men she had fought in the streets earlier that day.

His voice softened. “We can either talk like this, or you can cooperate and sit. Which will it be, Miss Kolfinna?”

Kolfinna chewed on her lower lip. He was a liar. What cooperation?

All fae were meant to die. Brutally.

And now that they had her, they would kill her. Or would they throw her in a dungeon and toss the key? Let her rot until her remains were found centuries later? It wasn’t uncommon for fae to be killed in horrific manners. She had even heard that a few decades ago, there was a doctor who performed experiments on fae, dead and alive. She didn’t have any proof, but surely the rumors had come from somewhere.

There were no exits. If the others had listened to the water elemental man, the door was flanked by Royal Guards, and here in her room there were no windows. The small, modern room now reminded her of a prison cell with pretty, purple wallpaper.

“Just kill me already,” she whispered, her fingernails digging into the wooden floorboards.

“Gladly,” the other man, Magni, snapped. He unfurled his fists but clenched them again when the water elemental man shot him a hard look. “But we have business with you.”

“We would like your cooperation.”

“Cooperation?” Kolfinna looked up between the two men. She was no longer Inga, who controlled her anger and her tongue, who remained silent to blend into the background. She was now Kolfinna, the fae. The murderer. So she laughed. It came out soft at first, but then grew shrill. “You guys want me to cooperate with you? You’re just here to imprison me and then kill me! Or will you humiliate me first?”

Kolfinna would die a tragic death just like Katla. Just like all the other fae. Her laughter faded into the peeling lilac wallpapers. Emptiness cored her innards.

“We’re not here to hurt you,” the water-wielder said. “It’s true. My name is Mímir Thorbjorsson. I’m one of the lieutenant captains of the Royal Guards.”

The Royal Guards were supposed to be gallant, honest, and prestigious in every sense, but she couldn’t believe his words because he was meant to protecthumansin Rosain—not fae.

Kolfinna inched away from him on the floor, her skirts clinging to her body immodestly and creating a pool of water around her on the wooden floors, which now shone with moisture. She subconsciously covered her chest, keeping her wary gaze on the two Royal Guards to make sure they didn’t attack her.

Red tinged Mímir’s cheeks and he coughed. “I apologize about the water,” he said quickly, raising his hands toward her. His tone was hesitant. “Do you mind if I draw the water out from your clothes?”

She nodded and he flicked his wrist. Almost instantaneously, all the moisture clinging to her body, dress, and hair, was removed until it was collected in a floating ball in front of him. He carefully molded the water until it was a cylinder, and then slid it into a bucket that was beside him.

“Please, have a seat.” He motioned to the bed.

This whole thing was just bizarre. He wasn’t being rude and throwing her around like she was a prisoner, so what exactly was his motive? She was still alive, so that must’ve meantsomething.

Kolfinna hesitated before climbing to her feet. She stepped toward the bed but thought twice about it and crossed her arms. “I’m fine right here,” she said.

He nodded. “That’s fine. Whatever you’re comfortable with.”

He annoyed her with how polite he was acting; there was no doubt in her mind he was a duplicitous snake.

“What do you want from me?” She leaned against the wall and fit her fingernails into the grooves of the bumpy and grainy wallpaper. Her mana nudged against the wall and relief pooled in her chest at the pull of the stones beneath the pretty wallpaper. “I highly doubt you’re being this nice just out of the kindness of your heart. There must be something the Royal Guards want from me if you’re keeping me alive.”

“You’re right,” a familiar, calm voice called from the doorway.