Page 44

Chapter

Forty-Three

B anging had her pry her eyes open, and she flexed her frozen fingers, realizing she’d fallen asleep in the chair.

Lessia groaned as the pain in her head pounded with each knock on the door, and she quickly shouted “Come in” to make it stop.

Merrick stalked across the threshold, still wearing the leathers he’d had on yesterday.

His posture was tenser than she’d ever seen before, and he seemed to glare at the now-clear sky when he slammed the balcony doors shut.

Shuffling to her feet, she took stiff steps toward the chair where she’d left her cloak and wrapped it around herself.

With chattering teeth, she glared at the Fae. “I don’t think I can train today. I must have gotten a concussion last night. There was another attack while you were gone.”

Merrick’s canines reflected the pale winter sunlight when he hissed, “I told you not to leave your room. You agreed to follow my rules, Lessia. ”

“I only went to the library.” The words came out clipped as she continued shivering.

He dragged his hands through his silvery hair, causing it to fall in tangled waves across his shoulders. “Did they hurt you?”

She shook her head even though he couldn’t see it. “I might have slammed my own head against the floor when I jumped one of them. But you’d be proud of me. I used my whole body, as you taught me, and he went down immediately.”

Merrick huffed something that could have been a laugh if she hadn’t known him by now and turned toward the door again.

She eyed his back, debating with herself whether she should tell him what had happened before she tackled the man.

It didn’t seem like anything that could harm Ellow if Merrick told the king, and regardless, if the king asked her, she’d have no choice but to share it.

“Merrick,” she mumbled. “Something strange happened. The man I fought saw I was part-Fae when he was about to attack me, and it was as if he changed his mind. He… he backed away from me.”

He spun around again; his gaze focused on her black boots. “Perhaps he was afraid you had magic?”

She chewed on her lip.

It hadn’t been fear in the man’s eyes when they widened as they recognized her pointed ears for what they were.

It was something else.

“I don’t think so. It was almost as if he knew me.”

“Of course he knows you. You’re one of the nominees.” Merrick adjusted the curved sword hanging by his hip. “Everyone in Ellow knows who you are by now. ”

She followed his fingers as they trailed over the rubies decorating the hilt. His sword was the sister to the dagger he’d given her, she realized.

“But why would he hesitate, then? It seems they’ve been going after nominees?”

“Maybe that’s not what they’re after. But we need to hurry up, Lessia. We’re going to be late.” Merrick whirled on his heel again and opened the door leading out into the hallway.

“I told you. I can’t train today.” Lessia rubbed her hands over her arms, casting a longing look at the bed.

She could do with another day in it, getting warm and rested.

Tapping the doorframe, Merrick spoke quietly. “If it were up to me, I’d let you stay here, but they’re making you go through the next part of the qualification today.”

Her stomach sank, and she clutched the folds of her cloak to her body as if it might protect her from whatever they’d put her through.

Swallowing, she took a step toward him. “What are they going to do?”

A muscle ticked in his jaw as he stepped aside to let her out. “They’re going to make sure you’re here for the right reasons and that you don’t have anything to hide.”

Fear rushed through her veins, the adrenaline from it driving away the lingering tiredness.

She had been tortured before; King Rioner’s Fae guards didn’t take well to finding out she’d killed one of their own, but they’d typically beat her too hard, too quickly, not realizing she wasn’t as strong as a full Fae, allowing her to float into blissful oblivion sooner than they’d expected.

Exactly like Merrick had done when the king ordered him to show her what awaited if she failed .

But if she was to be questioned, and by humans at that, she had little doubt they’d do it in a way where she’d stay awake, feel every moment of pain.

As she walked with hesitant steps toward the stairs, Merrick’s large hand closed around her wrist.

She glanced up at him, his face tilting over her shoulder as he whispered, “Don’t be afraid, Lessia. They are not allowed to kill you, and while there will be pain, you are stronger than you think. Remember why you are doing this.”

Her cheek brushed against his as she nodded, and her brows flew up when Merrick’s hand wrapped around her own. He led her down into the cellars, taking a path different from the one to the training room.

When voices hummed between the polished stone walls and light flickered ahead from a burning fireplace, Merrick squeezed her hand, and it was as if some of his conviction flowed into her.

Squaring her shoulders and lifting her chin, she told herself she was strong enough for this.

She’d survived five years in a dark cellar, had survived moving to Ellow not knowing a soul. Had even survived what she’d done to her family and when she’d left for the streets of Vastala.

She could do this.

As they entered a large oval room with a huge marble fireplace and several lit chandeliers hanging from the low ceiling, Merrick had to bow his head not to hit the hanging lights as he walked over to join the other companions, taking up a spot next to Zaddock.

When she met his eyes briefly, Zaddock smiled at her before shifting them ahead to where Loche, Venko, and Craven stood huddled together with Frayson .

Loche’s eyes flew to hers, and a current ran over her skin when a half smile overtook his face.

Flicking his eyes between her and Zaddock, he inclined his head.

Confused, she bowed her own before sidling up beside him, facing Frayson and trying to ignore the electricity that crackled between them when Loche’s hand brushed hers.

She shifted an inch away from him, blowing out a deep breath as Frayson began to speak.

“I know this isn’t the best timing.” He threw Lessia an apologetic look.

“I heard you were injured yesterday, Lessia. But we have only two weeks until the commoners’ debates, and you will need time to recover.

We have brought in more guards after the attack yesterday to ensure it won’t be repeated.

There will not be a single room in the castle unguarded while you rest up. ”

Lessia cast a quick glance at Venko, whose face paled at Frayson’s words, and then at Craven, who stared straight ahead, only the vein throbbing in his neck betraying his fear.

Loche moved closer to her again, and when she stole a glance at him, his steely gaze slammed into hers.

“How badly are you hurt?” he whispered while Craven demanded more details on what happened last night.

“I’m fine.” She shrugged. “I just overdid it a bit when I tried to fight one of them.”

The need to avert her gaze when his hardened nearly overwhelmed her.

Icy rage burned in his eyes as they swept over her body, then back to her face, and his hand brushed hers again when his clenched into fists.

“If he hadn’t already taken care of it himself, be sure he would not have lived to draw another breath once I got to him. ”

Frayson cleared his throat. “Loche, are you finished?”

Loche continued to stare into her eyes as he nodded and waved for Frayson to go on.

Finally tearing her eyes away, she tried to focus on Frayson, not on the waves of anger that rolled off the most confusing man she’d ever met.

“This year, we’ll do this part a bit differently, I’m afraid.

As I hope you’ve been informed, you will be interrogated today, and the means will be unpleasant.

Our law dictates that we need to ensure our regent wants to rule for the right reasons, and this is part of that process.

But while we usually have our guards do the interrogation, it’s been decided this year that your companions will do it. ”

Gasps reverberated between the walls, and Craven’s eyes widened as they moved to the enormous man who was his companion.

Venko’s eyes fell to the floor, and Lessia eyed the man next to Zaddock, whose features twisted with unease.

She vaguely recognized him as one of Venko’s closest men; he’d been in their office before. Venko must have been directed to bring someone in, as he hadn’t had a companion before, and it was clear he hadn’t been given the reason why.

Zaddock’s and Merrick’s faces remained stoic, and Lessia drew a trembling breath as she studied the Fae’s hard features.

He knew exactly what the worst way of torturing her would be.

“I know this isn’t what most of you expected. But in war, friend turns on friend, and you need to understand the implications of not just the physical pain but the emotional one as well.”

Frayson met each set of eyes before he continued. “You will be going one by one, and no one is allowed to leave until the last of you has been interrogated. We have healers here that will tend those of you that go first, and one will stay with you during the night should you wish.”

His kind eyes shifted back to Lessia. “I’m afraid to say it’s ladies first.”