Page 9 of The King has Fallen (The Kingdom of the Krow #1)

~ YILAN ~

Melek bellowed and Gall cried out, shocked by the pain, and by the loss, his eyes sad when he looked at his hand and then at mine, and realized I’d stolen his spear.

Melek stormed over to him, yanking him back two steps and immediately lecturing him, snarling and pointing at me as he barked a reprimand.

Poor Gall’s brows pinched down over his nose and he dropped his head in shame as the General flayed him with his tongue. I tried to give him an apologetic look—to reassure him that I meant him no harm. But the other soldiers were rushing forward, teeth bared and cursing as Melek dragged Gall away from my cage.

The oldest of them was already working at the lock and issuing orders to the others to back him up.

I was still squatting low, but had the spear pointing up and held strong, ready to stab any of them that came at me before they could get hands on me.

“Wait—no! Do not open that cage!” Melek bellowed as the soldiers descended on me.

Everyone froze, including me. I was breathing hard, but my stance was spread and balanced, and the spear was just the right weight.

When the soldiers froze, it was clear their leader was furious, but he relocked the cage door and stepped back. “You’re right of course, General,” he said quietly, then turned to one of the others. “Go call one of the archers. He won’t miss from this close—”

“No,” Melek snapped. “Let her keep the spear,” he said darkly, now between me and Gall, and tipping his head at the others to put space between them and my cage. “No one can get into the cage without risk, but she can’t get out either. And she knows the moment she looses that she’ll be undefended, and I’ll snap her neck,” he growled. “She’s not going to let it go,” he said, then smiled wickedly at me, his eyes dark with promise.

“But, General—” the Lieutenant spluttered.

Melek lifted a hand to silence him. “No one feeds her as long as it is in her possession,” he instructed. “Let her surrender and offer it. Let her choose to do the right thing. Until then, she will starve.”

I swallowed hard, already somewhat sick with hunger because it had been a full day since I’d eaten. I’d been looking forward to any crumb they might have fed me this morning.

As Melek refuted the protests of the others and assured them he was perfectly safe in here with me even when I was armed, poor Gall just stood there, Melek’s grip on his shoulder to keep him from moving, staring at me like I’d hurt his feelings.

While Melek let him go with a fierce warning not to move from that spot, and ushered the others out, I watched Gall and waited until they weren’t listening to me.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt your hand,” I said quietly. “I just needed something to defend myself. The men here, they’re… quite brutal,” I said, eyeing him to see if he would still trust me.

Gall’s throat bobbed and he nodded. “I know how that feels,” he said. Then his chin rose, and his hands clenched to fists at his side as he looked towards the tent flap where the others were disappearing and Melek stood with his back to us, his stance very obviously tense and unimpressed.

When the others were gone, he turned on his heel with a sharp glare at me, then a slightly softer, but still angry expression for Gall.

“Son, I have told you—”

“I know I shouldn’t lose the spear, but she should have one,” Gall said, lifting a hand towards me. “She’s a woman here, Papa. She needs protection.”

I blinked, shocked. This was Melek’s son?!

“That’s not—”

“Why don’t you protect her?” Gall said, his tone growing frantic. “You said we should always watch for the safety of those weaker than us!”

“Yes, but… that isn’t—” Melek spluttered.

If it had been anyone else present, I would have thrown back my head and laughed. But I understood Gall more than either of them could know. And I knew his big, soft heart was pounding in his chest right now as he faced yet another moment in this dark world that he didn’t understand.

“You said—”

“Gall, listen,” Melek said, keeping his voice low, but firm. “She is an enemy.”

“She apologized to me.”

“She wants to manipulate you—”

“I would never hurt him,” I snapped, locking eyes with Melek who turned to glare at me. “Never,” I said just as firmly as he had. “As God is my witness, I would slit your throat in a heartbeat. But him? He’s safe from me unless he tries to kill me first.”

Melek’s eyes narrowed, but Gall lifted his hand towards me again. “See?”

Melek gave a low rumble in his chest and a very unimpressed look at me, but then he raised his hands towards Gall. “Okay, okay. I’ll… I have an idea. If you’re so sure of her, Gall… why don’t you use your free hours to help me care for her? Then you’ll get to check each day that she’s safe,” he said with a very ironic look at me.

Gall’s face brightened. “Like a guard!” It was such a strange experience to hear that deep, masculine voice speaking with such childlike delight.

“Yes, sort of.”

“I would like that!”

“Good. Then the first thing I need you to do is to go find a waterskin for her, full of water. She hasn’t had a drink yet this morning. So that is your task. You go get her water and I’ll watch her until you get back, okay?”

“Okay!” Gall said, rushing towards the tent flap. “I’ll be back soon, Yilan. Don’t worry!”

I couldn’t help it. I had to smile at him. He waved then disappeared outside.

There was a moment of stillness then, when neither Melek nor I moved, and we both stared at that doorway.

Was he grieving, as I was, that these simple, beautiful minds had to be taught to fear the world?

I sighed, but then Melek turned to me, clawing a hand through his hair, his jaw tight, and his eyes a dark promise of violence.

“I would never hurt him,” I said quietly. “I meant that.”

“You’ll forgive me if I don’t believe a fucking word that comes out of your mouth. But he will, as long as it’s spoken kindly—and half the time when it isn’t. If you so much as curse in his direction—”

“My little sister is… similarly affected,” I said carefully and Melek’s teeth snapped shut. “She is precious.” I swallowed hard. “I am here to fight for her safety.”

His lips thinned, but he stopped barking at least.

“I understand the risks they face. I will do my best not to harm him even with my words. Ever.”

“He has already forgiven you for the spear,” Melek ground out.

“I know. And I’ve told him I’m sorry I hurt his hand—I meant it.”

“That means exactly nothing to me when you stand here armed—and at the cost of his official reprimand. The Sergeant will not be kind. He is a soldier, no matter his simple mind. He is expected to maintain a soldier’s conduct. He will be punished for this.”

I swallowed hard. “I’m sorry.”

“Not enough to give up the spear.”

I shook my head.

Melek snarled at me. “Fucking Fetch! I will take every welt on his hide out of yours.”

Shit. But I nodded.

The tent flap twitched then, and Gall rushed back in carrying a waterskin and a wooden cup.

He was beaming.

“Here you go, Yilan!”

He rushed straight to the cage door and pushed the waterskin through the gap in the bars, then leaned down to put his hand through the gap, holding the cup, so that he could sit it on the ground without tipping it over.

It would have taken a split second to grab that wrist, pull him against the bars and plunge the spear into his throat, and Melek and I both knew it.

I didn’t move.

“Drink! You need to drink if you haven’t had water. You’ll get weak without it.”

Melek dropped his face into his hand as his son plastered himself up against the bars, urging me to drink for my own protection.

“Perhaps you should step away from the bars, Gall?” I said carefully. “And then I’ll drink. Thank you for taking such good care of me.”

“You’re welcome!” he said brightly, then stepped back, blinking as he realized what he’d done. He rushed back to stand next to Melek, looking anxiously back and forth between us, clearly hoping Melek hadn’t noticed.

I waited until he was well away before moving to the door of the cage. Still holding the spear I picked up the waterskin by its neck, then the cup, before scuttling to the back of the cage again and squatting. Holding the spear across my thighs with my free hand, I hurriedly poured a full cup of water and drained it. Melek watched me, glaring but silent.

All too soon, after complimenting the boy on his care, Melek sighed and sent him to speak to the Sergeant.

“…I’m sorry, Son. But it’s a breach. If I don’t send you to him the others will hear of it and—”

“I know,” Gall said, his face sad and head down, jaw tight with frustration. “I wish I remembered things like that before they happened.”

Melek sighed and put a hand to his shoulder. “You will. The day will come, it will be instinct for you. I promise.”

I winced, all at once deeply grateful that my sister would never be expected to learn these kinds of restrictions, and deeply grieved that although Gall would learn most of the rules with time, he would likely never stop making small mistakes.

When Gall was gone, Melek turned away from me without a glance and prowled over to the upright crate at the side of the tent. He pulled a large bowl and pitcher out of a chest, and poured water into it, then began cleaning himself, then shaving in a small, speckled mirror that was hung from the tent pole.

I waited for his condemnation, but he didn’t speak. Didn’t even look at me in the surface of the mirror. As if I wasn’t there.

When he was dressed and had strapped on his weapons, he started for the door.

“Why have him give me water?” I asked quickly before he reached it. “If you really wanted to torture me—”

“Because it is a job he won’t fuck up, which makes him feel good,” Melek ground out. Then he met my eyes over his shoulder. “And because it would kill you too quickly to go without it.” Then he smiled a wicked, predatory grin. “I will see you humble yourself, or suffer, Fetch. And I will swear that on any god you choose.”

Then he snapped the tent flap aside and disappeared outside leaving me grieving… and hungry.