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CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

IN WHICH THE PARTY OUTSTAYS THEIR WELCOME

Before I could turn around, hands seized my arms, pinning them to my sides.

Magic thrummed through my veins, turning nails into claws and teeth into fangs, but the person behind me was prepared.

They whipped around and slammed me against the wall with enough force to steal the breath from my lungs.

A hand threaded into the hair at my nape, fingers twisting upwards, nails digging into my scalp.

I hissed in pain as they made a fist and pulled.

Simultaneously, a cold blade kissed my side, freezing my muscles in place.

“Don’t.” The word was whispered into my ear with the softness of a lover.

Rugaveld had me. Trapped—and confused—I fought back panic. No matter what, I needed to stay clear-headed. Could I summon mana for a large-scale change before he got to use that knife? Doubtful, with what little practice I’d had. Could I even do it under pressure?

“I’m sorry to see that you found your accommodations lacking,” Munarzed’s enigma of a mayor said from behind me in a frosty tone.

Lu had gone still as death, hands held up to show that he was unarmed. That didn’t mean much for a mage, and Rugaveld knew it. Blood turned to ice in my veins. How would we get out of this? I needed to signal the twins. Four could give us an advantage?—

With a barked order from the man at my back, Savreen scurried forward.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, holding a plate out to Luthri.

His eyes narrowed at the unassuming sweet that sat there, a sweet that had held charming memories between Cantal’s sendoff and the similarity to a dessert from my childhood in Fortaleza. My heart fell to my stomach.

“Don’t let them—” I began. My head was wrenched back without mercy, and fiery pain shot through my scalp and neck. “Ugh!”

“Please!” Lu’s desperate plea fell on deaf ears. His throat bobbed.

From my position, I could watch and do nothing as he considered his options, his expression darkening in phases. He came to the same conclusion I had—between catching us by surprise and the dagger too near my heart for comfort, we were backed into a corner.

Decision made, he reached for the plate.

My vision blurred, combining with a burn in my sinuses from the effort of holding back tears.

Guilt, regret, anger, and frustration swirled together in a nauseating cocktail.

The doubts I managed to hold at bay most of the time came flooding in: Luthri was in danger, and it was my fault.

I’d let us all down after all. I should never have been trusted with this quest.

This was the end. We were going to be permanent fixtures in a lunatic’s play village.

I pulled at the hand that held me, but it was like stone, and a sharp pain by my ribs told me Rugaveld would not afford me another verbal warning.

Gritting my teeth, I ignored the tightness in my chest urging me to action and went slack.

Now wasn’t the moment. If I was smart about it, I could get his guard down and an opening would present itself.

Luthri had finished chewing and swallowed .

“Now we wait for it to take effect. Tie yourself up,” Rugaveld ordered.

A turtle guy hurried forward with a length of rope.

As they trussed Luthri like a Thanksgiving turkey, another rope wound around my arms, wrenching my shoulders back.

Once it was done, hands forced me to the floor and released me.

I curled into myself to nurse the ache in my jaw from where it had hit the wall, afraid to look at Luthri for fear of what I might see.

Rugaveld paced the hallway, leaking anxious energy into the tight space. “I dislike doing things this way, you know. It causes so much unnecessary stress,” he lamented. “All you had to do was eat the food. If you’d just done that in the beginning, we wouldn’t be here.”

“Sorry to be difficult,” I spat.

The mayor came to an abrupt halt, considering me. “You’re their leader, aren’t you? Where are the other two you came here with?”

My lips pressed together. It was a good thing I hadn’t gone with Luthri on his check-ins; if I had, they could have tortured the information out of me. If they caught Hohem and Vyrain unawares, there was no telling who would come out on top.

“No matter.” Rugaveld resumed his pacing, jerking his head to indicate Luthri. “Give it another minute. Once he’s under our control, we’ll know everything he does.”

Any pride left crumbled at his statement.

Maybe Lu could fight it somehow? Even if he did, Savreen was right there.

She sat cross-legged in front of him, staring as if ready to start asking questions the moment the drugged food kicked in or however it worked.

Luthri’s head was bowed in defeat, making my heart pinch.

What could I do?

“Is this what happened to all the others?” I asked, though I could guess the answer.

“Hm? The others who came for Narille? Obviously. You’d think people would stop coming after word spread that no one leaves, but money is a strong motivator. It’s rather sad, if you think about it. Oh, well—that’s life. Money is everything to those who have nothing.”

In any other scenario, I might have been offended by the implication. If this was the end, though, I wanted to understand, and Rugaveld appeared to be the sort inclined to gloat.

“What is it?” My chin jerked to indicate the plate. “In the food.”

Rugaveld followed my gaze. “You mean you didn’t know? Why did you avoid it?”

Did the Aminkinya not speak to anyone else? Well, we did a great job of squandering that advantage. I shrugged as best I could with my arms tied. “Call it a bad feeling.”

Ignoring my question, Rugaveld swiveled toward his daughter. “Is it done yet?”

“Not yet,” Savreen responded after a beat.

He made an irritated sound in his throat and resumed pacing. “You’ve seen what we created,” he continued, apparently returning to our conversation. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

Something told me he wasn’t referring to the manor. What did he want from me—validation that their creepy town was nice? While my friend and I were tied up and held against our will? Let me add a song and dance while I’m at it.

“As beautiful as a hellish prison can be,” I muttered.

“Our country is at war.”

“… Yes, you mentioned?—”

He spoke over me. “But it goes far beyond that. In my homeland, we were forced to enslave our own, creating a cruel caste system where our people can’t choose their line of work or marry for love.

I’ve seen what that does to people. What it did to Savreen’s mother, as a member of a lower caste.

I thought, ‘If it were possible to achieve order without cruelty… If people did what they were told willingly—happily—things would be better.’

“Now, picture a society where everyone pulls their weight. Everyone follows the law. No one is better or worse than his neighbor, and every individual works selflessly for the good of the nation. Imagine how successful that would be! That’s what I wanted, and I’ve been given a chance to make that happen.

Thanks to me, Munarzed has become the perfect nation. ”

Much like when witnessing a horrific accident unfold, I found myself unable to look away. This guy was certifiably crazy. Did he truly think that sob story justified this? The retort that he was no better than his countrymen climbed up my throat, but Luthri beat me to it.

“What perfect nation takes away a person’s free will?” my companion growled from across the hall. Sweat beaded across his brow, an outward sign of his struggle. His criticism caught Rugaveld’s attention, and the mayor stalked across the room to crouch beside Savreen.

Leaving me unattended.

Rugaveld thrust the tip of his dagger under Luthri’s chin, forcing the Peri man to look him in the eye.

His tone was chilling. “When you have a responsibility to protect that which you hold dear, you find that some concessions must be made. However, anyone would agree that our efforts have improved this island. Before we came, it was a melting pot of depravity.”

This was my chance. The rope dug into my forearms when I tested it again. I’d have to be careful with the transformation—bring that part of me inside my torso instead of trying to expand within the confines of the rope. Before that, I would need mana , and a lot of it.

I maintained the defeated posture and observed Rugaveld and his puppets through my lashes. Praying that my actions would go unnoticed, I began amassing what I needed.

The magic in my chest roused at the first wisp, as if knowing what I planned to do.

The great cat I likened the sensation to stretched and pawed the ground, eager for action.

I kept my breathing even and drew slowly, steadily, gathering power for what I hoped would give us a decisive victory.

A form took shape in my head— yes, that would do nicely .

Rugaveld looked to Savreen, who shook her head, and huffed his displeasure. “Here, have another,” he said, grabbing a second sweet and forcing it between Luthri’s lips. His fingers caught Lu’s teeth—or perhaps it was the other way around—and he winced.

“You know it doesn’t work that way,” Savreen scolded, snatching her father’s hand to determine the severity of the wound. She dabbed at the welling blood with the hem of her skirt.

“Magic is confusing,” Rugaveld grumbled under his breath.

Their conversation drifted into one ear as I focused on collecting mana and preparing for a change. Of course—he controlled the residents with magic. He must have a unique ability that let him produce a mind-altering substance or otherwise turn food into a weapon.