Chapter 42
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
M y fingertips are tingling, and my lips are a little numb. I meander to the bedroom, expecting my rage to make its presence known. Why has he given me a gift? The numbness and tingling are spreading. There is no clawing, not even a flutter in my chest. Walking to the bedroom, my legs are full of lead and jelly.
I sit down on the bed, when the doors to our chambers swing open. I thrust the package under my pillow and stand too quickly, catching my head in my hands as everything spins. I’m still holding my head as I enter the sitting room, a chill creeping into my bones.
“Mika. Are you feeling alright?” the king’s smooth voice questions me.
I try to curtsy but stumble as the tingling in my feet and numbness spreads through my mid-section.
“Oh, please sit. You look most unwell, dear.” King Stol gestures to the sofa as he takes a seat opposite me.
I collapse onto the sofa as the world tilts and sways. The king only watches me, not at all concerned by my behavior. He reminds me of a snake, ready to strike. Slippery. Poised. Full of fangs and danger.
Snake is a funny word.
Ssssssnay-kuh.
I giggle and then frown. Why am I giggling? Stol’s face has a vicious, wide smile, and his violet eyes are watching me with delight.
“Have you ever experienced pain, Mika? Real pain. The type of pain you think you may never recover from?”
“What kind of question is that?” I slur. My throat is numb. Everything is either numb or tingly now. I try to stand, but my body won’t obey.
“Did you know, that often, Gifts are only trapped? Needing some motivation to manifest. I have found pain to be a great motivator.” Stol’s words sound warped as his grin widens and takes over every corner of the room. Violet eyes swim above me. A laugh echoes through my brain, sounding both like my own and also the king’s. Then I can hear nothing at all.
King Stol’s smile swallows me whole.