Chapter 14 Ro #2
A hand shoved me forward, and I nearly stumbled. Nevertheless I straightened, and even though his was the last face I wanted to see, I stared directly into Taja’s eyes. No need to hide my anger and disgust, not when I appeared before him as myself.
It would be a public execution. And it wouldn’t be my hand that would fall to the ground, the known punishment for thieves—it would be my head.
I stilled the trembling that rested beneath my skin.
Outward rebellion from a Lesser magic wielder toward the king who despised them all and rained fear over his people. Maybe that’d been my purpose, to leave that legacy to inspire others.
“You know how we found you?” The king splayed his gaudy, ostentatious, ring-covered fingers, admiring the gold and no doubt his own reflection in them. When I refused to have any back and forth, he slid his gaze to me and continued.
“Reports in my castle of a baker’s assistant chatting with rats. And when that same baker’s assistant never returned for her shift, my precious relic also found leave. Coincidental?” he asked rhetorically. Still, I refused to speak.
He chuckled to himself, dusting off invisible dirt from his forest green vest, straightening in his seat.
His brown arms were exposed, surprisingly muscled for a king who lapped up decadence and luxury for every meal.
Rav pulled off the style much better, even if his finery was nowhere up to snuff from the man before me.
Imagining them in a sparring ring, and Rav beating the ever living daylights out of him had me fighting a twitching smile.
“I’d had my soldiers on the lookout for you for quite some time after that.
Then, wouldn’t you know, reports of a woman rushing to the aid of an injured donkey.
Spewing remarks about the creature’s complaints.
And that same woman crossing the river, no doubt to the camp of rebels that resides on the other side. ”
The oily dread of horror doused any flickering hope I’d held onto. Windguardian soldiers weren’t just searching near the river, because he knew exactly where our camp was, and the communication channels we used in Hava City.
Everything I’d thought we’d kept hidden, exposed to the most dangerous man on the continent.
Rahana’s only chance now was for some miracle that Braxius could find a way to warn them.
I couldn’t communicate with him mentally while bound in iron.
I had to pick the opportune moment to shout for him to flee, and pray the soldiers would be too caught off guard to stop him.
A bead of cold sweat slid down my back. Maybe it was all already over.
Had Taja’s soldiers already made their move against the camp?
“Oh. Did you think I wasn’t aware of your little deserter hideaway in Highcrest? You underestimate me. Maybe if you beg, I’ll spare mercy.” He widened his dark eyes in anticipation of groveling he’d never hear, angling his ear toward me. “Beg, Miss Collins.”
He sullied my name by letting it roll off his deceptive tongue.
But all I did was raise my chin higher. A soldier from behind wouldn’t allow me to disrespect his king by remaining silent any longer.
The base of his sword collided with the back of my head, making me bend over in pain while I tried to stitch the blurred world back together into one piece.
“Unnecessary,” the king said with a slight chuckle, as if a magic wielder's pain was somehow amusing. “She’ll help either way.”
Resisting the urge to wince at the painful throb attacking the back of my skull, I peered at him from under my lashes. “I will never help you,” I said through gritted teeth.
A small smile spread across his despicable face, as if he had nothing to fear, and admired my willingness to resist. “That’s where you’re wrong, dear.
Unless you would like me to send my forces to slaughter your entire camp, starting with this lovely maiden, hm?
” He gestured to Alba, who stood beside me, separated by a soldier between us.
She still had a gag over her mouth, but it didn’t dull her whimper.
I cursed myself for letting her come at all.
I wanted to vomit, but a glimmer of hope remained when I fought the nausea enough to dissect his words.
He was threatening the safety of the camp, meaning he hadn’t sent his soldiers across the river yet.
“I’ll return the relic,” I snapped, hoping he wouldn’t sense the lie on my tongue.
I had pawned it the first moment I could and passed along the earnings to those in need.
Taja chuckled to himself. “Oh, I don’t care about that.”
I furrowed my brow, having no clue what else he thought I had to offer him.
“No, what I need your help with requires no object. Well, perhaps your bow might come in handy. Nevertheless, it is your skills I require.”
“My skills?” I repeated back to him, still receiving no clarity.
“While I may not care about an unused set of rock utensils, I was quite impressed with your ability to sneak around this heavily guarded palace undetected. At first, I was quite angry, I’ll admit.
A simple, lower-class girl, possessing a simple kind of magic, able to walk these halls freely?
Let alone sneak into the constantly guarded treasure room and blatantly steal from a king, then walk out the front doors, never to be seen again?
Yes, many felt my wrath. But, as I’ve contemplated your brazen disrespect, I have come to find an appreciation for your level of stealth.
” His face lowered from something fond and reminiscent to serious and solemn. “That is what I need.”
The pit in my stomach grew. The last thing I would ever want to do in this life was help the monster responsible for countless deaths and the displacement of innocent people.
My mind snagged on a vision of Tio, of Rav, of the children laughing around the fire.
People I cared about, people who had become my family.
I couldn’t bear the thought of their slaughter being on my hands.
My eyes burned, vision blurring as the resigning words spilled from my mouth. I snarled and asked, “For what?”
He took a deep breath, pride filling his chest—I could tell by the triumphant gleam in his eye. “I’m sending you north.”