Chapter 47 Ariana
ARIANA
The Lysian female sauntered closer.
“I cleaned up the mess on the outskirts as requested,” she stated with a sickly sweet voice.
That was when I noticed the sword strapped to her hip and the blood dripping from it.
Her pale gaze turned once more to me, noting my attention on her wet blade, and she smiled callously.
“The great Bavadrin Leader Superior,” she mocked, coming to stand beside Clause and folding her arms over her chest. “You look no more than just a meek little Bavadrin.”
Clause clicked his tongue, leaning back in his chair with an arrogance only a King could have.
“Behave yourself, Malavika. These are my dinner guests.” He pretended to lightly reprimand, though by the glint in his eye, he was clearly intrigued.
There was something unyielding to the Sidhe King.
His presence and control had a finality to it.
There was no way he did not know the Lysian would enter the room, and that she would be displeased by my presence.
In fact, he likely orchestrated it all, but to what end?
Allowing someone to insult his dinner guests did not seem like a good way to make friends.
However, I did not know if friendship was even his goal.
“My apologies.” She flashed a hostile smile. Not at all sorry. Her gaze drifted over me once more, full of judgment. “So, let’s see your conjuring. It must be spectacular for someone like you to have single-handedly freed yourself from the control of the Lysians.”
They knew so much about what had happened. With dread, I realized that someone must have shared the information with the Sidhe.
Could they truly have spies in my lands?
“I am not here to entertain you,” I stated dismissively, wondering whose blood left a trail behind the Lysian. Whose blood still dripped from that blade on her hip?
She ignored my words. “Why did it take you so long to finally free yourself? Was it because you couldn’t get enough of the royal Lysian brothers? Tell me, did you sleep with all of them like a true Bavadrin tramp?”
Heat flared in my stomach at her words.
Landin’s gaze drifted to me as he clenched his jaw. Thankfully, he remained silent and seated as Edda and I had instructed before we ever came to the Sidhe lands.
Clause kept his focus on me the entire time, monitoring my movement and the emotions that he would not see because of my wonderfully schooled features. I had years of practice controlling my face to hide the thoughts that passed through my mind.
It was clear the Sidhe king wanted Malavika present.
He wanted her to burrow under my skin, likely hoping to anger me into using my conjuring.
I expected him to at least ask to see my gifts first before trying to force them from me.
He did not even give me that chance. Instead, he decided to play things out by force.
That only irritated me further, for I did not appreciate their games.
I was not a puppet. And if they wished to fight dirty, then I could do that too.
Clause was said to collect conjurors, so what was Malavika’s gift?
The Lysian smiled smugly before her gaze drifted to Clause and softened. Her liking of him was her weakness, and I was going to press into that.
Reining in my anger, I smiled pleasantly.
“You flatter me, for a Lysian royal could never find such favor in a simple Bavadrin like me. Though I’m sure I could learn a lot from someone as interesting as you, Malavika.
Tell me, after you open your legs to your Sidhe King, do you weep sad tears because you know you will never be more than a pastime to quench his utter boredom? ”
Her jaw clenched while Clause smirked darkly. It was clear she cared for him and what he thought of her. Though by his reaction to my comment, it did not seem like he cared all that much for her feelings in return.
“Bitch,” she seethed.
I did not know why she hated me so instantly. It was not my choice to visit the Sidhe territory. I probably wished to have been gone as much as she wanted the same of me.
“Mirror is that way.” I nodded to an area behind them where a part of the wall was decorated in a starburst pattern with broken mirror shards. She should have taken a good look at herself before she began throwing insults.
There was a momentarily sweeping silence in the room.
Then the Lysian moved as quickly as the ones I had grown to know, grabbing the dinner knife from Clause’s dining set.
She shoved it forward. Despite the table distance between us, a shimmering distortion flickered around me, and four blades appeared within inches of my throat.
By reflex, I pushed myself from the table, the chair screeching horribly as I stood.
The knife in the Lysian’s hand vanished to the hilt, while four identical blades formed around me. Was it her conjuring gift? I had never seen anything like it, to take one of something and make copies of it at a distance.
Landin unsheathed his sword, rising to his feet a fraction of a second behind me. Only Edda and Clause remained seated.
If I had not moved when I did, then the Lysian would have cut me.
Anger rippled through me, and power instantly ran over my skin and down my veins.
It pooled in my palms, and I thrust my hand forward, shoving mist into the Lysian’s lungs.
She lost hold of the blade in her hand, and it clanked on the table before her.
The four knives around me disappeared. Her hands instinctually went to her throat for breath which was no longer where it should have been.
She tried to gasp, but one did not come.
Her hand found Clause’s shoulder, panic in her icy gaze. She was reaching to him for help.
He looked at her with a dark sparkle in his eye as she crumpled to her knees beside him. Only then did his knuckles brush over her skin, and even though I had not released my conjuring, she began coughing, gulping down one greedy breath after another.
I couldn’t help but glance at my palm, still feeling the power very much alive in my fingertips, yet the effect on the Lysian vanished.
Clause may have seen a glimpse of my conjuring, but I also just caught a glimpse of his.
He only had to touch her, and it completely nullified the effect of my influence on her.
“I must apologize. Mal can have quite a temper at times. She will not upset you again this evening, for she was just leaving.” His blatant excuse of her was calm, though she flinched as if he had yelled it.
Malavika stood once she regained her bearing. Her eyes met mine once more, and she snarled, her teeth flashing before she turned and left. It was impressive, for the control he had over her was strong. Malavika did not seem like someone typically easily dismissed.
“She gets awfully spirited at times, but I would never have allowed her to truly harm you,” Clause commented, taking a sip of wine before gesturing for me to take my seat once more.
Landin looked from me to the King. A deep frown etched onto his face, and he glanced at me once more.
He hated everything about what was going on, that I was being tested by someone we knew so little about, someone who likely posed a threat.
His jaw clenched, and I knew that he was making a great effort not to say a word.
As long as the promise Clause made was upheld, then Landin’s purpose was for moral support, not to get involved.
He sheathed his sword when I gave him a small nod.
However, his entire demeanor remained rigid.
Following my lead, we both returned to the table, his hand resting on the hilt of his blade the entire time.
Landin’s eyes promised of death as they stared at the Sidhe King.
Quick, shallow breaths caused his chest to rise and fall with furious anger.
He did not like me threatened, but we also knew that the Sidhe King would likely try to see my conjuring.
It was all orchestrated. Landin knew that as much as I did.
His hand was in a fist under the table, and I reached for him.
My touch did nothing to relax him. When his fist did not relent to allow my fingers to slip through, I withdrew from him, hoping he could keep it together just a little longer.
Clause took a single bite of chicken while his gray eyes studied me the entire time.
Being under the watchful eye of a Lysian was uncomfortable, but this was so much worse.
It was as if I was there merely for the purpose of him to observe and be entertained at my expense.
I had the urge to gouge out those eyes so that he could no longer view me in such a superior manner.
I did not exist for his pleasure.
“So, tell me, Ariana, are the rumors true?” he asked casually. It was another game, he was toying with me. Giving me just enough to force me to follow. He could have been alluding to anything.
I swallowed a single red grape. It seemed the safest thing on my plate to try.
“I cannot confirm nor deny, for I do not know what rumors you speak of.” I reached for the glass of water before me, my throat incredibly dry.
A smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth. “Why, the ones that say you killed your father.”
I nearly choked on water, and he tilted his head, a full dark smile appearing on his lips.
“I can assure you that I have not killed anyone.” It was an effort to keep my jaw moving, to keep my teeth from grinding.
His gaze held mine. “But you are responsible, are you not?”
What was I to him? A source of amusement?
He invited us to this meeting, the first of its kind as far as I knew, and now he asked of such personal things.
He had no right to expect an answer to such a question.
I owed him no answers. Yet he, too, owed me no answers, but I refused to leave without getting some.