Chapter 21
The Monster King
The Monster King’s nostrils were assaulted by the acidic smell of urine within Mordred’s cell as he stood before the bars.
The stupid, betraying fool had given up no further information after this last session, where he had lost his fourth finger. Each time they did this, they drew out the pain, sawing through each finger more slowly.
Nevertheless, the bastard refused to provide anything of use.
“There’s no point in doing this,” Jason said from beside him. “He isn’t speaking. He likely doesn’t know anything else.”
The Monster King slowly moved his gaze from Mordred to look at Jason. So far, Jason had followed every request of his without hesitation, but he was starting to wonder: every time they tortured Mordred, he tried to stop him from pushing further.
He narrowed his eyes at Jason, whose constantly neutral face showed no indication of caring. Did this man not care about anything? Or was he that good? Was he working alongside Mordred somehow?
“Besides, your informant is about to arrive here soon. We should get out of this disgusting cell. I’m tired of the smell,” Jason said, his face still neutral in appearance.
He had a point. The informant was about to arrive any minute. He had received a letter indicating that the informant had been following Seda and her ‘friends’ and had an update to share. This informant was the only reason he knew about Seda in the first place.
“Fine,” he gruffed.
They walked away from Mordred and exited the long hall.
The Monster King inhaled the fresh desert air as they left.
It had been weeks, and the stupid, fucking Jotnar hadn’t come any closer to breaking down the dome.
He desperately wanted a fresh veilroot smoke, so he strode ahead of Jason and headed to his office, Jason following him like the fucking puppy he was.
When he opened the door, his informant was sitting in a chair waiting for him, looking like he had flown through the night to reach the Camp.
“Ahh… at last, we meet again,” the Monster King said as he approached his desk, reaching for the veilroot and a piece of paper within his desk drawer. He watched Jason’s eyes widen as he recognized who stood before him.
Interesting… How did he know of him?
The informant didn’t respond. He was a quiet one, which often irritated the Monster King. He looked back over at him as he licked the paper and rolled up the smoke.
“Jason, I need a light,” he commanded.
Jason walked over and lit the match for him, which he easily could have done himself, but it was better to watch him do it.
He inhaled the veilroot, and the calming sensation spread to his fingertips.
“What did you learn? Where’s the moonstone?” he asked the informant.
“It was stolen,” he replied.
Anger surged through his temple, and he ground his teeth together. “How did it slip past you?”
“I had some assumptions that one of the people traveling with us wasn’t who they claimed to be. And now I have reason to believe that this person, Kalon, is actually who you call Somnium.”
The Monster King’s eyes widened, and he paused, with his veilroot smoke grazing his bottom lip. No one had ever seen Somnium’s face before. He was elusive, appearing only in armor and a mask.
“How did you figure this out?” he asked as he inhaled once more, watching the informant through narrowed eyes.
“We were in a fight with a Gnashing Flora, and suddenly the plant started to writhe into itself, like it was having a painful nightmare. I’m aware you suffer from the same?” his informant asked.
Yes. Yes, he did. He had one just this morning. He desperately wanted to kill that fucker, Somnium. He loathed having someone control him—someone more powerful than he and able to withstand the magic of the Dark Stone.
“What does he look like?” He blew smoke into the room.
“He’s tall with dark olive-toned skin, long black hair, and the brightest blue eyes I’ve ever seen.”
He knew about the piercing eye color. He could see them behind the mask every time he arrived to pick up the children they had gathered for him.
“And how did he steal the stone?” He inhaled the smoke again and blew it out through his nostrils, glaring at his informant with hatred for Somnium.
“He tricked Seda by kissing her and stole it from her neck in the middle of the night,” the informant said with birdlike eyes that flicked between him and his smoke.
The Monster King looked over to Jason, who was fidgeting. Jason pretended he didn’t care about Seda, but obviously, he did, given the nervous anxiety that rolled off his body.
He looked back at the man before him. “And where is Seda now? Is the Lionne still with her?”
“Yes, they’re in Umbrea. I nearly got caught sneaking through her corridor at night. King Ael seems interested in her. He lived in Joro for many years, passing as a human named Cahir.”
He heard Jason gasp, and he looked over at him while pursing his lips.
“Do you know of him, Jason?” he seethed, studying him intently.
Jason nodded, his face returning to its usual dull, neutral stare. “Yes, Sire. He was trying to conceive with Seda while they were in Joro. I had no idea he wasn’t human.”
Fucking fool, the Monster King thought.
The Monster King sneered and looked back over to his informant. “And why should I continue to trust someone who’s betraying their own kind?”
“Not all of us are loyal to her. My sister’s an idiot for thinking she could be anything more than the pathetic person Seda truly is.”
“What’s your name again?” The Monster King stepped back to his desk and leaned against it.
“Feich,” the informant replied.
“And how did you get away from this group you were traveling with?” he asked him.
“I faked my own death. They all believe I’m dead.”
The Monster King studied him for a long time. He walked over to him and looked up into his dark eyes and moonlight skin.
“Do you know what I do to betrayers?” he asked while pulling out the Dark Stone from his pocket. The deep burning sensation he often felt when he touched the stone ran up his arm, giving him a sudden burst of powerful energy, just waiting to be used.
“Yes, I do. I’m not a betrayer. I’m loyal to only what’s best for the Corvids.”
The Monster King grinned and placed the stone back into his pocket.
“Gather the Corvids who aren’t loyal to Seda and report back to me as soon as possible. Be discreet. We don’t want word of this traveling.”
Feich nodded, stood from his chair, and walked out of the office.
When the door closed, the Monster King looked over to Jason. “I’m having trouble trusting you, Jason. You’ve been lenient with Mordred’s punishments, and now I discover that King Ael of the Fae has been living under our noses for years. Someone who, apparently, was close to you.”
He walked to the door, opened the creaky metal, and called over a few Dragors.
When they walked in, he said to Jason, “I apparently need to remind you who’s in charge around here. And it’s not you. Let’s hope this lesson never has to happen again.”
The room darkened as the door closed, and the Monster King smiled as Jason began to scream into the dimly lit room.