Chapter 2 #2
His gaze cuts to the one still closest to my side. “Uncuff her.”
The man hesitates, clearly weighing the command against whatever bravado he thought he’d earned in his position.
Those green eyes narrow on him as his voice drops an octave. “Now.”
Rough fingers close around my wrist, and the cuffs click loose one at a time.
I pull my arms in front of me, rubbing the raw skin as I once again meet the eyes of their colonel.
I won’t thank him for this. He’s still part of the system that put them on me in the first place.
But he hasn’t looked at me like I’m filth or an enemy—not yet.
“We have very strict protocols,” Ryoden says, sweeping his gaze toward the guards as his hands settle behind his back. “Has she given unreasonable doubt of being a violent supernatural?”
There’s a very obvious sense of control in his even tone, yet it’s his specific phrasing that causes me pause.
He didn’t just say unreasonable doubt of being supernatural, but of being a violent one.
Maybe there’s more to this system here that isn’t deplorable…that there are decent humans in charge here who truly want to protect and take care of their own. Relief trickles through my mind for the old man, for the women and children that seek asylum here.
Their colonel turns his attention to me, his voice softer than I’ve heard it prior. “Did you fight them?”
Before I can speak, the one who cuffed me steps forward, eager to make his voice heard again. “Sir, she resisted when we found her. Tried to run and so we had to restrain her. She was acting suspicious and talking out loud, as if relaying information on a comm of some kind.”
I let out a short laugh, sharp and incredulous at his recounting of events, drawing the attention of all three men in unison.
For a moment I wonder if I’ve made a mistake laughing, but I find that I can’t stand here quietly and listen to this nonsense any longer.
If that lands me in a real prison cell, so be it.
I don’t back down, eyes cutting toward Ryoden instead of the man who just lied through his teeth.
“Yeah. I guess talking to myself on a hill is grounds for being roughly cuffed, shoved, and leered at, all before I even got to the gates of the city. You might want to warn the rest of the city—wouldn’t want the citizens getting terrorized for stress-muttering because of a really shitty day or two. ”
Ryoden watches me for another beat, steady and assessing, like he’s measuring the truth to my words. His lips twitch, just barely, the hint of a smirk that never quite becomes one.
Then he turns his attention back to the guards who are now standing next to each other, and all semblance of polite decorum drains from his expression so swiftly it’s almost unsettling.
His posture doesn’t change, his voice doesn’t rise, but the air in the room seems to tighten around us all the same, despite no indication of magic within him.
“You don’t get to decide when protocol doesn’t have to be followed,” he says, each word placed carefully, deliberately as he takes a step toward them, lifting his chin despite already having a few inches of height on them. “Not in my city. Not under my command.”
Both guards shift, a flicker of unease passing through their faces with furrowed brows and pinched lips. Tongues occasionally dart out to wet their lips as if they are thinking of saying something but then decide against it.
Ryoden continues to take slow steps closer until he stands well inside their space.
Close enough that they have to tilt their heads to keep him in view.
A small thrill of satisfaction spreads through me at the blatant display of intimidation being turned on them, like they did to the innocent people outside.
“If she fought you,” he continues, “you document it and lightly restrain, waiting for my command on how to proceed on comms. You do not lie to my face to justify whatever you felt like doing in the moment.”
His gaze flickers between them as he lets his hands fall to his sides, quietly curling them into tight fists.
“And if I find out you’ve made a habit of this,” Ryoden adds quietly, “I will personally walk you beyond the walls before stripping you of your clothes and whatever delusions that had you thinking you were above the rules that keep this city standing and its people safe.”
I can’t help the tilt of my lips tugging them into a satisfied smirk as both guards' jaws tighten, beads of sweat rolling down their brows before they both nod.
“Yes, sir,” they say in unison.
Ryoden holds his stare a second longer, before his head slowly turns toward me.
The shift in the guards is immediate, with their shoulders easing a fraction as they begin to head toward the door. A scowl twists my face up, angered that they got off so lightly after what I’d seen from the guard at the gates, and after hearing their intentions of stripping me of my clothing.
“I didn’t say you were dismissed,” Ryoden says, and their attempt to escape is halted immediately. “Apologize to this woman.”
Shock parts my lips slightly as both men bend at the waist, profuse apologies spilling from their lips. For a moment all I can do is blink rapidly, unsure of what to do or say.
The heavy weight of their colonel’s stare is on me, seeming to wait for how I want to react to this. A man who gives up power, for the innocent to take control.
My mouth closes and opens as my mind tries to find the words. Eventually I pull my shoulders back and narrow my eyes on the guards staring at the ground, still bent over. “I don’t forgive you and I hope he does far worse than he promised once I tell him what I’ve seen.”
Their hands twitch at their sides, but they remain quiet and still as Ryoden’s head tilts curiously, keeping his eyes on me. “Dismissed, but don’t go far, gentlemen. I’m not in the mood for a hunt.”
They scuttle out of the room like the vermin they’ve proven themselves to be, and I take a deep, steadying breath.
A lightness settles over me with them gone, leaving me alone with the human colonel that unsettles me for an entirely different reason.
He makes me wonder if there are humans in authoritative positions with any good left in them.
His green eyes meet mine, steady and searching.
“Hello,” he says softly as one dark brow lifts. “I’m Ryoden, the Colonel in charge of the city of Charlotte. And you are?”