6. Six
It”s incredible here.
Every direction I look, there”s a tent with colorful drapery fullof all kindsof wares. One tent has a man twisting metal into anything the buyer could ask for. A lifelike bird, a beautiful necklace, even a dagger with a point so sharp it needed to be wrapped in cloth before it was safe to carry around.
The next tent had a woman using her water abilities as a facial treatment, hydrating her client”s skin with herb-infused water.
”Why doesn”t anyone recognize you?” I ask the king as we exit the tent, walking across the way to one stained in a myriad of reds and oranges, whites, and the lightest blue, almost reflecting the color of the seaside cliffs in the distance.
”Because anyone who discovers my identity doesn”t live long enough to share it with anyone else.Even the staff in Avolire aren”t permitted to leave the grounds without forfeiting their lives,” he explains,justpassing over that gruesome detail as ifit”sinsignificant.”Anonymity gives me a better perspective on the reality of my kingdom. If I came here in full regalia, they”d all put on a performance for me.”
It makes sense, of course. And I appreciate thathewants me to seehiskingdom as it is, not as a facade.
When we enter the next beautifully colorful tent, we see that a fire tender has transformed the abundance of sand around us into marketable ware.Theyburned the sand so hot it became glasstheymade into stunning sculptures.
I”m admiring the beautiful works of art when one scares me into a frozen state. I”m stuck face-to-face with the myth of the king. The skull helm and hooded cape look so real that I almost expect the glass to start blowing in the wind.
The real king, infinitely more terrifying, chuckles behind me. ”That”s quite a likeness,” he tells the seller, chewing on some soft candy he bought a few stops back.
”Thank you,” they respond.
”It”s rare for anyone to have been close enough to get such detail and live to tell the tale. How did you?” King Kairon asks, and I fear for the innocent person in front of us, with no clue what manner of monster stands before him.
”I rode with the king. Only maybe a year or so ago.” The elderly seller gestures north and adds, ”When Rhyma breached our borders and burned down Valeman.”
Before I can argue that they must be mistaken, the king gently wraps a hand around my waist, rendering me silent. Whatever I expected him to feel like, scalding hot certainly wasn”t it. His warmth radiates through my shirt, and I”m endlessly grateful that the many light layers protect me from feeling his bare palm on my skin.
I look up at him, a question on my face, but he gives me the most subtle shake of his head, telling me in no uncertain terms not to disagree with the seller. When I keep my mouth shut, he releases me, and I breathe out a sigh of relief, unable to think with the weight of his hand on me.
”Well, I thank you for your service,” the king tells the seller. ”You saved many lives that day. What is your name?”
”I am Agni.”
”Well, Agni, I am very pleased to have met you today. Is this piece for sale? Or for display only?”
Agni chuckles. ”You want to purchase a glass sculpture of The Horned King in action?”
”I thinkit”s always important to remember what someone is capable of.He may be our benevolent king,”Kairon”s sarcasm nearly bleeds through, though Agni doesn”t seem to notice, ”but he”s also the most powerful necromancer and warrior our people have had in centuries, possibly ever.”
With great effort, I keep from rolling my eyes. None of us need the reminder of what he”s capable of. Power practically rolls off of him in waves. Everyone notices him as he walks by, even if they”ve no clue who it is that”s drawing their attention.
As the king makes his purchase, I notice a man watching us with even more interest than therest of thebuyers and sellers in this market.His Royal Majestymakes polite conversationwith Agni, complimenting his work and discussing where the inspiration comes from, while my eyeskeep driftingto the man standing unmoved in the distance, staring at us.
The king asks Agni to hold on to the piece, explaining that someone will come pick it up at the end of market hours today. Then, with a final handshake from the king and a friendly wave and thanks from me, Agni pivots to his next possible customer.
”You”ve bought something from every seller we”ve visited,”I comment as we walk along the aisle, looking for our next stop. I continue searching for the man who was staring, but for the moment, he”s out of my line of sight.
”And you”ve bought nothing,”he replies. ”If you want something, you need only ask.”
Each person whose skin accidentally grazes mine sends a flood of emotions through me, leaving me struggling tokeep focusedon our conversation. I blink through the immense sorrow of the woman I nearly crashed into, looking up to see the king watching me closely.
”Are you alright?”he asks, eyes narrowed.
”I”m fine. I just…”Clearing my throat, I prepare the answer I”ve given hundreds of times to explain away my discomfort. ”I have a hard time in large crowds.”
”You”rea politician,”hecalls my bluff immediately.”Your livelihood has you surrounded by people constantly.”
”Well, yes,”I concede. ”But not quite like this. It”s the touching part I struggle with.”
He nods, taking another bite of the sweet concoction he bought. ”You don”t like physical contact. Understandable. I had a cousin with a similar affliction.”
Curiosity gets the best of me. ”Had? What happened to them?”
”I killed him.”
Other than a slight pause in my steps, I hold in my reaction to how cavalier he is when he speaks of such things. ”Oh.”
He chuckles quietly. ”He was a staunch supporter of the former king and stood between me and the throne. So he had to be eliminated.”
”I see.”
The king sighs. ”Save your judgment, Elva. You do not yet understand how things work here.”
”I”m not judging,”I argue, to which he looks at me with a flat expression of disbelief. ”Your Maj- Kairon, I”m not. I”m simply... processing. You”re correct that I don”t understand, but I”d like to. Truly.”
An almost pleased smile takes over his face, ”You will. In time, I think you”ll find that there”s a sense of freedom in how things are done here.”
”Freedom? In violence?”I scoff.
He laughs, the chuckle at my expense making my blood run hot. ”Not exactly.”He drags me around a large tent, pulling me into the shadows with a scalding hand on my lower back. Once separated from the throngs of people, he releases me and turns me to face him. I feel utterly trapped between him and the canvas behind me, staring up and wondering what madness he”ll spout next. He leans in slightly as if sharing a secret, and I hold my breath lest I inhale his intoxicating scent. The salty sea air, lavender, and freshly pressed leather. And whatever that deliciously dark something that is both bitter and sweet at the same time.
When he speaks, low enough for only me to hear, I feel the warm, deviantly delicious air escaping his mouth as it hits my cheekbone and ear, ”There”s a freedom in taking off the mask. Letting your wickedness run rampant. Embracing the monster beneath your skin that”s begging to be let out.”
”The only one who wears a mask is you, Your Majesty,”I stutter out, the proximity of him drowning me. I barely manage to hold still, my body simultaneously begging him not to touch me even while part of me hopes he does.
”I don”t think so.”Heseems tocrowd even closer if that”s physically possible.He whispers directly into my ear, somehow still managing not to touch me, even though I feel him everywhere. ”Will you show me what lies under yours, my Elva? Show me what darkness hides inside you?”
My lungs cease working altogether, the words a sinful caress against my skin, taunting the parts of me that I never let anyone see. They try to lure me, pull me in to play withhimand the wicked freedomhepromises.
Before I can make what is sure to be a terrible mistake, whether by allowing just a taste of this desire or by spouting more insults, screams and the sound of gunfire jar me out of my stupor. Within seconds, people run around the corner, nearly trampling us in their fleeing. The king and I get separated, and I hear him shouting my name as I”m pushed against the canvas behind me. The last thing I feel before I fall against it is overwhelming terror, the fear of every person running from the massacre bumping against me as an elbow hits my cheek and another grazes my bare shoulder.
The wood beams holding the tent up creak before snapping entirely, my weight taking the whole thing down in a crash of canvas and sticks. Seconds before I hit the ground, a warm palm manages to cradle my head, barely keeping it from slamming against the hard floor. The impact of it still stings, knocking the wind out of my lungs and leaving my head spinning.
When my eyes focus again, all I see is King Kairon. Surrounding me, on top of me, holding my head, and searching my eyes for signs of cognition. All around us, people scramble, shouting and screaming. He grunts in pain from being kicked or tripped over more than once in the few seconds we lie there staring at each other.
”We have to get up,”I pant, trying feebly to push on his chest. ”We can”t stay here.”
”You”re alright?”he asks, and I nod. ”You can move?”I nod again, pushing against him harder.
”Yes! I”m fine,”I assure him,growingfrustrated at his lack of movement.
His eyes drift to my lips for one infinitesimal moment that feels like it goes on forever. The cold, lifelessness of his eyes is nowhere to be found, blistering heat and hunger replacing them for the second he stares at my mouth.
”Kairon,”I nearly shout. ”Get up before we get fucking trampled.”
Blinking rapidly, he shoves off the ground, reaching out a hand for me to take while using the other to push away any person who gets close enough to nearly step on me. With great difficulty, I get myself up, not daring to take his hand for fear of what emotions might be swirling in himright now.
Clambering out of the mess of canvas, I see the manwho had beenfollowing us, towering above the crowd, peering around, looking for someone. When his eyes find us, he becomes a predator who has just spotted his prey, eyes locked onto me as he shoves people out of the way.
He raises his gun, shooting at the sky to startle the crowd into moving, as if they needed more encouragement to run. The king and I try to push through the peoplein front ofus, but the man gains on us slowly. Kairon hasn”t spotted him yet as he”s too occupied withpushingpeople out of our way.
A gunshot rings out again, and it whizzes by, barely missing me and landing with a hard thunk in a woman a few feet in front of us. Kairon takes notice, turning toward the sound, finally spotting the man trying to kill us.
”Do something,”I beg. ”Kill him before he shoots anyone else.”
He sighs, pushing another man to the ground and dragging me with an iron grip around my waist. ”If I use my abilities on him in front of all these people, they”ll all have to die, too.”
”What? Why?”
”No witnesses,”he shrugs. ”We”re almost to the carriage, and one of the footmen will take care of him. Just keep moving. Unless you want me to kill everyone here. Not ideal, but I don”t mind.”
He is so unbelievably frustrating. ”That”s unnecessary,”I grit, moving faster whilealsotrying to avoid all the bare, deep olive skin he has on display. Gods above, did he rip the buttons on his shirt somehow?
A carriage that is certainly not the one we arrived in comes barreling towards us, the crowd nearly leaping out of the way to avoid it. I try to move out of the way, only to be stoppedin my tracksby the king”s footman, running up and roughly grabbing around my waist. I scream in protest, but Kairon doesn”t seem to notice, too occupied with opening the door so the footman can throw me into the carriage they”ve apparently stolen.
”Hey! What is-”
”Be quiet and get down,”the king orders, climbing in behind me.
The sound of gunfire continues, nearly drowned out by the screams and shouts of people attempting to flee. The king sits, seemingly unconcerned about the madness happening outside. When I try to open a curtain to peek through, he tells me again to hide.
”Don”t you want to look and see if he”s getting closer? Why are you just sitting there like everything is fine?”I spout at him.
With a shrug and his lifeless facade back in place, he explains, ”Everything is fine. You are unharmed, and my guard will end that man as soon as he”s within arms reach.”
I cannot believe how cavalier he”s being.”And if he shoots your guard?” I ask.
Amusement graces his handsome face, ”I assure you, a bullet will not harm Gerald.”
”So Gerald is bulletproof?”
The amusement grows. ”Something like that.”
A horrible crunch sounds outside the carriage,the gunfire abruptly coming to an end.Though the screaming doesn”t stop, it sounds further away, scattered, andslowlybecoming less frantic.
I reach for the curtain again, only to be stopped by the king”s command, ”Do not look.”
”Why not?”
Carefully, slowly, as if choosing the right words, he tells me, ”Because you won”t like what you see.”
I nod, sinking into the seat across from him, my mind spinning from what it”s just been through. The carriage begins rolling without even a moment”s pause, leaving behind the horrific scene. In the distance, the unmistakable sounds of loss and sorrow fill the air, the type of wailing that can only be described as earth-shattering.
I stare at the floor before me, willing the images swirling through my mind to give me a moment”s peace. The king gives me thesmallestmercy of remaining silent for our journey back to the fortress he resides in, letting me grieve for the lives lost today without interruption.
But why was that man there? He seemed laser-focused on the king and me. Yet, no one is supposed to know who he is. So the only thing that makesanysense is that he was there, not for Kairon, but for me.
As we walk through the enormous entryway, the king murmurs to me, ”I need to find Shan. Excuse me.”
The armed guards around me breakoffinto perfect formations, halfof themsurrounding the king, the other half guiding me silently to my room.As I enter,the doors slam closed behind me, only to open ten seconds later to a frantic Raya.
”Are you alright?”she pants, eyes wide with concern. ”I heard what happened. That must have been so terrifying.”
”How did you already hear? We”ve been here less than five minutes.”
She laughs, a joyless sound. ”Word travels fast. The guards already told me everything. We”ve never had anything like that happen at the market. It”s always so peaceful.”
As she continues ranting about how unbelievable the attack was, once again, I”m hit with the knowledge that that means it wasspecificallymeant for me. And there”s only one reason that could be.
But why would he set me up like that? So he doesn”t have to take responsibility for my death? It makes no sense at all.
Breaking me from my reverie, Raya says something that catches my attention. ”You look like you need a drink.”
”Gods above, yes.”
She nods, making a quick plan in her head. ”I”ll get you a drink and dinner. The king will likely be strategizing and investigating well into the night, so you”ll be dining alone tonight, alright?”
A sigh of relief leaves me. ”That actually sounds great. I could use some time to myself to try to process everything that”s happened.”
”Understandable,”she tells me, walking toward my bedroom door. At the exit, she turns to face me with a beaming, if a bit mischievous smile, and says, ”I”ll send something up, but just be warned. The wine is stronger than it tastes.”
I laugh a bit. ”I appreciate the warning, but I can handle a little drink.”
The grin she wears as she closes the doors tells me she doesn”t believe me, but how bad could it be?