Page 191 of A Fate of Ice and Lies
Because all I saw were the tanks and soldiers with their rifles pointed at us.
Elias handed Victoria to me while the three males and Alastor stepped in front of us. A dark shadow, similar to the one Eiran had, seemed to bleed from Alastor, forming by his feet and extending toward the soldiers. One soldier pointed his rifle at the growing shadow while the other fourteen kept theirs pointed at us.
When Javier led his sisters behind everyone, I urged Victoria to follow. Reluctantly, she did as I asked.
Donnie stepped forward, standing beside Elias. His shoulders pulled back while his fingers twitched at his sides.
“What’s going on here?” Donnie asked, his tone friendly.
“Are you the one in charge here?” one of the soldiers asked.
“I’m a police officer for this region,” he replied and nodded toward Elias. “He’s the one in charge.”
“Not anymore, he isn’t,” the same soldier said. “Fae aren’t welcome here anymore. You can collect the rest of the fae in this region and get on out of here.”
“What do you mean by collect?” Elias’s words came out slow and lethal, and I knew without looking at him, his eyes had gone black.
The soldier aimed his rifle at Elias’s head. “We got them rounded up in cages.” He pointed the tip of his rifle toward the right. “More’ll be coming in the next few weeks.”
Elias pushed the tip of the rifle down when he stepped forward. “You put my people in cages?”
Just as three soldiers pointed their guns at him, Elias usedwhatever magic that allowed him to incinerate things to eviscerate the rifles. The soldier staggered back a step.
“You want us gone, we’re gone,” Elias said, his tone calm and even, but it was his hands clenching and unclenching that gave him away. He gripped the soldier by his collar and pulled the man closer to him. “But you don’t ever put my people in cages.”
The soldier nodded, and when Elias let him go, he ran his hands over his uniform.
Elias nodded at our three fae friends, who rushed to where the soldier had pointed.
“Do us all a favor and release my people to my friends,” he said.
Two soldiers ran toward where George, Brenton, and Everly had started.
A small crowd of humans formed around us, and I recognized most of the worried faces.
“They mean to take us to an enclosed compound,” a woman I’d gone to high school said, cradling her baby to her chest. “But how are we gonna survive without the fae? Y’all have made sure we had something to eat and made our town livable.”
I clutched a hand to my chest.
“We already have a plan in place,” the soldier said.
“Then tell us what your plan is.” The way she insisted made me believe it wasn’t the first time she’d brought up her concerns.
The soldier remained quiet.
“Anyone who wants to go to my realm will have a home there,” Elias told the growing crowd. “Two of our cities are in ruins, but others are taking in citizens while we rebuild.”
My heart filled at his offer. After everything the humans had done to him, he still offered them safety.
“None of these people are going anywhere with you,” the soldier bit out.
Elias hummed. “Anyone who wants to go to my realm is welcome there,” he repeated louder.
I stepped forward, my fingers touching the back of his hand, and without looking at me, he clasped my fingers.
The soldier’s eyes heated, and he scratched his chin as he assessed us.
“Whoever wants to go, goes,” the soldier said. “But know that this tear will be heavily guarded, and you won’t be able to return home. Ever.”
