Page 89 of A Dance With Fire
All while Shula watched with detached emotion.
She’d just witnessed the Faetorturea man. They were supposedly kinder than humans, or so they said. But that hadn’t been a kindness. It had been violent, brutal,shocking.They claimed to be different, but they used the same torturous methods the humans did.
Shula knew she should be afraid, be wary because of that.
Yet she didn’t feel a thing.
Well, she did feel something, but it wasn’t fear and it wasn’t disgust. She didn’t particularly care that they’d killed him because of what he’d done to Orna. Not that it had been said, though Valerio had asked. She didn’t doubt that the human had taken part in brutalizing Orna’s body.
That alone was enough for her to not give a single shit.
In the moment, the actual torture had threatened to unnerve her a little bit. The only thing to keep her mind from it had been Ryker’s steady fingers on her chin and his eyes reaching down into her soul.
But the moment the human had died, it was like the spell had broken and Ryker and Shula were back to being enemies. He’d dropped his hand as if her body burned him, and he’d turned and strode away. Like he had to rush to get away from her. Like he couldn’t stand to be in her presence anymore.
“Weylyn?” The king nodded once in the Fae male’s direction.
Weylyn stepped forward. He’d taken off his dark jacket, wearing nothing but a long-sleeved, belted tunic despite the small chill. His dark, long braid hung over his shoulder, and his golden eyes glittered.
“He was telling the truth. The nobles want the Elementals, Majesty.” Weylyn’s eyes went to Shula, and his lips pursed briefly. “We do not know why. But if he’s combing through Illyk to find them, then it must be for an important reason.”
“Hmm.” The king stroked his chin once more. “What are your theories?” This question he directed to all of them. All of those Shula suspected were in his inner circle. Valerio, Clay, Uric, Weylyn, Ryker, Julius, and a few others that Shula hadn’t been introduced to yet.
“Maybe he just wants to kill them?” someone suggested.
Valerio’s nostrils flared. “Why would he see to that? We are nearly extinct, and he has not cared about us before. For years, his soldiers find the Fae and escort them to camps. Never before a Brotherhood. Never to the kings or the emperor.”
“Yes, he cannot possibly sit through every execution, can he?” the king mused.
As if anything about this was amusing.
Shula let in a steady breath.
“We need to take into account the seer’s prophecy,” Valerio continued. He made sure to meet everyone’s gaze unflinchingly.
For a moment, Shula admired him. He was made of tough stuff, of leadership. It was in the way he held himself, the way he stood, the way hestared.
“Davina said thatshe—” He pointed at Shula, who stiffened, tightening her hands on her knees. “—would help save the Fae. If that is to be believed, then perhaps the emperor knows this and wants to take away our chances at victory.”
One of the Fae that stood behind the king snorted and stared Shula up and down. She prickled at the assessment, the obvious disdain in his expression. “And what is so special about her? You, girl, what magic do you have?”
As if he didn’t know. “Fire.”
Another snort. “And can you control it? Have you ever been in battle? Have you saved any lives?”
Shula grit her teeth before answering. “No.”
The Fae snorted again. “Exactly. No. Your Majesty, she’s no one special. Look, she does not even have her ears. Disgraceful.”
Shula’s face heated with embarrassment and anger that she tried to tamp down when she felt the smoke in her lungs. It wouldn’t do good to incinerate the meeting room or the Fae asshole who was looking down at her. As if he knew who and what she was.
Was this going to be the norm here?
Discretely, she lifted her hand and covered her ears with her hair.
“She’s an Elemental,” Valerio argued. “Those are rare creatures in and of themselves and you all know it. Their magic is different from ours. We have no ideawhatshe’s capable of.”
Shula’s heart warmed at the assessment from the prince. And here she thought he hated her.
