Page 25 of A Song of Air
Farewell, Dana
“Report to me as you’vebeen doing.” The voice was cold and arrogant and dismissive.
A stupid combination for a stupid man, Weylyn figured. Those words lived on the tip of his tongue, and he bit down, tasting blood so as to not speak them aloud.
He found himself doing a lot of that lately.
Things had been easier when they all thought the King of Seelie was dead.
He hadn’t needed to hold his tongue then.
“Of course, Your Majesty.” The words tasted like a vile concoction on his lips. It only made his hatred burn deeper, his anger rise faster. For years, he’d been repeating the same words over and over again until they’d become an instinct.
Yes, Your Majesty.
No, Your Majesty.
Go fuck yourself, Your Majesty.
He wished he could say the words. He wished he did not have to hold back or hide what lived deep within him. But he’d been at it so long, what he wanted no longer mattered. He was in the king’s service for a fucking reason.
One that was beginning to bore him to near-death.
“Keep an eye out on my fool of a son,” the king added.
He lounged against a throne in a royal Danarish room made up of ivory and gold, upon plush velvet pillows, wearing a diamond-encrusted crown that did not belong to him, and ruling a kingdom that he himself had not conquered.
Overzealous fool, Weylyn thought. He was acting as though he’d been the one to fight against the slavers of Dana. As if he deserved the right to lounge upon that throne like he’d done anything worthwhile to warrant the robes and jewels adorning his body.
“He’s been too wayward lately,” the king carried on, oblivious to Weylyn’s thoughts.
Probably on account of Weylyn’s expression. Perfectly bored. Perfectly blank so it did not reflect on the thoughts he buried deep inside.
It made the king think he had no thoughts of his own. A fair assumption, considering Weylyn was already overrun with the piercing thoughts of others, but that did not mean he was blank inside.
It just meant there were secrets he collected deep within his own pockets.
Secrets he kept close to his chest because they would be so fun to exploit.
“Fool of a child,” the king continued. “I’d slit his throat myself if I could.”
Weylyn blinked. The animosity between the king and prince was no secret. Though usually, the king tended to keep his murderous thoughts in his own mind. He was too afraid to speak such words aloud out of fear that someone would overhear.
But Weylyn heardeverything.
“Alas, the Fae seem taken with him, so I cannot.”
A shame, really. Because wouldn’t all of Weylyn’s problems be solved if he let them kill one another off?
If only...
“You had better send me regular updates. It takes far too long to hear back from you. Let me know if you find the next Elemental and how susceptible they will be to join our cause. These women they keep finding...” He scoffed. “Weak specimens. All of them. Especially this new one. Her only value is that she was a Danarish whore and got us this kingdom.”
Weylyn saw red flash across his vision at the casual degradation of Corvina. The king spoke heavy words, considering he was the one having to beg the Elementals for their help for his own gain.
If it were up to Weylyn, he’d be content to watch the fucking world burn with everyone in it.
