Page 13 of Realm of Wind and Vines
“That’s right.”
His fingers appear underneath my chin, pushing it upwards. Iraise my head right in time for him to shove the vine back between my teeth and tie it behind my head again. Thrashing against the tree trunk, I stare up at him in disbelief.
He lets out a dark chuckle. “I just wanted to hear you beg.”
A tearing sound fills the space around us as he rips off another piece of vine. I snap my gaze towards it while a sudden burst of panic pushes out the irritation for a moment. Don’t tell me he’s going to…? He can’t?—
“So fucking gullible. Did you really think I would show you mercy?” Shaking his head, he lets out another smug laugh. “I deliberately terrorized the human population in Frostfell for years just to make them do what I wanted. And I didn’t even have anything against those people. But you…YouI hate. So why would I ever show you any mercy?” His eyes glint as he moves the vine towards my face. “Have fun in the dark.”
Then he blindfolds me.
And walks away.
I am going to fucking kill him for this.
CHAPTER FIVE
Lingering embarrassment still burns inside me, making it feel like my cheeks are on fire. I don’t know what’s worse. The fact that Draven humiliated me and left me tied to a tree last night. Or that he is acting now as if it didn’t even happen. Both options make me want to simultaneously kill someone and also bury myself so far into the ground that no one will ever find me again.
The one who ended up finding me last night was Isera. Thankfully, she didn’t even comment on it. She simply summoned a sharp ice shard and cut me free, and then we just walked back in silence. Thank Mabona for small mercies, at least.
But the experience affected me more than I want to admit. Dravenhumiliatedme last night. And that is something that he would never do. Something that the real Draven,myDraven, would never do. I just want him back. I want everything to go back to the way it used to be. The way it should be. But I have no idea how to fix it. And worst of all is the poisonous knowledge that sears through my soul like acid. The knowledge that it is all my fault. That I ruined everything.
“Well, that went splendidly,” Galen says, sarcasm drippingfrom his voice, as he and Draven stalk through the door and drop down on the two empty seats at our table.
We all pause our breakfast and turn to look at them. Draven is scowling. Again. It seems to be the only thing he does ever since I forced that red-violet flame of hatred into his chest. On the other side of the table, Galen pulls his chair in and then leans back to rake his fingers through his blond hair. A disappointed sigh escapes his lips.
“No luck, then?” Lyra asks between bites of fruit.
“No,” Galen replies, blowing out another frustrated breath. “Same answer as yesterday. They won’t help us fight.”
Orion clicks his tongue and shoots Draven an arrogant look. “Told you so.”
The scowl on Draven’s face deepens as he turns it on the Unseelie King. “Well, we can’t all be useless freeloaders. Some of us actually have to contribute.” He scoffs. “Maybe you’re used to giving up the moment things don’t go your way, but just accepting defeat isn’t how I do things. We had to at least try to convince them again.”
“Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result is the very definition of insanity.”
A muscle flickers in Draven’s jaw. But before he can retort, or punch the condescending king, Isera cuts in.
“You have two choices,” she states in her effortless no-nonsense tone as she locks hard eyes on Orion. “Either you only open your mouth when you have something productive to contribute. Or I gag you.”
Dangerous light glints in his eyes as he meets her gaze. “You really shouldn’t make threats that you can’t back up, little viper.”
With her eyes still locked on his, she twists her hand in the air and summons a piece of ice. On one end are two balls of ice while the rest of the ice continues down like a thick, long, and slightly curved rod. Presumably, the two balls would fill Orion’s mouth and cheeks, preventing him from speaking, while thecurving rod part would be shoved down his throat to truly shut him up. The shape looks distinctly like something else, though.
A smile so sharp that it could’ve drawn blood spreads slowly across Orion’s mouth as he looks up from the suspiciously shaped piece of ice to meet Isera’s cool eyes again.
“Oh I didn’t realize that you fantasized so much about mine that you have already created a sculpture of it.” He tilts his head, making his hair slide over his shoulder, as he studies the piece of ice. “The length looks about right. It should have a little more girth, though.” Wicked light shines in his eyes as he meets her gaze again. “Is this the substitute you’re using on yourself while you’re alone at night, daydreaming about me fu?—”
“Alright,” Lyra suddenly interrupts, drawing out the first syllable into one long sound. “How about some fruit? Fruit is always good for, uhm… everything. Well, unless you’re like dying of a stab wound or something. In that situation, I don’t think an orange will do you much good.”
Her sudden interruption, and drastic change of subject, stuns everyone so much that we all just turn to stare at her. Apples and oranges and several other fruits that I have never seen before roll across the elegant wooden tabletop as Lyra starts dividing the large pile that the dryads gave us to eat this morning. The rest of the room is thankfully empty this time, since the dryads were apparently satisfied after watching us eat last night.
Draven and Galen exchange a private smile at Lyra’s diversion tactic. As if this isn’t the first time that she has defused a conflict by doing something entirely unexpected. Orion is now scowling at her instead of glaring at Isera. And our resident ice lady has taken the opportunity to make her little sculpture vanish.
“Uhm, sure,” Alistair replies, still looking confused by the sudden change of topic.
Lyra slides him an apple and then flashes him a beaming smile. “Yep. You know what they say. An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”
