“They are spectacular,” I replied, forcing a smile to my face despite his irritating tone.
“And they are just one of the treats you get to experience tonight,” King Chalir said with a calculated smile. “My son has explained how you heroically rescued him from the monsters, so tonight I intend to show you my appreciation.” He turned then and signaled with his hand to the closest servant on his right. In response, a ring of fae dressed in plain white garments stepped forward in unison at the king’s command and lifted the cloches from our plates.
I sucked in a sharp breath, and Asher and Locke stilled beside me.What the hell?
“My favorite delicacy,” King Chalir chuckled.
I gaped at the tiny baby toadstool on my plate, its red spots unmistakable where it sat nestled in a salad of rich greens, alongside thinly sliced pieces of meat, and colorful, clear balls that created an artistic pattern. Locke, Kade, and Darian had the sense to keep their expressions neutral, but Asher winced like he thought this very moment was another penance for crushing one of the little fungi under his boot in the forest. If it weren’t for my own panic, I would have grinned at him.
My first thought was that the king was trying to kill us. I mean, he still had his soldiers lining the walls, so clearly he wasn’t taking any chances with us, and I couldn’t be certain whether he believed Prince Azaren’s story. Across from me, the prince’s green eyes sparkled like he knew exactly what I was thinking. He smiled reassuringly as if to say I had nothing to worry about, but I still couldn’t be sure that the king wasn’t trying to hurt us. Like hell was I going to eat that toadstool.
“My chef tells a story with every plate of food he serves, and this one is my favorite. I asked him to prepare it specifically in honor of you, our new guests,” King Chalir explained. “Known as the Happy Death, these toadstools are native to our kingdom and dreadfully poisonous if eaten raw, but once they’re cooked, they make the most exquisite dishes.”
Dreadfully poisonous?My stomach roiled.
As if to prove his point, I watched in horror as King Chalir used his fork to stab the toadstool on his plate and slip the fungus into his mouth. As he closed his eyes, a look of ecstasy crossed his face, and he moaned like one of those pretty fae females was doing more than just stroking his arm and sitting on his lap.
The servant who’d removed the cloche from King Chalir’s plate beamed at the king’s display of appreciation, and I guessed he was the chef who had created our dishes. He stared at the rest of us expectantly, and Locke and the others started picking at the food on their plates, purposely avoiding the toadstools and swallowing the meat and greens. When the chef’s gaze fixed on me, I placed a piece of meat in my own mouth and chewed. “Mm-hmmm,” I mumbled, smiling awkwardly around the mouthful. The fae continued to watch me, his gaze flicking from the toadstool on my plate and back to my face.
Oh, hell no.I gulped, knowing exactly what the chef wanted me to do.Can a person be thrown into the dungeons for not eating the king’s favorite meal?I couldn’t risk finding out. Close to gagging, I slid my fork under the toadstool and steeled myself.
Before I’d lifted my fork off the plate, Darian cleared his throat loudly. The chef’s attention went to him as he speared his toadstool and popped it into his mouth. He barely chewed before swallowing. “Possibly the best thing I’ve ever eaten,” he said politely, giving the chef his most charming smile.
Pride filled the chef’s face. Seemingly satisfied with the response, he snapped his fingers at the other servants, and the fae all turned as one, the group of them filing out of the room and leaving us to finish our meal. I shot Darian a grateful look, and he winked at me.Yep, I’m going to owe him for that.
Beside me, Asher grimaced and placed his toadstool in his mouth. Like Darian, he barely chewed before swallowing it down. King Chalir was busy whispering to one of the giggling females beside him, and I knew it was my chance. In a quick movement, I lifted my fork, flinging the toadstool to the side.
The spotted fungus rose into the air and landed with a thud…right in the center of Asher’s previously empty plate.
Oops.
Asher whipped his head toward me, but King Chalir was now the one staring at him expectantly just like the chef had been previously staring at me. “I, uh— I was savin’ the best for last,” Asher mumbled to the king and shoved my toadstool reluctantly into his mouth. “Mmm…so delicious,” Asher said, giving the king a thumbs-up, and I didn’t know whether to be horrified or snort with laughter. I’d intended to flick the toadstool onto the floor, not onto Asher’s plate! The second King Chalir wasn’t paying attention to Asher, he narrowed his eyes at me, and I just knew he was planning an epic punishment for me.Welp.Still, the bright side was that I didn’t have to eat one of the creepy little fungi.Worth it.
“So I have to ask. Howdidyou manage to rescue my son?” King Chalir said when we’d all finished eating.
Prince Azaren paled at the question, and panic went through me for the second time. We had no clue what story Prince Azaren had told the king. Was this a test?
“When you’ve been held captive for long enough, you start to pick up on the patterns,” Locke replied coolly. “Like when the guards swap shifts and serve rations. It was simply a matter of timing and good luck.”
King Chalir looked thoughtful as he held Locke’s stare. “Luck, was it? And whywereyou all captives? My son didn’t say.”
Fuck.It was definitely a test.
Locke’s expression remained passive as he returned the king’s stare. “The monsters took us from our home—a small island that had been our haven for centuries. They came from the water, great beasts with tusks and tails. We didn’t stand a chance.” A hint of anger entered his gaze, and if I hadn’t known better, I would have thought the emotion was genuine. “They didn’t say why they took us, but I suspect we are the last ones left.”
It was a lie woven for the benefit of the king, but emotion clogged my throat, and I struggled to swallow it down. Locke had almost toldmystory, and when my gaze connected with Locke’s, there was an apology in his onyx eyes.
A beat of silence passed as the king’s gaze weighed heavily on us, but when King Chalir spoke next, his voice was softer. Kinder. “That is…unfortunate. As the ones who rescued the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Zalei, I will ensure you are each given land and residence here so you may have a fresh start. You have my gratitude and respect. Your life here won’t ever be what you lost, and the fae aren’t often trusting of humans, but it’s something.”
“You are extremely generous, your highness,” Darian said graciously.
King Chalir turned to Prince Azaren then and let out a long sigh. “It is terrible about your past but fortunate you were there to save my son. I can only hope he now realizes how foolish he was to risk everything to go to that abomination of a place. Curiosity always has been Azaren’s biggest flaw, that and his unyielding determination to pursue peace even when violence is the only remaining course of action.”
I frowned, confused that the king would think the pursuit of peace was a weakness. I mean, wasn’t that what kings were for? To keep the peace and ensure their people were safe and fed?
“It is fortunate,” I agreed, feeling the strange need to defend Prince Azaren. “Your son is a great fae, and one day he’ll make a great leader.”
King Chalir scoffed, not hiding his disbelief at my statement. “Since I appointed Prince Azaren as war general, he’s attended one out of five meetings and is absent more than he is present during all matters of conflict. This latest attack by the Forgotten Fae being just another incident. It’s lucky Captain Pezar was able to lead the soldiers.”
