“Why can neither of you just say that it is good, and you enjoy it!”
“You want us to lie to you?” Kole asked, with the plate in front of him completely cleaned.
“You devoured it!” I pointed to his plate, and then to him. “And now you are getting seconds!”
“I don’t want to be rude,” he commented, spooning a rather large serving of seconds for himself.
“You have zero qualms with being rude,” I informed.
“I take offense to such accusations,” he replied with a full mouth. “I am a gentle Lysian.”
Taking a deep breath, I sighed and took another bite of what was on my plate. The taste reminded me of home. So many feelings were linked with the flavor, most of them of joyous occasions from a time where I remembered very little for my mother had taught me to make this. I found myself savoring it.
“Honestly, I did not expect to like this at all.” Erik’s voice pulled me from the thoughts I was slowly burrowing myself into. “But I am finding it enjoyable.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “I’m glad.”
“Me too,” he replied, and his smile faltered. “There is something I need to ask of you.” The way he said it made it sound like I had no true choice in the matter.
“Ask or demand?”
Erik ignored my question as he continued, “My brothers . . . they would like it if one of them came along for your Ascension ceremony.”
“Why?”
He licked his lips. “You and your kind are still largely unknown to us, and your customs?—”
“Are private.” I couldn’t help but interrupt. “What happens when a new Leader Superior ascends is sacred. Never have outsiders been present. It’s not some special event for your brothers to enjoy.”
Erik remained silent a moment, though by the look in his eyes, it was clear he was contemplating his next words. “I am going to be honest with you.”
Kole looked to Erik with a completely unreadable expression on his face. They both were so good at becoming impossible to read with a snap of a finger.
“Please do,” I said, putting my fork down, and giving the Lysian King my full attention.
“I need them to see you in your world, to understand you better.”
What did it matter whether they understood me better? “You think this would help them agree to let me go?”
“No.”
“Then why?”
“It may help buy you more time,” he stated matter-of-factly.
More time. More time for my life to hang in the balance. He wanted me to change my mind, to decide to simply do what I was told while under the thumb of the Lysians. If I took too long to fall in line, then Erik would likely feel pressure to do something about it. If I became an unruly obstacle, then his brothers would probably call for myremoval. Erik likely thought more time would cause me to switch my view on things, but he was wrong.
“I do not need more time,” I replied, and Kole turned to me with hope in his icy blue gaze.
“You will help us?” Kole asked while Erik’s lips pressed in a thin line, for the King knew my answer.
“Not until I am free to go home and the Lysians leave my city.”
“As long as that remains your answer, then you need more time,” Erik pressed.
He was wrong. I refused to be controlled in this way, not anymore. I was determined to get myself out of this situation. But that was not known to him, and I needed to keep it that way. If I was to pretend that I had no hope of freedom, then I needed to grasp at every extra second I got to keep breathing.
“Why do you think allowing this would help me?” I asked, genuinely curious about his thoughts behind this request.
