“You may rise,” he says. I keep my gaze trained on the king as I get to my feet. I can feel Katya slowly stand alongside me. The king watches her with a little more interest than I like, but there’s nothing I can do about that, so I keep my mouth shut. He points to the first tapestry. “Do you know the history of my people, surface dwellers?”
“A little,” I answer honestly.
“And you?” he asks Katya, and by the stunned expression on her face, she’s as surprised to be addressed by him as I am.
“Some,” she says, and he raises a brow, obviously expecting her to continue. Katya clears her throat. Her hands tremble, but to her credit, her voice is strong and clear. “I know we were all the same once.” She points to the tapestry. “The only difference between the two races was that Father Solis chose to gift magic to one and not the other. The magicless fae were chased underground, where they discovered blood magic.”
He shakes his head. “We didn’t save ourselves, child. It was Ledi’nochte—your mother of night—that brought our people to these caverns.” He points to a second tapestry depicting a winged beauty with long white hair and bright red eyes. “Our lady’s magiclies in the darkness, and it was in the darkness of these caves, where she first gave our people the gift of blood magic. Then she created the Tenebra-Ka to determine the first ruler of her kingdom.” He points to the last tapestry where men battle with spears in a massive arena. “We keep these stories to remind us of where we come from and to never trust surface dwellers.” He gives her a pointed look.
Oh, the irony.
He claps his hands together, signaling an end to the conversation and turns for his throne. “So, I hear you’re throwing around the name of your newly crowned king in the hope that I will release you. Is that correct, Lieutenant Cregg?”
Thank the gods he recognizes me. “Yes, sire. I believe there’s been some mistake. Your soldiers attacked us on the way to Ranook and—”
“Whoever said it was a mistake?” The king sinks onto his marble throne with a sigh.
“Sire, I’m sure if you contact the king, he’ll—”
Khalmos raises a hand, silencing me, but it’s Katya he’s looking at. “What is your name, child?”
She glances at me, then back at the king, her forehead scrunched in confusion. “Katya, sire.”
“Surname?”
Why is he questioning her? “Your highness?” I begin.
He slams a fist on the arm of his throne. “Silence.”
I’m so stunned I start to take a step back, then catch myself. The last thing I need is to show any sign of weakness, but he’s got me off kilter. That’s probably his intention. Katya pauses for a moment, and I know what’s she’s thinking. She’s wondering if it would be abad move to give him her real name, or if he already knows it and is testing her for some reason.
“Valstrad, sire,” she replies.
He nods as though he already knew this, then turns his attention back to me. “No mistake was made, Lieutenant. It was your faithful king who told us where we could find you.”
I close my eyes and let out a breath. I never should have sent that telegram.
“Actually,” the king continues. “His exact instructions were to kill you and keep your beautiful magi companion as a gift.
Fuuuuck.
Katya spins on me, brows sky-high, eyes wide as if to ask, “What the fuck?”
What the fuck, indeed?
“Typically, surface politics are of little interest to me,” the king continues, studying his fingernails in a lame attempt at feigning boredom. “But given the timing of the queen’s unfortunate demise and your king’s request, I admit, I am a bit curious. Why does your king want you dead, and why isn’t he sending his own men to find you?”
Because half of those men are more loyal to me than him. I’m not going to say that, of course, but if the rumors are true about his ability to read minds, it won’t matter. I can feel Katya’s gaze on the side of my face as I speak, but I keep my eyes firmly on the king. “I went against his orders to go after Katya.”
Katya grabs my arm—her tiny hand barely reaches halfway around my bicep. “What? Why would you do that?”
“He was going to send Fredrick after you. I wasn’t going to let that happen.”
“So, this is all about a female? That is disappointing. I had hoped for something more… useful.”
In other words, something he could use against Troi.
“Exactly,” Khalmos replies, the corners of his lips curling into a fiendish smile. Guess that answers the question about whether he can read minds. “That’s too bad, I had hoped to strike a deal, but clearly, you are no use to me.” He waves to a soldier. “Take them.”
