She almost balked at his question. Her weight shifted and she blinked twice. “No,” she managed.
“Did he show you the graves of the men he lost?”
“No.”
“Did he have any evidence of such a ship? Prisoners? Information? Perhaps even… oh,a boat?” he mocked.
Her fists tightened at the edge of the desk as she stared at him.
“That’s because there was no such ship,” he said, now walking around her. “The Venari lie, my sister. Had I sent aid, had I told you about it, we would have walked into an ambush. The Honest and Venari have been after this kingdom for a century. He told you of this boat so that he could get you on his side, turn you against your own kingdom. The Venari are relentless. They are poison. Cursed. The only reason he is invited to any banquet or Council meeting is because they are born of the Sun as we are. We merely keep them here so that they continue thinking they are in charge of the southern realm.”
“Are they not?”
Her brother let loose a loud cackle, one that would have rivaled their own mother’s had he been in competition with her. “My dear, sweet,sweet, sister,” he mocked, cupping her face in his hands. Her jaw clenched. “So naive to the darkness you spent so much time in this last fortnight…Tell me…”
—He seized her throat in his fingers.
“Did you fuck him, too?”
Her breath arrested in her throat. Her hand shot to his wrist, widened eyes pleading.
“Rhaif—” she nearly choked on his name “--put me down,” she managed as she felt her feet leave the ground.
“Did you wrap your legs around him as you do every other man to walk our halls?”
Aydra stopped fighting him, and allowed her eyes to roll in the back of her head.
“Did you let the wolf taste you—”
She felt for the creatures out his open window.
“—Allow him to fill your mind with his lies—”
Help, she called out.
“—fall submissively into his trap—”
The noise of wings filled her ears.
“—live up to the stupid girl you’ve been your entire life—”
Squawks of crows pierced her hearing.
“You are—Ah!”
Aydra’s knees hit the ground.
Rhaif screamed out, his arms flailing wildly in the air, and he stumbled backwards. The air filled with black wings, diving and pecking at his figure. Aydra coughed and rubbed her throat. Her nostrils flared at the sight of her brother being attacked, swatting away at the birds he’d not thought she would call. He fell to the floor, hands thrown up over his face, blood pouring from the slashes on his hands. Aydra grabbed the corner of the desk and pulled herself up to lean on its surface. Her own raven paused on her shoulder, and they stared at the scene before them.
Wait,she told them.
The birds ceased and came to a rest on perches around the room.
Shall we kill him?her raven asked.
Rhaif removed his hands from in front of him, revealing the slashes he’d received on his face. One had slashed across his brow and cheekbone, barely missing his eye.
“You’ll pay for this,” he hissed.
