Niko, Zek’s lead enforcer, had stretched me over the front of the throne until I gripped the head of the carved hawk. He held my hands in place while the fabric knotted at my back was removed, giving the court a clear view of my unmarred skin. Ican still hear the whip as it sliced through the air before cracking against my spine. Zek left five bloody slashes on my back. One for each of my fingers that slapped his cheek. I’ll never make that mistake again.
I force my muscles to relax, remaining as still as stone while he strokes me like a beloved pet. In a low gravelly whisper, he says, “It could be worse, Elle. I could have you sitting at my feet like a dog instead of perched on my throne.”
“I’d rather sit on a hundred needles than next to you,” I say through gritted teeth.
“Oh, how you flatter me with your declarations of love.”
My gaze darts to him for the briefest second before returning to stare blankly at the back of the room. “If you really want to know the true extent of my feelings for you, hand me a dagger and let me run it through your black heart.”
He clicks his tongue in disapproval. “Now, now, pet. You wouldn’t want to upset my court again. They’re vicious when it comes to defending their king.” I hiss as he drags his fingertips along a scar. “And trust me, you don’t want to be tending to wounds today. Niko is coming to visit after all.”
The mere sound of Niko’s name sends a chill through me. He is a sadistic asshole. The only time I’ve seen a semblance of a smile on his face is when I glanced up at him through tear-filled eyes as my body endured the lashings Zek gave me. Niko enjoys his moments standing before the court and updating Zek on the status of the Cyffreds working the fields. His eyes never leave me as he gives each gory detail of the punishments he has administered. He doesn’t care that my people only steal grains to fill their starving bellies, or that they work nonstop from sunup to sundown without proper sleep or water. He revels in their pain and knows his words slice me deeper than the whip ever did.
The doors of the throne room burst open, and a mammoth of a man enters. His bare chest and arms bulge with muscles, like someone inflated him until his tanned skin was so taut his veins protrude. A short brown beard covers his face, and his hair is sheared close to his head. The only sign of his animal is the coat of fur dusting his chest. He stalks down the aisle like the bear he is and falls to his knee before Zek.
“Your Majesty,” he says in a voice so deep it rumbles through the room.
With a flick of his wrist, Zek says, “You may rise, Niko. My pet is eager to hear today’s update.”
Niko glares at me, no doubt imagining all the ways he would enjoy torturing me, before he rises and addresses the king. “The situation in the fields is worsening. The Cyffreds are not producing crops fast enough, and we cannot supply enough food to all the villages.”
I lift an eyebrow and quirk my lips. It serves them right. My people are not miracle workers. The land is depleted of nutrients needed to feed the plants. Maybe now the Allaji understand that the damage they’ve caused will take decades to reverse. On the other hand, if they haven’t learned their lesson up to this point, they probably never will.
Niko matches my feisty expression and continues saying, “Which has led to a problem. Our people are sneaking into the bunkers at night and snatching the workers. It appears they have acquired a taste for the Cyffreds. At this rate, their numbers will be non-existent in months.”
My heart plummets to my roiling stomach. The Allaji are devouring my people, literally eating them. If Niko is correct, they will have killed more than half the Cyffreds who once lived in Lucent. Thousands gone because of their uncontrollable desire to consume. I have to fight the urge to expel my breakfast onto the floor.
Zek runs his index finger over his mouth and shrugs. “We’ll find a way to replenish them. Do you have any other matters to discuss, Niko?”
“Just one, Your Majesty.” He looks back at the doors and calls, “Bring in the Cyffred.”
My fingernails bite into the backs of my clasped hands as I brace myself for the horrors to come. Never has a Cyffred been brought in from the fields. All I’ve ever been able to do is listen to the devastating retellings of their punishments. With a chance to stop it, no matter how pathetic my attempt, I won’t sit silent.
Two guards with meaty arms and broad chests drag in a bloodied man. They have shackled his hands in front of him, and his shirt is sliced open from the lashes of a whip. Short red hair stands straight up on his head, coated in dirt and blood. He attempts to get his bloody bare feet under him, but they slip on the polished wood floors. He falls hard on his knees, the crack causing my teeth to gnash.
The guards continue yanking the man forward until they stand below us. I take in the long, red scraggly hair on his face before meeting his swollen blue eyes. My breath hitches, and I sway on my perch at Zek’s side.
“Ulric,” I gasp.
My friend is battered and weak, but he is alive. I’ve thought about him every day since the Allaji took him. The struggle to keep my thoughts hopeful has been hard. I never asked about him, fearing that Zek would use our friendship against me. The king has already ordered the harm of too many of my people. It appears my efforts were in vain.
I can count each of Ulric’s ribs. His lips are dry and cracked and his face gaunt. The always-present smile has disappeared, and the sparkle in his eyes has dimmed to a washed out blue. Open gashes ooze blood down his face and neck, and scars and bruises pepper his torso. His skin is bright pink from longexposure to the sun. I forced myself not to imagine the worst—to not think of him like this—but it didn’t stop it from happening.
The urge to wipe away the blood trickling from his nose takes hold, and I move to stand from the arm of the throne. Zek grabs my wrist, pinning me in place. “How unexpected is this? A reunion of old friends.”
“Remove your hands from my queen,” Ulric hisses with a hoarse voice.
My heart aches with happiness. The vibrant man I know is still fighting underneath his battered exterior. He’s all right, and I will do everything within my power to keep him that way.
Zek cocks a brow and chuckles. “Charming. He doesn’t know you’re my plaything, Elle.”
“Watch the way you speak to her, you piece of shit,” Ulric growls.
Niko spins around and plants his fist in the center of Ulric’s stomach. He doubles over with a groan and spits blood onto the ground. It takes everything within me to stay put. The last thing I want to do is intervene and make the situation worse. I have no choice but to stand idly by if I want my friend to leave this room alive.
“It would seem he’s still causing problems. What are his charges?” Zek asks.
“Stealing goods belonging to the Allaji kingdom and organizing a coup. These are not the Cyffred’s first offenses, Your Majesty. He has been whipped several times for refusing to follow directions and abandoning his duties to tend to the injuries of the workers.”
