The soldiers had turned on their officers.
The well-fed finer looking men had been strapped down to the sagging tables, bloodied and bruised, the scent of blood, ash, smoke, and refuse in the air. Fires raged everywhere. Loriian warriors corralled more soldiers into the open area. The humans jostled together, their fearful and angry eyes darting between the frost giants and their officers.
And on the opposite side was Dahlia, astride Neve’s war horse. They paced in front of a group of scared, half-nakedvalles.In one hand she brandished his dagger, reins in the other. Her hair had tumbled loose around her face, a stark contrast to the black crown and dirty velvet gown. An inky wing was painted onto the side of her face.
He’d never seen anything more beautiful.
Neve directed Anwen toward her, catching her warning as he drew closer to his mate.
“Stop this!” she yelled at a man who thought to grab one of the women. She pointed her blade at him. “One more step and it will be your last.”
The man trembled. “That’s my wife!”
Neve stared the man down, preparing to plow through the crowd to get to his wife if need be.
Dahlia glanced at the women. “Is this true? Which one of you?”
A trembling petitevallesstepped away from the sobbing huddle ofsaloes. “Me.”
“And do you want to go with this man? You do not have to if you don’t want to. I will keep you safe. The Loriians will keep you safe.”
Neve swallowed hard. She meant every single word.
“I just want to go home with my husband,” the woman sniffed.
“Then go,” Lia said with a nod.
The pair ofsaloesran to each other and the man stripped off his jacket and wrapped it around her thin, bare shoulders before pulling her into his embrace. Neve watched them, his gaze moving back to his wife. She scanned the crowd and licked her lips. She had something to say.
“This needs to stop,” she said, but the din of the crowd was too loud.
Not taking his eyes off his queen, the Frost King slammed his sword against his shield. His warriors followed suit until they’d closed ranks around the common area, the humans trapped like a barrel full of writhing fish.
The shouts died down, leaving unease and fear teeming in the air. He knew what the humans saw: a wall of their enemies surrounding them.
An electric shock hit him when Dahlia locked gazes with Neve. Relief and gratitude shone in her unique eyes. He noddedto her and tilted his head to the soldiers. These were her people. While he would love nothing more than to utterly destroy his enemy, the longer he looked at the humans, the more pity he felt for them. They were skinny, filthy, and exhaustion blanketed them all.
A scream pierced the air.
Neve’s attention darted to a man who had stabbed a tied up officer in the hand.
“Enough!” Dahlia bellowed. Her gaze swept everyone, latching onto the burly man who’d stabbed the officer. “Why are we fighting each other? Hasn’t there been enough pain and suffering? Enough violence? This needs to end now.” Her voice rang clear and loud.
“They have to pay for their lies!” the man cried.
Grumbles of agreement rolled through the soldiers. Neve sidled a little closer. The tide of the crowd could turn any minute and he would not allow his mate to bear the brunt of their anger.
“Do you really think that your officers knew that I was alive?” She glanced around the arena, pacing back and forth on top of Alastor. “They are victims just as much as you are. They are not your enemy. The king and queen orchestrated this war because of their greed.”
“There needs to be blood for what has been taken from us,” another brave man yelled.
A few cheers from the crowd.
You can do this, jaivelle. Do not lose control of them.
“That might be so, but that is a matter for the courts, not for us,” Dahlia stated. “The Asteran monarchs have been lying to you. Been stealing your family, your children, and your wives for their own selfish gain. But I will stand by no more. Today, I stand against them. They have taken too much from everyone. Enough is enough.”
“Why should we listen to you? You are a royal. You are just as guilty,” another solider shouted.
