Then he flitted from my arms.
I dropped back onto the sofa, curled into a ball, and sobbed.
We were stealing slices of time from the very fates themselves. I feared that one day soon they’d demand a price.
He’d watched his mother die before his eyes.
I needed to make sure he wasn’t forced to watch while the king killed me.
12
VEXXION
There wasn’t anything I wanted more than to flit Tempest to a place where she could be safe.
A sanctuary where I could hold her.
Love her.
Did such a place exist in this world or beyond?
If it did, I’d find it. I’d take her there. And then we could live together in beauty and peace.
The king always had the captured Nullens brought to his suite. He took from them all, and no one voiced a word to stop him.
Some he “drained” quickly, moving onto the next before I could ease them to the floor. Others he’d tap over a series of nights, sipping tiny amounts that were just as insidious as when he guzzled their supposed power down with a few gulps.
I lulled each one and left them sleepy to ensure the king thought he’d taken most of what they had.
With new groups coming in often, he quickly moved on to the next, forgetting about the old. If he thought about it, he’d assume the Nullen didn’t have enough power to bother with again.
I’d also done this with each person claimed and collared by a lord or lady. But I couldn’t be everywhere at once. I couldn’t protect them all, and that scorched through me.
Making sure Ivenrail or any lord or lady only took enough to stun them was a delicate art that had taken too long for me to perfect. The first time I did it, when I was ten, I hadn’t been able to rise from my bed for three days. I worried I’d die from the exhaustion consuming me.
I hadn’t tried again for months, and I lived with that regret. So many had suffered because I was afraid.
Over time, I learned to slow the power he took from me, teasing enough from the Nullen that they’d be tired for a few days but never drained enough to force them into the ether. This made sure they all tasted different; it kept the king from guessing my role in this game.
And now Ivenrail was eager to drink once again.
I flitted into his living area and remained near the wall, watching as the terrified Nullens were led inside as if they were a light repast brought up from the kitchen.
He took none to his bed, saving that for the fae women he coerced, including high ladies from other courts like my mother, the wives of his lords, and random fae women working at Bledmire Court.
Crossing my arms, I leaned against the wall. I hated being here, watching him gorge himself on power. Would a day comewhen I could instead sit around and smile while remembering my fury falling apart in my arms? Not now. Maybe never. One little distraction could mean the difference between survival and death, not just for me, but for every person living inside this castle.
If nothing else, I’d learned how to focus.
“Only eleven,” he whined like a petulant child denied a sack of candy.
“Riders,” one of the Lieges who’d arrived with tonight’s Nullens hissed. “Many riders attack.”
“At least we’ll be able to do something about that soon, High Advisor Adwarin.”
My breath caught. What did he mean?
“Yes, we will,” the high advisor said blandly. He sat at a desk in the corner, noting details on paper, not bothering to look up. If he took a sip from a Nullen every now and then, I hadn’t seen or felt it. It surprised me, actually. He was as greedy for power as the king, and he also didn’t worry about breaking rules.
