“Bahmet, do you have any soap for the young lady’s mouth?” Tomin had found something about Romy’s reaction funny. He tilted his head, eyes widening a fraction as a small smile crept back over his lips. “I see it comes natural to you, Romy. The need to protect, that is. How interesting.”
Bahmet spoke up, cutting any further conversation off. “Time is being wasted, precious time as I havealreadyexplained. If you wish to regain some strength before the next trial begins, I suggest you put your tensions aside and allow me to feed you.”
Romy leaned back, not without releasing the steak knife in her hand. Tomin did the same, amused and utterly relaxed.
“Thank you,” Bahmet said with another wave of his hand.
The gesture was simple, but it stripped away some illusion cast over the table, revealing plates upon plates of steaming, hot food. There wasn’t an inch spared, from bowls spilling with pasta, to platters full of cheese, crackers and grapes. Full roasted chickens lay on beds of vegetables. Potatoes glistened with freshly melted butter and flaked with parsley. Whatever food I could’ve imagined was revealed before us, and my traitorous stomach betrayed me.
My stomach sung with want. My mouth watered like someone had just turned on a tap and forgot to turn it off again.
It seemed everyone was in the same boat, because the room was silent.
“Eat,” Bahmet commanded. “Fill yourselves up.”
Even through it was all I wanted to do, there was no saying if the food was poisoned or not. My instinct told me to tear a fistful of that roasted chicken and stuff it in my mouth, but my body refused to move.
“Eat.” His tone changed, more demanding and impatient. “Now.”
Tomin moved first. Everyone watched him carefully pick a slice of cured meat off a platter with his fork, lift it to his mouth and place it inside. Of course he wasn’t fearful of the food. No point worrying about being killed by a demon, when the potential for death had been stripped away from him.
As predicated, Tomin didn’t choke. Unfortunately. His eyes didn’t bulge, ears didn’t bleed. In fact, he moaned softly, reached for more food to continue feasting. “Brava, Bahmet. Perfectly seasoned.”
I couldn’t wait a moment longer. Nor could the rest of the room’s guests. Everyone began tucking into meats and vegetables. Some had the courtesy of using their cutlery, but not me. I tore at the offerings with my hands, stuffing my face until my lips were coated in grease.
The only person who didn’t feast was Verena. Her arms shook as she tried to lift the spoon before her, bruised and swollen fingers fumbling for purchase. No matter how hard she tried, it was no good. It didn’t take her long to give up completely.
I wasn’t the only one to notice either. Kai sat opposite her, eyes fixed to Verena’s struggle as he also refused to touch the food. It was no surprise when he stood up abruptly. Romy hushed out his name, but Kai moved quickly out of reach from her arm.
All the while Bahmet stood back and watched as Kai rounded the table, placed himself beside Verena, and began spoon-feeding a clear broth, careful not to upset her cut-up lips.
The scowl set onto Kai’s face was one of fury and determination.
People ate until satisfied groans echoed around the grand room. Looking at the plates of food, it was like no one had touched them. They weren’t dented, still full and ready for us to continuing eating. But alas, my stomach was so bloated that I couldn’t fit another morsel in. I downed a goblet of sparkling preserve, quenching the thirst conjured by the salty strips of beef I’d just demolished.
I was so distracted by my own comfort that I didn’t pay full attention to the flash of a look that Tomin gave in my direction. I thought he was signalling something unspoken to me, until the Hunter to my left made a sharp move.
My breath caught in my throat as a steak knife came hurtling towards me. Arwyn whipped his head around, unable to get a word out before the tip came racing towards the side of my neck. Instead, it caught the back of my hand which rose in defence.
I expected pain but was met with nothing. Someone else released a hiss, but I couldn’t see who when the knife came hurtling back at me for a second go.
Desperate to get out of the way, I threw myself backwards, the force knocking my chair over. The knife missed me by inches. My spine screamed as I hit the ground, the back of my skull bouncing off the hard form of my chair.
The Hunter loomed over me, murder glittering in his eyes. His snarl lasted but a second when Arwyn grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, lifted him off the ground with the heave of a single arm, and then slammed him down on the table. It happened so fast. I caught the flash of blood on the back of Arwyn’s hand, not knowing how he’d got the wound. Then that hand balled into a fist and rained down on the Hunter, over and over. And over. And…
Someone screamed. Someone cheered. Blood sprayed the air as Arwyn, with eyes full of undiluted hate, turned the Hunter’s face into pulp and mush. Bone caved in, flesh smattered and tore. I was sure I heard the pop of an eye, and the crack of teeth.
I got up, body trembling as Arwyn unleashed his rage upon the face of the Hunter. Or what reminded of it. Even I couldn’t call what I saw a face anymore.
“Stop.” Bile rose in my mouth and spoiled my cheeks as I got a look at the mess that was left behind.
I laid a soft, but shaking, hand on the back of Arwyn’s shoulder, fingers squeezing slightly as I gave him another command.
“It’s over, Arwyn. Stop now.”
Actually, it was over minutes before I said those words, but that didn’t mean Arwyn was going to stop, not until the man was nothing but a pile of unrecognisable ruin.
Arwyn’s entire body trembled as he eventually pulled away from the Hunter. I quickly realised that he was not out of control. Actually, Arwyn knew exactly what he was doing. This wasn’t the reaction born from someone losing themselves tovehemence, but what happened when they finally controlled that emotion and harnessed it.
