My voice is barely louder than a whisper. “But why should I?” I ask, searching their faces for something, anything, that might make sense of this madness.
King Sylvian spreads his big hands out in front of him, trying to offer some form of reassurance. "You get to help us, the fae. Isn’t that a worthy cause?"
But I don’t know what to say. I’m afraid of these fae. I’m afraid of what they’ll do to me if I refuse, but I also have no intention of going to some kind of magical, dangerous labyrinth for a cause I don’t believe in, for people I don’t like.
“I’m sorry, but no.”
I feel their eyes boring into me with a palpable intensity, and it’s overwhelming. I don’t belong here. Not with them. Not with their power, their beauty, their ancient world. I just need to survive long enough to get home. To get back to town. That’s all that matters.
King Ashton’s voice is full of humor, even though it feels misplaced. “Come on, Alette, every fae woman, every human alike, would love to be in your shoes right now.”
I stare at him in disbelief, my heart sinking. “Why?”
A woman snickers, but she covers it up with a cough, and the laughter feels like a cruel joke.
“I guess you’re not as charming as you think,” King Sylvian says good-naturedly, flicking a piece of food at King Ashton.
The cheese strikes him in the cheek, and he uses his napkin to carefully wipe it off, his mouth pulled into a thin line. “Maybe it’s a human thing. Maybe they’re immune to charm.”
King Sylvian laughs softly, a sound that lightens the air just a bit, but the tension doesn’t fully dissipate.
King Cassius turns toward me, seeming to ignore the two men, like they’re toddlers fighting over a toy. “Then what would make you want to help us?” His question is direct, genuine curiosity with a hint of frustration, as if he’s sincerely trying to understand my perspective.
Pausing, I weigh my options, the truth simmering just beneath the surface. What would make me help them? Nothing. I don’t want to help them. I don’t want any part of this twisted game they’re playing.
I open my mouth to speak, but it’s King Oberon’s voice that interrupts me, his tone dark and commanding. “She is a human! We’re her superiors. We don’t need to offer her anything. She simply must do what we ask." He turns his face toward me, his gaze hardening. "You’re not getting a choice in the matter. You’ll do what’s necessary, and you’ll serve us, whether you want to or not.”
I stand abruptly, the chair scraping against the floor, surprising even myself. “No.”
King Cassius, his brows furrowed in confusion, shakes his head. “This won’t work if she won’t come with us willingly. We need an incentive for her.”
The moment those words leave his mouth, the tension in the room explodes. The kings all begin to argue, their voices rising louder and louder as they bicker about me, about the quest, about what’s best for their people. Then, it turns into insults and accusations.
I can’t be part of this. I’ve had enough.
“No!” I shout the word this time, my voice cutting through their argument with a force I didn’t know I possessed. “I might only be human, but you can’t make me do this. I won’t do this.”
Before any of them can respond, I turn and rush toward the balcony, throwing open the doors into the waiting night. The cool night air hits my skin like a refreshing wave, and for a moment, I feel free. The noise from inside fades, replaced by the sound of my own heartbeat, wild and frantic.
Out here, I’m almost free. There are no kings. There are no arguments. It’s just me.
I need to get away from here.
My feet start moving. I don’t know where I’m going. I don’t know what’s waiting for me in the fae lands. But I can’t stay in that room, not with them, not with all their power and demands. Not with their plan to take me somewhere unknown. Somewhere full of danger.
I check that there’s just grass below me then jump over the small railing, which is a feat, given my heavy dress. The fabric flutters around me like wings as I leap. The air rushes past me as I land on the grass below, my feet finding their footing on the cool ground. I don’t look back.
I won’t.
Not until I’m free.With that thought pounding in my mind, I start running.
9
Cassius
I’m running rapidly,the forest blurring around me, tree branches smacking me with every hurried step I take racing after the little human. A sliver of moonlight in the sky guides my way, bathing the underbrush in a soft silver glow. The night air greets me cool and clean, laced with the quiet hush of water and the deep, living scent of the forest, familiar, steadying, like the calm surface of a still tide. But tonight, there’s little comfort to be found in the familiar.
Not when I have a human to catch.
