She noticed a group of three similar-looking women with small children. They bore a striking resemblance to Nalani, the same silky black hair and warm eyes. Amira was ready to wave at them until something caught her eye on their left.
Stuck on the door of one of the houses, Amira noticed a poster representing the man she had seen brought in by guards two nights ago. She was too far away to read what was written on the poster but she figured it could only be one of two things: a wanted notice or a missing person appeal. The first one would appease her worries and she could forget about the scene she had witnessed. After all, Parae was a big city, criminals were bound to exist there. But if it was the second, then something weird was happening in the kingdom.
She leaned towards Karwyn who was now looking at his nails, completely disinterested by the excited crowd screaming his name. “What’s this poster for?”
She seemed to have triggered something in the king because his eyes immediately darted around the plaza. Realising his behaviour, Karwyn stared back at his nails. “There are no posters.”
Amira pointed towards the door. “Right there.”
Karwyn barely looked in the direction she was indicating. “Who cares? It is hardly any of our concern.”
“As king, shouldn’t you care?” She thought she saw a flicker of rage in his turquoise eyes, but Karwyn’s answer was cut short by the arrival of multiple boxes overflowing with food.
The crowd cheered loudly as each box was piled up on the platform. But then the boxes stopped coming and Amira could sense some tension from the crowd.
Karwyn cleared his throat. “People of Parae, it is my pleasure as your king to offer you this food in honour of Falea Night. May we all be blessed by her fortune for the year to come.”
Karwyn went up to one of the boxes and Amira followed him. “Where’s the rest?” a voice screamed from the crowd. Amira saw Karwyn clench his jaw but he grabbed one of the boxes and carried it up to the gate. A bit hesitant, Amira did the same.
The representatives passed along the boxes to other fae in the crowd, creating a moving chain. Karwyn and Amira went back to get more.
“There’s less than last year,” another voice shouted through the noise of the crowd. Amira could sense them getting restless.
She leaned towards Karwyn. “Is everything all right?”
“It is as expected. These people are biting the hand that feeds them. They should be grateful they are getting anything at all,” he said between gritted teeth.
They finished carrying the last of the two boxes. They seemed lighter than the previous ones. Amira gave her box to one of the representatives. The fae left the gate to go to the wooden table where the boxes had been piled up. The crowd was growing more agitated and fae were trying to climb over the gate. The guards unsheathed their swords and the crowd seemed to calm down.
Until a scream echoed through the plaza. “This box is practically empty!”
Chaos broke free. Fae started throwing themselves against the gates while families ran away, holding their terrified children against their chests. The guards tried to push back the angry crowd with their swords, sometimes drawing blood, violence fuelling violence. The injuries didn’t stop the angry mob from climbing over the gates, overpowering the guards.
Amira looked around for Karwyn. He was already surrounded by guards who pushed their way to the tunnel access.
“Layken, get the princess,” Nouis shouted. He hadn’t been at the centre of the platform and was already moving inside the building by the tunnel access.
Her gaze locked with a guard—Layken, she presumed—who was fighting off the crowd but moved towards her. Blood splattered on her shocked face as he slashed an angry fae’s arm. She froze completely, unable to get herself out of the situation. She saw everything happening as if she was in a glass box, violence erupting all around her. She was waiting for it to claim her as its prize. Her mind let go of her body, abandoning it in its vulnerable state. She stood among the fighting fae. The turquoise uniforms of the guards mixed with the blue-dressed crowd.
She saw the slap coming but didn’t even feel it; only the buzzing in her ear indicated that she had truly been hit. Layken pushed her behind him, his sword cutting through her attacker’s chest easily. Amira watched the blood drip from his wound as he fell. A vision of someone else’s blood took root in her head. It might have been her own.
Someone tore at the bottom of her dress, bringing her back to the riot. Layken kicked the fae in the face. “If you want to keep your hand, I suggest you stay back,” Layken said, his tone strangely light for this occasion. Blood was smeared across his face. He rubbed his hand over his eye and forehead but it did nothing to remove the red stain.
“We demand more!” a fae shouted, his voice rising above the crowd. Amira looked over Layken’s shoulder as he forced her to slowly back away, clearing a path for them to the tunnel. Her gaze found the fae as he screamed, “Caelo should take you off the throne!” The young fae looked to be a teenager. He held one of the half-empty boxes as he stormed forward, escaping the grasp of guards nearby.
The guards on either side of Karwyn stepped forward. She could see Karwyn’s furious eyes as they fixed on the fae. The young man grabbed the mix of vegetables in the box and threw it at the king. The guards blocked most of it but a splash of spinach landed on Karwyn’s face. The look in his eyes chilled her bones. It reminded her too much of Wryen.
“Amira!” Rhay’s voice caught Amira’s attention. He was running towards them, a bloodied guard’s sword in his hand. Had he taken it from a fallen guard?
“Hold on,” Layken said, barely avoiding the blade of a long knife as he pushed her a step back.
Amira tried to find Rhay again in the crowd but she couldn’t see his tinted hair anywhere. Her gaze travelled back to Karwyn, who was now shepherded into the building where they had accessed the tunnel. Wondering about the teenage fae who had rebelled against the king, Amira scanned the area. She saw an unmoving body on the ground but there were too many fae blocking his head and upper body. She twisted her neck, trying to catch a glimpse of his features.
Finally, the fae moved and Amira’s gaze travelled to the unconscious fae’s head, which was now detached from his body.
Amira screamed. Everything else turned silent. Her feet wouldn’t move. Layken turned her towards him. His lips were moving but she didn’t hear anything. Screams tore through her. She couldn’t tell if they were her own. They sounded familiar but distant in her head.
Amira barely noticed a sword swinging out of the corner of her eye before Layken abandoned his grip on her and raised his own.
