“I saw these creatures with my own eyes. Beaumont has a dungeon full of them. At least a hundred, but likely more. They are bordering eight-feet tall and are more powerful than five of us combined. With Maeve’s power being so unique, if she were to become one of those things, she might just become unstoppable.” Sebastian paused to clear his throat. “We have been successful with killing one, but it is no easy task. We discovered that they can be killed as a mortal would—from a strike to the heart or brain—but the odds of killing that way are slim. Using magic against them is the safer, more efficient way. We are here because in order to destroy them all, along with Beaumont and his army in the process, we need more troops than we have. The Caelestian army is essentially extinct, and without soldiers, none of us stand a chance against these things. Including you, when he decides to come after Mealioria.”
Franlow clicked his tongue, asking only one question despite all of the knowledge Sebastian shared. “How many soldiers do you have?”
Sawyer couldn’t hold back his scoff. “You’re looking at them.”
“I can’t help you,” Franlow said without taking even a second to consider. “You have no troops to contribute, so why should I just hand my army over to your control? Absolutely not.”
“That’s not true,” Kade interjected. “There’s a few more.”
“I can’t help you,” the king repeated, seemingly ending the discussion without even considering what we were saying.
Godsdamnit.
Though I dreaded having everyone’s attention on me, I had faith that I might be able to convince him, so I fully ignored Samara’s glare as I rose to my feet and flattened my dress with my palms. “Please, Your Highness, may I have a word?” I waited for his head nod before going forward with my speech. “I know how this all sounds, and if I were in your position, I would slam the door in our faces?—”
I saw Sebastian's confused glower in my peripheral vision.
“I am begging you to hear us out. If Beaumont is successful with his plans, Mealioria and every other kingdom, village, and city on this continent will be destroyed, only to be rebuilt under his terms. Life as we know it will cease to exist. He will kill you, no doubt, as he plans to be the sole ruler of the empire he desires to create. We can prove it to you.”
Sebastian’s head ripped towards me, but I ignored his arched brows.
“We have a dead Hykah back where we have been staying. Come back with us and we will show you.” Was I a fool to give away our location? Maybe so. But we needed the soldiers. Without them, we were leading a lost cause.
King Franlow rapped his nails on the table. “And what's in this for me?”
“What more could you want apart from the safety of your kingdom?” Sawyer rudely blurted out.
“You claim my kingdom will be safe, but what about my soldiers? How many of them will die for your cause?” Franlow countered, nailing Sawyer with a scowl.
“Less than how many would die if you do nothing,” I objected, holding onto my courage despite all of the eyes settled upon me.
Franlow clenched his jaw, grinding his teeth before grumbling, “Again, what's in this for me?”
Typical sovereign. More concerned about personal gain than the community he has in his hands.
“Did you have something in mind?” Sebastian asked, crossing his arms over his chest. His muscles strained against the fabric of his dress coat. I noticed the way Samara ogled at them, and if her and I were alone in this room, I probably would have strangled her.
“I’ll have to think about it. Give me a day or so to discuss with my wife, then we will meet again for another dinner. In the meantime, enjoy your meal and make yourself at home. What’s mine is yours,” Franlow answered, pushing to a stand, evidently not joining us for dinner.
“Except for your troops,” Sawyer muttered.
“Samara is justas bitchy as I remember, Seb.” Pia fell down into a chair in my room where we gathered to debrief after an incredibly painful dinner of roasted pheasant, potatoes, and greens.
“Let’s not talk about her,” he advocated, tearing his dress coat off and tossing it through the doorway that led to our temporary bedroom.
Kade ignored his request. “She sure is obsessed with you, Hawthorne.” He glanced at me. “And I can’t tell if she hates you or if she’s jealous of you.”
If she felt at all similar about me as I felt about her, then she both hated meandwas jealous.
“Enough,” Sebastian growled under his breath, kicking his boots off next and throwing them in with his jacket. “Can we just talk about the important shit so you can all get out and I can go to bed?” His eyes darted to me, reminding me that we most certainly would not be going to sleep after their departure.
“Fine,” Kohen spoke up. “What offers are we willing to accept?”
“The better question is what we won’t accept,” Sawyer pitched. “We aren’t in a position to bargain too much. If he refuses to help us, we're back to square one. We don’t have much say in this if we want his help.”
“We can’t accept anything that threatens one of our lives. Agreed?” Pia asked, and everyone nodded except for me.
“Well…” I began, dragging out the word in a high-pitched tone.
