He would not be cowed by their power. He loved his life too much to sacrifice it to their tyrannical whims. They could try to destroy him, destroy his brother, destroy his family, destroy his kingdom.
He would be the one to destroy. Their exile should have been permanent, or worse.
He would show them.
As soon as he’d had a moment to rest.
He closed his eyes again.
The sun would burn his skin if he did not find some shade, but his body was not ready to move.
His last breath, as his mind drifted back into ignorant sleep, did not smell of salt. It was a far more pleasant floral aroma, like a fragrant lotus.
Which was ridiculous. The lotus flower did not grow in the salty sea.
Chapter 20
Having not seen the beast for two days, Isa called another secret meeting.
She had kept herself secluded in the library while starting the delicate process of separating the parchment of the scroll into uniform pages.
Neither Luca nor Blanca had complained about the beast in the meantime, but Isa wanted to make sure their original plan was still secure enough for everyone’s safety.
After witnessing the ferocity of the beast’s anger, she was not sure that it was.
“It is likely he can hear our every word,” she whispered over the lantern in the tower room, “but it is more important that we meet regardless. I think it might be time to find a way to trap the beast in his room and not let him out until help arrives. It might be difficult to plan, since he could overpower us all if he finds out, but I think I’ve come up with a way to make it work.”
“That seems a little bit unnecessary to me,” Blanca said, her eyes narrowed in the dim light.
Isa was a little surprised that Blanca was quick to be against the idea, but the woman was so kindhearted she likely did not want to hurt anyone’s feelings. Isa had noticed that Blanca laughed more frequently when the beast was near.
“Luca?” Isa asked, knowing she could expect more support from him.
“Well,” he said, dragging his words out, “that does seem just a tad extreme.”
Isa furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. He had been the most distrustful of the beast during their first meeting.
Luca glanced toward the door, as though expecting the beast to appear at any moment.
“Oh,” Isa whispered, understanding his reticence. “If you are afraid he will hear you and retaliate, just nod your head yes to my idea.”
Blanca immediately shook her head, mouthing a silent, “No.”
Luca, too, shook his head.
“I knew you’d come around,” Blanca whispered to Luca, jabbing him with her elbow.
“Hmph,” he responded, rubbing his arm and inching away from Blanca. “Someone’s been keeping the woodpile chopped, and it’s not me.”
“He’s ferocious and volatile,” Isa hissed, scrambling for something they could all agree on.
Blanca shook her head. “You’ve been too locked up in that library to notice anything.”
“Heroaredat me,” Isa responded. “Surely you heard that? The villagers on the other side of the canyon likely heard it. He lost control.”
“After you rudely insulted his family.” Blanca clucked her tongue in disapproval.
“You heard that, too?” Isa asked, surprised for a moment. Of course they had heard it; they were surely listening in through the door. She crossed her arms. “He may have you all fooled that he is part human. But I think it’s clear to see he is all beast, and we need to do something about it before he loses control again.”
