“Now, how about a handshake before you go?” the king taunted, bringing his hand toward thebrack’schest.
My stomach hollowed in horror, yet I watched, unable to look away.
Could the king do that? Could he turn a living, breathing man into a block of glass too?
And more importantly,wouldhe?
Leslo swallowed hard and sucked in his stomach in a desperate attempt to widen the distance between his body and the king’s potentially lethal hand.
“Don’t,” he croaked, keeping his body still like a statue.
Amusement slipped from the king’s face. Dark storm clouds drew over his expression instead.
“Dare defy me again,brack,” he challenged, with a threatening rumble under his breath. “I am a man with nothing to lose. I’m the ruler of the ocean I cannot control. A siren without a song. The king of the people I murder, whether I want it or not. Nothing can stop me from doing whatever the fuck I please to you. Do you think your goddess can save you? Think again. What can the gods do to the one whose soul has already been cursed?”
He dropped each word like a stone, meant to maim and crush.
“Please... Don’t kill me,” Leslo mumbled, looking sickly green in the shifting, rippling light reflected off the glass walls.
“Oh no, I won’t kill you. Not today anyway. ” The king’s voice changed to an almost benevolent murmur, which didn’t make it any less frightening. “But I could. Don’t you ever forget that,brack. I know you can’t disobey your goddess. I know you have no choice but to get her what she sent you here for. As such, you should do as I say. Get me the silk, and in exchange, I’ll order my sirens to start gatheringwomoraas of the next full moon. Unless, of course...” He pushed away from Leslo, “unless you prefer to grace my halls as a glass statue that I’ll turn you into if you keep trying my patience.”
Leslo shook his head quickly. “I don’t want to be a glass statue.”
“Good.” The king curled his lips, sliding a dismissive glance down thebrack’sbulky frame. “You’d make an ugly one anyway. Now go, bring me what I want.”
He turned to the guards who cowered far by the entrance to the hall, shaking in their pretty armor but afraid to leave without being dismissed by their king.
“Get thebrackeverything he needs for his journey,” the king said to the guards. “Gold or diamonds for the payment. He needs a new knife too. And get someone to clean these up.” With hisbare foot, he kicked the shards on the floor with a grimace of disgust.
Leslo drew in a shaky breath, tentatively peeling his back away from the wall.
“And her?” He tipped his chin at me.
The king paused his gaze on me with an unreadable expression.
“She’ll stay,” he said. “Until you come back with the silk. If the spell works, you can have her back. Meanwhile, guards, get the servants in here. The human will need a proper bed and much better clothing.”
I inhaled to say something but was unsure what that should be. My current choices were limited. Leaving here meant going with Leslo on his quest to the Sky Kingdom. Wherever that place was, it probably wouldn’t bring me closer to home, even if the king allowed me to leave here.
On the other hand, the king seemed to know how I got here. Maybe I could get him to explain it to me? Only then would I have a chance to figure out how to find my way back to New York.
Leslo straightened, jerking his shoulders uneasily. Before leaving me to my fate with the beautiful, murderous monster, thebracktook a long look at the king’s hands.
“What made you like this?” Leslo asked.
I didn’t think the king would answer that. He had certainly made it clear how little he thought of Leslo, or anyone else for that matter. I had every reason to believe the arrogant king didn’t feel obligated to answer anyone’s questions, especially thebrack’swhom he despised.
Yet he met Leslo’s gaze straight on and replied with a bitter ghost of a smile, “My mother’s love.”
Chapter 4
Kye
For the first time in over a hundred years, the royal palace of Olathana was abuzz with activity. Instead of feeling annoyed or disturbed by it, I found the commotion rather stimulating. The palace hadn’t had this many people since...well, since that ill-fated birthday ball.
At the thought of that day, darkness threatened to spread through my mind like spilled ink. And it would have, had I been alone. Thankfully, I had plenty of distractions this evening.
The guards had managed to find a few servants brave enough to enter my cursed dwelling, at least for the time it took to settle my new acquisition in. They brought in a bed for her and put it in the drawing room that I had long claimed as my bedroom because my former rooms remained underwater and the mere thought of diving into the ocean filled me with terror I could not conquer.
