“At such a late hour?” Adrian cuts in.
“Yes,” Daegan replies curtly, not even sparing Adrian a glance. “So I went to investigate, and that’s when I found that guard over her. She was clawing at him, he had her pinned, and her skirt was pulled up. As soon as she saw me, she screamed for help. I acted, and I’m not sorry.” He glances my way with a cold stare, then averts his eyes back to my father. “I’d do it again without hesitation. We don’t tolerate such pathetic, vile acts where we come from.” No, they just threaten innocent passersby with knives.
“Nor do we,” my father responds, a trace of annoyance in his voice. But it’s hard to get a rise out of him. “Your story matches with the maid’s. My daughter, Elysande, believes her story. My court is unsure. We’ve sent her for a medical evaluation, and if they can find further evidence to corroborate with your story, we will release you with my gratitude for rescuing a member of our staff from a heinous act.”
The members of the table appear taken aback. Some even wear looks of blatant displeasure directed solely at the dragons, but the king’s word is final.
“Thank you, your majesty,” Daegan’s father responds.
Daegan simply nods, a piece of his messy brown hair falling onto his brow as the guards grab his arms to take him away. He flashes me one last glance before he turns and leaves the room.
It certainly wasn’t a look of appreciation or amity, but it replays over and over in my mind nonetheless.
Chapter 11
After the meeting I have a strong urge to get out of the room as fast as I can and go for a walk. I escape before my father can have a private word with me.
Yes, Daegan is a mean asshole who threatened me, but I don’t think he’d actually hurt anyone without cause. What evidence I have to support that, I don’t know. It’s just my intuition. Though I suppose overhearing his treasonous plan is cause enough for him to want to hurt me.
The crazy thing is, I don’t blame him. One wrong person overhearing and reporting his plan could have him executed. That’s what would have happened to him if I had ran and told my father, so I’m choosing not to take his threats personally. And luckily for him, he and I are fighting for the same cause. He simply doesn’t know it. Yet.
Meela finds me in the garden sometime after the lunch bell has passed. “I knew I’d find you out here.”
I’m predictable, apparently. There’s just so much beauty and color out here compared to everywhere else. It feels alive.
Today, the world outside is dark gray and gloomy, like every other day. But right now I feel like my insides match that dark, gloomy gray. I continue walking as Meela informs me that she’s heard vague rumors all morning about the incident.
It was an attempted rape by one of our people. There’s no dancing around it.
I fill her in, sparing no details. Except for my prior run-ins with Daegan. I still haven’t revealed that little secret to anyone. Her eyes widen at the murder and attempted rape part, and at the end, she releases a breath she was holding onto for what seemed like the duration of the story.
“I can’t believe you went there with Adrian,” she remarks.
“That’s the first thing you say?”
“I’m sorry,” she flashes me an apologetic smile. “I thought maybe you could use some humor.”
I release a deep sigh that’s been begging to come out all morning. “You’re probably right.”
“So, what do you think is going to happen? Do you really believe him? Believe her?”
I pick at a mildly poisonous blue leaf for a moment as she awaits my response, but really, there’s no question. “Yes.”
What would the world be if we always assumed the worst in people? It’s part of why I’m trying to break the curse. Everyone deserves a chance at being set free, and I don’t believe an entire species of beings should be assumed evil based off how others of their kind have acted. My father’s—and his predecessors’—claim that some regions need to be contained because they’re vicious, vile creatures has never felt right to me. Look at the dragon shifters. They’re already surprising me with how they act, while also revealing to us that we’re not all perfect either. We elves sit in our glorious kingdom and pretend we’re superior, but really, are we so different from everyone else?
“Okay then. I’m with you.”
“Just like that?”
“Elysande, I’ve known you since we were wee little elves. If you believe it with your full heart, then I’m with you.”
I smile at her—my friend of so many years. Would it be so bad if I told her everything? I feel like I’ve been living with an entirely different identity for the past several years. The guilt is finally starting to creep in. Perhaps because I feel myself getting closer, and that means my plans will have to be revealed eventually, one way or another. Then again, something has been off with her too. She’s always been on the mysterious, grumpier side, but a few summers ago she went with her father, who was on assignment, to a northern region called Arryza, and I sensed a shift in her then. She truly hasn’t cared much about anything since. But every time I asked her about it, she wouldn’t tell me anything noteworthy. All she’d say was that the whole trip was a bore and the Arryzans were duds.
“Oh, I completely forgot about our trip into town we had planned for today! I’m so sorry.”
Meela looks at me like I’ve drunk too much wine. “Yeah… that was obviously cancelled.”
“And Raef was supposed to come with us,” I add.
