“But what if he attacks you?” Lere’s voice shook.
“I am not afraid, and you will do as I command.” I swung for the dog, but he moved, dragging the boy with him.
I stalked them both, watching the hound back himself into a corner. Faster than I remembered I could move, I ran for them just as he hit the wall and plunged my sword into his side. It whined and dropped the boy, and though he limped, he did as he was told, leaving a trail of blood behind him. The hound watched him go, remaining on his feet. Before he could attack again, I buried my second sword in his neck and walked away, refusing to watch him die. The crowds cheered until I held up my hand to stop them.
“The northern kingdoms kill for pleasure, we do not. These fights are over. Go home.” I moved to the gate. “Muth!” I yelled. “Come bow before your king.”
The crowd stood but did not leave, watching for Muth to come out. He took his precious time, but fortunately for him, he also obeyed. He dragged his feet through the sand, scowl on his face and eyes to the ground the entire way. The crowd murmured to each other, but they watched intently. When Muth stood before me and lifted his head, I looked pointedly at the ground and back to his face. I heard a low rumble, but he did eventually bow, though only slightly.
“Lower,” I growled. The tiger in me stood to attention, the first time he had woken in ages. Muth bowed lower, but certainly not low enough for my forgiveness. “On your knees, nose in the sand, Muth.”
He jerked his face to mine, and his shocked expression told me he didn’t believe I had it in me anymore. He wasn’t the only one though. The volume of the crowd grew.
“Now,” I demanded. “Before I make you do it.”
He fell to his knees and bent all the way to the ground until he inhaled the soot and sand. The crowd seemed to disappear in their own silence.
“Now hold it,” I ordered him.
I pulled out my twin blades and held them like scissors at his neck. “Who are you, Muth?” He shook but did not respond. “Answer.”
“I-I am no one.”
“And who am I?”
“King Tolero.”
“I am your king. I am king of the south. King of the desert. King of the Flame Court, and you are no one.”
The tiger paced on padded paws deep within my tattered soul.
“Remind me,” I shouted. “When did you ever spit at my feet and walk away?” I tightened my grip on the swords placed around his neck.
“Never, my king,” he said, barely loud enough for the dirt he kissed to hear.
“Louder!”
“Never.” His voice echoed through the pit.
I took a step back, planted my swords into the ground and bent so that only he could hear me. “You will leave this night with naught but your life. You’ve forgotten these pits are mine. That boy would have died on your watch, and where were you to save him from that fate?”
He visibly shook. “Please don’t take the pits, Your Grace. I’m sorry.”
“You’re sorry? Do you expect an apology to be an adequate exchange for a life? I’m done with your attitude, Muth. The disrespect you have shown me has gone too far. Send these people home. You are to report to my throne in a week’s time. I’ll let you know my decision about the pits then, and not before. You’re lucky I’m considering it at all based on what I witnessed tonight. Get these people out of here.” I yanked my swords from the ground, crossed them on my back, and walked to the gate.
“The fights are closed for the night. Everyone, go home,” Muth’s shaken voice called out.
The crowd moved as one. I replaced my hood, though it would do me no good now, and walked out. As I passed the announcer, he took a step backward, and I squeezed my fist, opened it, and squeezed once more. “The next time you mention me in your intros, I would be very careful about what you say. That is not your crowd, they are mine, and I’ll have your head if I ever hear of it again.”
I walked away before he could lift his jaw from the ground. I had grown too lax in these last years. When my fae were more surprised by my presence than a direct insult, I was doing something wrong.
I stepped back into the deep shadows of an alley and watched the rest of the crowd pass. Some leaned in close, full of harsh whispers, some left more silent than the dripping of a nearby gutter. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something I hadn’t seen in hundreds of years. I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them to make sure I hadn’t imagined it. Not one, but two selkies attempted to blend into the crowd of fae. Tall, slender beings with watchful eyes and iridescent skin that shimmered in the moonlight caused dreadful realization to slam into me like a mace to the chest. The sea fae had come to the southern kingdom, stirring more trouble than I needed and likely making everything worse.
Chapter 14
ARA
Forests had officially been ruined for me. Spending days wandering and wounded in the one north of my cottage had permanently damaged me. I stood at the edge of the tree line and stared into the next leg of my journey. Reluctantly, I took that first step, and then the next, until I was moving at a steady pace.
