“A mouse,” the terrible man who dragged me here tells her.
The women in silver nods, a tiny grin on her lips. “The only way you leave these halls, Little Mouse, is as ash on the wind. If that is what you wish, speak it.”
Part of me does want that. I wish I had died in the poison of the desert. Or had my soul sucked dry by the shadowscelp. Instead, hope dragged me here.
“Such promise. Such despair.” She purrs. “If you fail, we will fulfill the wish you are too afraid to voice.”
Fail at what?
“You cannot be Drak’yn or an acolyte. Certainly not a priestess. You are too fearful and rebellious—a bizarre combination, truth be told. So, I only see two possibilities left for you.”
I swallow.
The men behind me begin to stomp. Slow at first, then faster. Faster. Faster.
“Call your beast, Ivar. Let her see what she risks.”
I can’t see the man’s expression behind his mask but the light in his eyes tells me he is enjoying this. A whistle rings out and the mob of men still.
Thundering steps cause terror to spread through my limbs until a massive beast enters through the shadows behind the masked men.
“Meet Lystern.”
The draken stops beside the warrior who called him. He is three times the man’s height, with blue scales and a head larger than my whole body.
“Bow, or become his next meal,” the silver priestess croons. I don’t dare move. I’m already on the ground. “The only mercy, is how fast your end will come.”
The woman approaches me. She doesn’t seem to fear the beast in the slightest. His fangs are the size of my whole hand.
“These men,” she motions to the horde of men, who resume their stomping, “Are your last hope to remain breathing. Would you like to entertain them?”
My stomach clenches, and I double over. The contents of my stomach spill through my lips. Barely anything comes out, but the woman leaps back with an annoyed huff.
The warriors laugh.
“If you are not chosen by one of them, then your bones will decorate the drakai pits for eternity.” She looks up at the stomping men, dark eyes watching me closely. “Don’t underestimate their desire for violence. Our boys do so love blood.”
I suck in a breath but still manage to force out, “I don’t want them either.”
There’s a pause. The draken grumbles and lowers his head.
“Ahhh, you see, that’s where things change. Nihil is displeased by doubters. Our boys, however, they are sometimes willing to…rehabilitate. Some humans must see for themselves what life can be like here in our midst. If you are chosen as a pet by one of them, you will have a home. You will be cared for. And you will not leave these halls until death.”
I look up to the snarling massive men. I will be a pet to one of them?
“Only one can have you. And if they choose to accept you, despite yourdeficiencies,they will be committed to keeping you. If you disobey their rule, they will discipline you. If they fail in that duty, they will be punished. They do not want that. I find it hard to believe any one of my boys would choose you, simply because you’ve shown such disregard for our ways?—”
“I’ll keep her in her place, priestess.” The voice sends a shiver down my spine.
All I can see of his face is the skin of his forehead beneath his hood and his dark eyes. The man who dragged me here? Is he the same, or can I simply not tell any of them apart?
“You claim her, then?” the priestess asks with a tilt of her head. “I must express my surprise. You’ve seen what she has said about us. She will be a challenge. I don’t want to have to punish you, but?—”
He lifts his mask to reveal a face of all sharp lines and a cruel smile. “I will enjoy making her obey.”
“I find it a foolish choice, but of course, if anyone is capable, I suppose it would be the grandson of Captain Rile. Let us see if you have any challengers.”
He curls a lip. “No one is foolish enough to challen?—”
