Doubtful. Unless we could get them the Light Wraith back from the Sylvan,Riordan answered privately down ourskiábond.Not only do I doubt our ability to do that, but I am not sure weshould. The Sylvan were clear about the consequences of not delivering him to them.
“I will speak with him,” he added aloud to Beron who nodded before the king strode back out of the office.
Riordan would have usually addressed the prisoners well before this. But myskiáhad not had time for much of anything aside from getting enough sleep to replenish his magic and repairing what Rian had destroyed. I could tell he was looking forward to reorienting himself with all that Amira and I hadbeen tackling in his absence.
I took the lead, guiding him down the right cellblock where we were keeping most of the Spring fey and just one Autumn Court fey. We could hear the emissary from Ahnnaòin well before his cell came into view. His jovial whistling was a constant annoyance, which he had used to tune me out whenever he got tired of my questions.
I stopped next to where the little faun sat carrying on a merry tune. His cheek and one furry leg were propped up against the bars made of magically imbued wood instead of iron for fey prisoners. His hoof made a knocking sound as it tapped out the rhythm of his whistling.
“Oi! You tell that damned fool of a warden that we are starving in here!” the faun demanded, finally interrupting his own infuriating melody.
“You received an adequate daily portion,” I dismissed his recurring fixation with his rations.
“I am wasting away in here!” he insisted dramatically, patting his robust stomach which was far from emaciated. “And who areyouto tellmewhat’s an adequate portion size for me? You think just because I am small—”
“You have been here less than a day!” I scoffed.
“Answer my questions, and I will see to it that you are given two additional meals tonight,” Riordan cut in.
I rolled my eyes as the faun sat up abruptly, his interest piqued as he eyed myskiácuriously.
“Yeah? And who are you?” the faun asked.
“My name is—” Riordan began.
“You are addressing His Majesty, Riordan Vasilikós, King of the Vale,” I hissed at the disrespectful little shit, earning myself an exasperated glance from Riordan.
The faun’s bushy brows rose as his gaze trailed over Riordan’s gold armour that I had not had the opportunity to polish for him in several days.
“Is that so? Well now, there seems to have been some mistake,Your Majesty. You see, I’m not an enemy. I came here with a message for Lady Amira from Lady Ornella to request an audience and discuss negotiations. And now you have thrown me in here tostarve,” he complained.
“Since you were dispatched from Ahnnaòin with that letter for my mate, the relations between Autumn Court and the Vale have taken a turn. I am sorry our hospitality is not to your liking,” Riordan replied matter of factly.
The faun’s lips pinched, and his eyes narrowed at the king as he considered the revelation.
“From what I have pieced together from conversations between your prisoners and the guards, it sounds like you attacked us first.”
I was incensed by his answer, but this was the most that anyone had been able to get out of him, so I held my tongue to let Riordan continue talking.
“Should I not have considered the repeated abductions of Vale fey over the decades to have been an attack?”
The faun merely laughed and lounged back against the stone wall.
“You just trust me, Griffin King, if the Autumn Prince had attacked you,reallyattacked you I mean, we would not be having this conversation.”
Riordan bristled as the faun struck the nerve I knew had been worn raw the last couple days. I could almost taste his fear, the concern that Rian could single-handedly obliterate the Vale with his world-eating magic. And there did not seem to be anything we could do to fight him. Riordan was exhausted just from repairing our realm after indirect exposure to the dark power of the Autumn Prince. What would happen if Rian actually used such a power to rip the Vale apart in earnest?
“It was interesting to meet you, I guess, but could you just bring me Lady Amira so I can take her letter back to Lady Ornella?” the faun asked impatiently.
“You believe good relations could still be achieved?” Riordanverified, ignoring the irreverent demand.
“Sure! I am not very familiar with Lady Ornella yet, but the word around camp is she is Sage’s mate, and he is the best male you’ll ever meet. And Rian is reasonable when it matters,” the faun assured us with an easy shrug. “Whatever altercation occurred, I am sure it can all be worked out with just a little bit of patience.”
“Which one is Sage?” I asked with a sudden impulse to confirm for sure that it was Ornella’s mate who was taken by the Sylvan. Even though her reaction had made it pretty clear. “The dark-haired Light Wraith?”
“Aye,” said the faun with a suspicious frown at me.
“You say he is the best male you know. What else can you tell me? What is his relationship like with Rian?”
