Page 55 of Fate of the Sun King

CHAPTER NINETEEN

LOR

Urgent voices churn somewhere between consciousness and the throbbing in the back of my head. Someone is arguing. A male voice followed by another. “We need to get a message out,” one of them is saying.

“We can’t until morning,” the other replies.

“Do you think anyone saw us?”

“No.”

“What did you do with the kid?”

“Gave him some coin to keep his yap shut. Told him I’ll pull out his toenails one by one if he squeals.”

They both snicker viciously as my mind meanders towards clarity, but I’m having trouble forming solid thoughts. The child and the darkened alley. That little shit tricked me. I have just enough presence of mind to lie still and continue pretending I’m passed out as I listen to them bicker. I shift, just barely, noting the prickle of scratchy rope binding my hands and feet.

I pray this is a random attack, and these two aren’t working for the Aurora King. Etienne assured us that all his men were gone. Was he lying? Or was he just mistaken?

Their conversation continues as I resist the urge to open my eyes, sure that if they notice I’m awake, I’m destined for even more trouble.

“The king said we had to get a message out immediately,” one of the voices implores with a nasally whine. My stomach buckles with terror.

The king.

But which Imperial Fae am I dealing with? What if it isn’t Rion but Atlas? I have more than one king vying for my head, and how did I end up in this mess?

In comparison, life was so simple in Nostraza. All I had to worry about was filling my belly and staying away from the guards as much as possible. Simple. Straightforward.

Instinct tells me these are Rion’s men, and I’m not sure which is the worse option. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter all that much at this particular moment. The only thing that matters is getting as far away from here as I can. How long has it been since I was supposed to meet Nadir? Has he realized something happened? Would he come to find me?

That’s when I remember what else happened before my abduction.

My mate.

Can that really be? Rhiannon claimed mates can sometimes communicate with one another telepathically. We’ve never done so before, but I’m desperate enough to cling to this scrap of thin hope.

But maybe that’s not true. I think of the dream I had back in the manor when Nadir was holding me captive. We both had the same fantasy about him coming into my room. Was that us communicating through… a mate bond?

My hip hurts from lying on the hard ground, and my head is pounding. My thoughts are still sluggish, like they’re being dragged through congealed soup. Otherwise, I appear to be unhurt, at least for now.

Taking a chance, I open my eyes just enough to discern the blur of my surroundings. The room is mostly dark but for a flickering torch hanging off the wall where I can make out a door. The room’s single window is covered with a thick curtain.

The men sit in chairs facing the door while passing a bottle of something back and forth. They’re dressed in casual, nondescript clothes, not the uniforms of either king’s soldiers.

I close my eyes as they continue talking. They’ve moved on from their argument, agreeing they’ll have to wait until morning before they can do anything about me. Now they’re discussing some woman, who’s obviously rejected them, they both intend to fuck together. Pigs.

Shutting out the sounds of their voices, I start calling for Nadir using my mind. Maybe, if we really are mates, he can hear me.

Nadir. Nadir. I’m here. Find me.

Can he locate me based on a disembodied voice? How close does he need to be? This is probably futile, but it’s the only plan I have. Unless these idiots do me a favor and get drunk enough to drown in their own vomit, I have no clue how else I’ll get out of here.

My magic stirs in my chest, and it feels easier than normal. Slightly less contained. Nadir’s prediction that it might be more reachable while I’m close to the borders of Heart wasn’t off base. But without the use of my hands, I can’t even begin to guess how to control it.

Why am I so bad at this?

As I keep calling for Nadir, I try to access my magic, going into myself and focusing on that crackling red spark in my chest. It glows more brightly than it has in weeks.