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“Stand down.” The order comes from Envy, and he looks to me.
“Is your mate carrying any object that could cause harm to me or my people? Is she wearing anything, other than her clothing and her object of commitment?”
“She has a flask,” I admit, trying to conceal the reluctance in my voice.
“Show me.”
Looking to Hannah, I give her a nod, and she produces the metal container. It wouldn’t be suspicious at all, except for the white-knuckled grip she has on it. I don’t think she realizes she’s holding onto it so tightly.
Envy is intrigued. “What’s in it? Liquor?”
“Water.” It’s not a lie.
Envy motions for Braham to take it and check.
After Braham removes the cap and sniffs the contents inside, he sends a shrug to his king. “It is as they say.”
Nodding, Envy says, “Leave the girl be.” After a pause, he reconsiders, “But take the flask. The water could be enchanted.”
Dread swirls in my gut as I watch Braham shove our one way out of here into his own pocket, but I try not to show any reaction on my face.
Envy’s attention swings my way again. “Don’t worry. You and your mate will want for nothing while you’re with us. We’ll provide refreshments.”
“With all due respect, I’m not interested in serving you,” I state. “We’d like to be on our way.”
Scandalized whispers break out among the crowd, and Hannah inches closer.
Obviously, refusing this man’s demands isn’t a regular occurrence.
“Silence,” Envy drawls, sounding bored and unsurprised. Placing his hands on his knees, he leans forward and stares at me with narrowed eyes. “If you’re in a hurry to leave, let me get straight to the point, then. Very long ago, the position of king was stolen from one of my ancestors during a challenge for the crown.”
“Stolen? The challenges are public, under great scrutiny to be made fair.” Royal tournaments always have a large audience. With so many witnesses, it’s impossible to cheat.
He scoffs. “Fair? Don’t be so naïve. Before the challenge, in private, a bargain was made—a bargain that never should’ve happened. My ancestor was tricked. If it weren’t for this shitty deal, I would be ruling the Day Realm. Not this…” Wrinkling his nose, he stabs a finger in the direction of Hailene and finishes, “imposter.”
I’m actually getting nervous because I can see where this conversation is headed.
Somehow, he knows I can time travel. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be talking about history as if it could be changed.
Maybe his ancestor really was cheated, but I have zero sympathy for Envy’s plight.
He’s not king for a reason. If he were powerful enough to take the position by force, he would. He could easily walk into Hailene and demand a challenge for the throne. The current king would have no choice but to fight him, and the best opponent would win.
Perhaps Envy feels like he shouldn’t have to enter such a dangerous match, that the throne should automatically be his.
But it doesn’t work that way in Valora. Never has, never will.
“What do you expect me to do about it?” I ask.
“Yorenzo,” Envy calls. “Come forward.”
An older fae man steps out from the shadows. His long white hair frames his wrinkled shaven face, and he’s holding a large object. It looks like a box until he comes closer, and I see stacks of pages smashed between two ends made of worn brown leather.
A book. A huge book—at least two feet wide and six inches thick.
“I consider myself somewhat of a historian,” Yorenzo states with a tight smile, petting the book’s cover like it’s a treasure. “This was passed down to me from my great great grandfather, and it was given to him from his grandfather, and so on. I’ve held onto it for all my years, hoping I’d have the chance to use my knowledge someday.”
“Okay.” I wait for him to elaborate.
