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Ellister nods. “There’s an enchantment over the area within the walls that makes time stand still instead of feeling like you have no sense of the seconds, days, or weeks. It helps a lot.”
Annoyed, I point at the barrier that’s apparently separating us from our sanity. “Why couldn’t you just take me straight inside instead of dumping me out here?”
“Armand has strict rules. No one is allowed on his property without paying a price, and I’m not about to owe him anything.”
I give him a perplexed look. “There’s a toll? I wasn’t informed of this.”
Ellister shrugs. “I’m telling you now.”
“I have nothing to pay.” My frustration is mounting. “The royals of Valora would’ve given me currency for the price of my entry if they’d known about it.”
“Money wouldn’t have helped you.”
“And why is that?”
“Armand doesn’t accept jewels or gold.”
“Then what will he want?”
“Your dignity,” Ellister responds ominously.
Whatever that means. “So, you’re telling me you’d seriously rather wait out here?”
“No, I’m leaving.” He gawks at me like I’m out of my mind even suggesting he should stick around.
“You can’t.”
“Aw, did you get emotionally attached already?” Planting his hands on his hips, Ellister shakes his head, rolls his eyes to the sky, and mutters, “I hate it when they get clingy. Why does this always happen?”
A menacing growl rumbles in my chest. “I’ll need you for transport.”
“I’ll be summoned once you’re ready to return to Valora.”
“That could be soon,” I point out optimistically.
Cocking his head, Ellister manages to appear genuinely sorry for me with pity in his stare. “The fact that you think you’ll be done with this matter in a few minutes tells me how woefully unprepared you are.”
Iamunprepared. It was just earlier this afternoon that I learned of the queen’s abduction, and I immediately volunteered to retrieve her. There wasn’t time to research the situation or even pack a bag with a decent amount of supplies.
All I have with me are the pants and boots I’m wearing, my plethora of weapons, a water skin, and a sack with some bread, cheese, and fruit.
Palming the sharp objects on my belt and the contents of the cloth bag slung across my chest, I make sure I didn’t lose any items during my travel.
Everything is where it should be, and that’s where all of it will stay.
No doubt, Queen Ro will need the food and water.
Since time is immeasurable here, there’s no way for me to predict how long she’s been held captive, and with sustenance being so scarce, she’s likely starving.
Honestly, I’m afraid of the condition I’m going to find her in. She could be on death’s door for all I know, and that thought causes me great distress—more than it should, considering she’s a stranger to me.
I don’t know the former queen. Never met her, but perhaps the heavy feeling in my chest is guilt. I have a lot of remorse over the fact that she’s been mistreated for most of her life, and every single person who failed to save her is culpable.
Including me.
See, I was employed in the Day Realm as a soldier when she was forced into King Zarid’s harem. It was common knowledge that he’d been doing the unthinkable—kidnapping women from the human realm. Illegal or not, he was king, so there wasn’t much anyone could do about it.
Plus, he spun it like he was doing it for the good of the kingdom. He needed an heir, and the more women he had, the better his chances were of impregnating some.
