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I tried again, hoping that against everything my body was telling me I'd be able to lift at least one of the blades.
"She can't even lift one!" Someone in the crowd called out, which was echoed by a round of whispers.
After pulling with all my might I was only able to lift one end of the blade and drag it toward me slightly.
Grumbles sounded and rumbled throughout the crowd like thunder in a storm. "She's not worthy to wield the blades! Not even touch them!" Someone in the back called out which was added on to by someone off to one side shouting, "We're insulting the goddess asking this human lover to wield the sacred moon blades!"
Tears pricked at the back of my eyes and when I felt a hand land on my shoulder I almost whirled to attack, but when I turned and saw it was the king I was relieved I hadn't yet raised a hand. The disappointment on his face made me wish I hadn't turned around.
"I think that's enough for tonight," King Sulien said to me before turning to my escort. "Lord Dastesci, please help Senara get acquainted with others. As for everyone else...Please, my fellow fae, whether you are from the Sunkissed Court or a member of the Moonlit Court, enjoy yourselves and feast. We have been blessed with a new face. Let us celebrate!" The smile that was spread over his face disappeared as soon as he turned around and I knew that his words and appearance were all an act to try and smooth over the fact that I failed.
I'd barely been acceptable as a human and it seemed like the place where I'd hoped to find acceptance I'd fallen flat on my face.
Chapter
Eighteen
Senara
"Your Majesty, if I may?" An all too familiar voice rings out from just in front of the platform.
Dread pooled in my stomach as I looked over at Thorn while the fae who had brought the blades in quickly removed them.
Lord Dastesci had been moving toward me at the same time and butted in before the king could answer. “And you are?”
“Thorn Brannok, fae finder from the Sunkissed Court, at your service.” Anyone who knew Thorn would know that he was ever so slightly mocking Lord Dastesci.
“Speak, Thorn,” King Suilen murmured from where he sat on his throne.
“Thorn, don’t interfere in Moonlit Court business!” The woman who had been hanging off his arm when I first spotted him hissed loudly enough for everyone to hear. Clearly, she wanted it known that she objected to his actions as she tried to wrap herself around his arm once more.
Thorn shook her off and took another step toward the platform. “I was the one who discovered Senara in the human lands. Her trip here from the veil and what happened before she crossed over has most likely left her in a much weakened state. Ifit would be permissible to your majesty I could train Senara. We knew each other before I discovered she was fae in the human lands and I know she trusts me.”
I wanted to snort at that. All my trust in him was gone. I could forgive him for making me assume that he was about to murder me by pushing me into the veil since he needed my genuine reactions, but abandoning me to Fenvalur and being held prisoner to be studied and experimented on was not something I was going to forget any time soon.
The king was clearly debating his options so Thorn added, “I know her abilities thanks to our job in the human lands. I can make sure that she’ll be able to wield the blades.”
When the king didn’t immediately respond I started to feel relieved, thinking he was going to side against Thorn but I should have known better. Nothing had gone my way since I’d crossed the veil.
“Fine. You have until the solstice to get her ready. After that if she is still unable to wield the blades I will consider you a failure and ban you from the Moonlit Court.”
Thorn bowed low, placing a hand over his heart as he said, “You have my word that it will be done, your majesty.”
The king nodded and waved Thorn away. The big jerk just turned and walked away as though he didn’t need or want to say anything to me at all. Just twist the knife a little deeper, why don’t you? I thought to myself.
It seemed like every time I tried to forgive Thorn and move forward he’d do something else that just pushed me away again. Maybe it was time for me to just close my heart to him. After all, surely I could befriend more people now that I was among my own kind, right?
Lord Dastesci was there a moment later taking my hand as the king lowered the platform to its normal height, which meant that it was just two steps down to the floor.
With the platform lowered and the show apparently over, the fae that had gathered to watch dispersed and tables seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, or maybe they’d just been obscured by the crowd before.
Music was coming from somewhere, the sound was faint, but it made me curious and I resolved that if I had any kind of freedom I’d find out what the instrument was that was being played. It had been so long since I felt like I had any kind of agency that I was practically frothing at the mouth for it.
A few people came up and introduced themselves, but I couldn’t keep track of everyone. I wasn’t used to being the center of attention and it left that skill set markedly underdeveloped. Lord Dastesci did his best to keep the conversation going and the mood light when I was clearly not in the mood for it at all.
It wasn’t long until he gave up though. “Why don’t you wander around by yourself for a while? You never know who you might meet when I’m not scaring everyone away.” His tone was kinder than I expected which made me turn to look at him.
The man’s gaze was filled with pity. It didn’t help that he had to look down at me either, somehow I felt sure that it made me look weaker and more pathetic to him than I had even before the incident with the blades.
