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“During the full moon?” she insisted earnestly, as though Salas was fully expected to sort out her ramblings.
Salas’ eyebrows knit. “What happens during the full moon?”
Newt laughed, as though Salas had relayed a prime joke. “Come on! Everyone knows! You can’t be that silly. On full moon nights, our full beast comes out. I heard Susconians don’t have beasts. But does that mean...atall?” Her voice dropped conspiratorially, as though his answer held the secret to life itself.
Salas swallowed, ignoring her question for his more immediate concern. “What is a ‘full beast?’”
The princess giggled, saying something in Diagorian before explaining. “Welllll, we can always let out our half-beast whenever we want. That’s what we used to take over the Susconian kingdom. And for games, of course. But ourfull-beast only comes out during the full moon. Tonight. Oh! So that means the Susconians in the castle are being moved to one of the towers. For their protection.”
That’s what we used to take over the Susconian kingdom.Salas shivered at the memory of the monstrous beasts who’d stormed his country. Apparently they’d only been ‘half-beasts.’ But what of a full one? A tremor of fear had Salas’ jaw chattering, on edge, his mind on ferocious, fur-coated bodies. Could the curse truly give them a form more monstrous than the one he had seen? The thought filled him with trepidation. “Why would the Susconians...need protecting?” He didn’t like the suggestion.
“Well, because we can’t really...controlourselves in full-beast. It’s hard for us to...reason? Reason. I suppose. That’s what my teacher says.”
Salas went rigid, from the cold or from fear, he himself could not determine. He did not want to imagine what awaited the coming night, though like many of the unfortunate events that had transpired during his time in Diagor, he was sure misfortune would creep up on him nonetheless.
“I see,” Salas said quietly. “Well, I’ll be here.” He scanned the iron bars, appraising the safety they offered should something approach with the description the princess provided. A full beast.
“I don’t like it here,” Newt said brightly, observing as well.
Salas considered snapping at her, but held his calm at the last minute and instead ignored the ignorant remark. “Does your father know you are here? I am sure he would be very upset if he knew.”
“No, he doesn’t know. So don’t tell him!”
“I will not if you will not. He’ll be angry at me, I’m sure. He is not…fond of me.”He wants to kill me.Salas wondered if the girl knew of his impending execution, or if she was too young to be privy to such knowledge. That was the thing with children that had always earned him a scolding back in Suscon. He never knew what they knew. And if he gave them information that others deemed they should not know, he would receive a slap on the wrist for telling them. Best to stay away from children.
It was another burden for him to hide his pains and create some falsehood of friendly companionship with the princess, yet still, Salas could not bring himself to tell her to leave.
The girl said something in Diagorian, but when Salas returned her comment with merely a blank stare, she asked, “Do you not speak Diagorian? The other Susconians do not. They are to be taught!”
Salas shook his head, pushing down the swell of jealousy towards his fellow countrymen for their freedom. “I...know some. But...no, I cannot speak it.” He nearly growled, frustrated at having to admit to something he could not do.
“I shall teach you! Wait here. I’ll go grab my books. You’ll like the picture dictionary!” With that, she was rising and testing her limbs.
Salas nearly smiled at the ‘wait here’ demand. Where did she think he could go? But he only nodded and reluctantly began to pass back the muff.
“You can keep it! I’ve loads more. I’ll be back!” She raced off, leaving the glow of the lamp she left to trace her departure.
Chapter Seven
The gritty slide of footfalls had Salas raising his head in anticipation, wondering if Princess Newt had returned with her promised textbooks. Yet the figure that emerged into the light of the forgotten lamp was much taller. Slim.
He felt as his empty stomach clenched in on itself, his entire body sparking with dread.
It was not the little princess, but someone of far greater consequence: the palace witch. The one who had tried to channel his life energy into the well to execute him in front of the onlooking Diagorian crowd. Victoria, the King had called her.
She approached him slowly and without entourage. When she reached the barred door, she stopped in front of it, simply staring down at him with bleak, dead eyes, her expression frosted over. It was a look from her he remembered vividly. For a while she simply stood there, watching him fidget and attempt to twist away. Sweat broke out on his forehead when he strained his broken limb in an attempt to move back from the door.
Finally, she spoke. “Oh, how this forest scum has fallen. Instead of killing travelers lost in the woods, how has this insect ended up here, squirming on the dungeon floor like the bug he is?” She spoke softly and calmly, as though murmuring to herself, but in Susconian. Salas knew she wanted her insult to carry.
He said nothing to her, simply cradling his wounded leg with hovering, unsure hands. When he realized the muff Newt had given him was on the floor beside him, he shifted it further into the shadows, not wanting Victoria to know the young girl had come to see him.
“I am genuinely surprised that the King didn’t chop your head off the other day. For what you’ve done to his kingdom, of course. Quite a powerful curse for one as pathetic as yourself. Tell me, I’m curious, how does a great and powerful creature of fae end up sucking the cock for an old, shriveled human emperor?” She paused, considering. “Perhaps you’d fallen from grace years before arriving in Diagor.”
Still, Salas remained silent, though his hands dropped to curl into fists at his side.
“Seeing as how you were his favorite,” she went on, “it must be all you are good for. Tell me. Can you service women, too? Or do you only spread for men?”
Salas found his gaze dropping, no longer able to meet her eyes.
