Lu regards me silently for a moment. “What should we do?”
It’s not exactly a surprise, but I thought we’d have a little more time. Because that’s what Auren needs. Time.
Time to stand on her feet. To acclimate to the loss of her ribbons. To gain confidence. To be ready to face the world and her magic. She just killed her manipulative captor, discovered a new facet of her power, almost died in the process, and left everything she knows. She needs a fucking breather.
“Nothing,” I finally answer.
Lu’s black brows jump up. “Nothing?”
I shake my head. “It’s an intimidation tactic meant to bully us. It’s not going to work.”
“But what if they come to Fourth?”
“Queen Kaila has two empty kingdoms to contend with and a frozen Barrens between us.”
“But the other monarchs…”
“Can suck my dick.”
She rolls her eyes. “As much as I’m sure they’d enjoy the invitation, they’re still an issue.”
“And an ocean away,” I point out. “We have time.”
“If you say so.”
My skin twinges, and it’s not because of the hawk’s talons still clutching my arm. “I have it under control.”
I always do.
“Alright.” She nods before glancing over my shoulder to the cell door. “I take it Ryatt finally found them?”
“He did.” Holding my hand out, I take the jerky from Lu, feeding it to the hawk with another stroke. The bird tucks its head against my neck in thanks before she turns and takes flight, zooming out of the cave and letting off a distant screech as she takes to the air.
Lu shakes her head. “You have every damn bird and timberwing under your spell.”
“What can I say? I’m just likable.”
She snorts, both of our attention catching on the cough that sounds from the cell.
“Looks like he’s awake,” she says, and anticipation has already begun to wind its way around my limbs like silken ropes. “You want me to stay?”
I shake my head, removing my coat and rolling up my sleeves. “No. I’m going to have a nice little chat with Midas’s spy.”
Lu nods and then leaves me to it. As soon as she’s gone, I step up to the door, peering inside where the pitiful heap is now a man sitting up, eyes wide with fear when he sees my face.
I let myself in using the key tucked into the iron lock, and the door slams shut behind me so loud that the man flinches.
And everything, the tiredness, the contention between Ryatt, the worry of Auren, the news from the letter, it all coalesces into something clotted and acidic, ready to bubble over and burn. Lucky for me, I have the perfect candidate to take it out on.
I flash the man a wicked grin, feeling the way my rot twists against my chest, reaching down my arms. He trembles all over, face slack, eyes wild.
“I don’t believe we’ve been properly introduced. I’m King Rot, and you’re in my territory.”
The man pissing his pants isn’t going to be the worst scent by the time I’m done with him.
I walk around closer, letting rot creep from my steps and crawl up the walls like strings threatening to knot him a noose. “Now, I want to know everything you reported to Midas, and everything he ordered from you.”
The man gulps, Adam’s apple bobbing in undulating fear. “And…and if I do, you’ll l-let me go?”
I laugh. The noise makes him flinch, but then his mouth opens wide in shock as I lash my magic into him, rotting the bottom row of his teeth from his gums. Letting the enamel brown and crumble till they slip from their places and disintegrate to the ground.
“Oh, no. You won’t be leaving this room alive. But it’s up to you how I let my rot toy with you.”
It’s funny how quickly he sings. Or rather, lisps.
He doesn’t tell me anything I hadn’t already figured out, but doling out punishment helps my dark mood. Only a little. But it helps.
When I walk away a couple hours later, with the sun in the sky and the taste of sweet rot and cold ash in the back of my throat, I should be relieved that we were able to get all of Midas’s spies and send them to a frozen grave.
But relief is the furthest thing I can feel, and Midas’s people no longer matter.
It’s the rest of Orea I have to worry about now.
CHAPTER 25
SLADE
Age 15
There’s a festival today in the city—a celebration of the winter solstice. I know this because we passed it on our way to the hills. There was already dancing in the city streets, blue lights hovering in the air with magic. Tonight, after the sun goes down, they’ll offer sacrifices to the cold stars and play music to the moon.