Page 23 of The King has Fallen
The young man’s shoulders slumped. He frowned as he turned back to face me, his eyes searching mine as if he was looking for the dragon within me.
“I’m sorry, I have to do what he says,” he said quietly, but earnestly. “Thank you for being nice to me though.”
“I’ll always be nice to you, Gall. I have a sister who… reminds me of you. I am notyourenemy.”
His lips twisted and his brow furrowed as he scratched the back of his neck. “Melek says that’s exactly what an enemy would say,” he said.
I nodded. “Melek is right… most of the time. And IamMelek’s enemy,” I admitted with an apologetic shrug. “But if you don’t try to hurt me, I won’t hurt you. I swear it.”
“Swear on what?” he asked, suddenly suspicious.
I grieved for a moment, knowing what kind of hurt must have happened to mold that sweet heart to suspicion.
“I swear on—”
“Gall!” Melek barked. “I said stay back!”
He looked over his shoulder to hurriedly give Melek reassurance, twisting his body but not stepping away, and that spearhead clattered against the cage bars.
With him facing away, I saw my moment.
I leaped forward, grasping the wooden handle of the spear and yanking it straight from his grip and into the cage, accidentally knocking his knuckles against the steel. Then, as I scrambled back and away from the bars, I whipped the spear around to point towards the four, huge Nephilim now rushing towards me.
9. Humble
~ YILAN ~
Melek bellowed and Gall cried out, shocked by the pain, and by the loss, his eyes sad when he looked at his hand and then at mine, and realized I’d stolen his spear.
Melek stormed over to him, yanking him back two steps and immediately lecturing him, snarling and pointing at me as he barked a reprimand.
Poor Gall’s brows pinched down over his nose and he dropped his head in shame as the General flayed him with his tongue. I tried to give him an apologetic look—to reassure him that I meant him no harm. But the other soldiers were rushing forward, teeth bared and cursing as Melek dragged Gall away from my cage.
The oldest of them was already working at the lock and issuing orders to the others to back him up.
I was still squatting low, but had the spear pointing up and held strong, ready to stab any of them that came at me before they could get hands on me.
“Wait—no! Donotopen that cage!” Melek bellowed as the soldiers descended on me.
Everyone froze, including me. I was breathing hard, but my stance was spread and balanced, and the spear was just the right weight.
When the soldiers froze, it was clear their leader was furious, but he relocked the cage door and stepped back. “You’re right of course, General,” he said quietly, then turned to one of the others. “Go call one of the archers. He won’t miss from this close—”
“No,” Melek snapped. “Let her keep the spear,” he said darkly, now between me and Gall, and tipping his head at the others to put space between them and my cage. “No one can get into the cage without risk, but she can’t get out either. And she knows the moment she looses that she’ll be undefended, and I’ll snap her neck,” he growled. “She’s not going to let it go,” he said, then smiled wickedly at me, his eyes dark with promise.
“But, General—” the Lieutenant spluttered.
Melek lifted a hand to silence him. “No one feeds her as long as it is in her possession,” he instructed. “Let her surrender and offer it. Let herchooseto do the right thing. Until then, she will starve.”
I swallowed hard, already somewhat sick with hunger because it had been a full day since I’d eaten. I’d been looking forward to any crumb they might have fed me this morning.
As Melek refuted the protests of the others and assured them he was perfectly safe in here with me even when I was armed,poor Gall just stood there, Melek’s grip on his shoulder to keep him from moving, staring at me like I’d hurt his feelings.
While Melek let him go with a fierce warning not to move from that spot, and ushered the others out, I watched Gall and waited until they weren’t listening to me.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt your hand,” I said quietly. “I just needed something to defend myself. The men here, they’re… quite brutal,” I said, eyeing him to see if he would still trust me.
Gall’s throat bobbed and he nodded. “I know how that feels,” he said. Then his chin rose, and his hands clenched to fists at his side as he looked towards the tent flap where the others were disappearing and Melek stood with his back to us, his stance very obviously tense and unimpressed.
