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He continues walking backward as I stalk forward at the same pace, feeding the fire within my hands. “I’m not. You’ll never see me again.”
“The only way to ensure I never see you again is to kill you.” My voice is cold and hollow, emotionless, and numb.
His face pales, and he suddenly turns to run. Before he can fully face his back to me I send a massive ball of fire toward him. He screams out as he falls to the ground, hissing in pain while it engulfs his entire body in flames. Black smoke fills the air around us, and I nearly gag at his putrid odor. Rolling and tossing himself over the ground, he tries to put out the flames before they can eat him alive.
Bloodcurdling screams fill my ears as I force the fire to stay lit, fueling it with my magic. “Your death was decided the second you stepped foot out of the Wychwood Forest.”
Chapter Fourteen
ADEENA
“What made you think stealing would be okay?” I ask the three young fae boys standing before me.
Early this morning the three boys snuck down to Phenix and found their way through the market, stealing whatever they wanted along the way. Outraged villages stormed to the castle shortly after the boys left, demanding compensation for the stolen items. Several of them were nearly screaming at Izan as they carried on about how justice needs to be served and that the lost fae should be removed from Fire Court.
Their frustration is justifiable, and I don’t blame them for being angry. I’m upset myself. The entire group of lost fae has been told over and over again to not leave the legion camp, and this is the sixth incident since Dreyden left three days ago.
Lyra, Izan, and I keep putting out the fires, but we’re all exhausted and mentally drained. I feel like an absolute failure. If I can’t keep control of them for three days without Dreyden, how am I supposed to lead these people and help them gain traction in their new lives? How are they supposed to look at me as their high lady when I can’t even keep track of a group of children?
Some of the lost travelers feel trapped, enraged even, being forced to stay here, but it’s the best way to ensure their safety from what lies beyond the castle grounds and to keep them separated from the Fire Court people. We can’t have strangers wandering around Fire Court when we don’t know their entire story.
The oldest boy has a smug look on his face as he watches me. His thin lips are sealed, and he hasn’t said a word the entire time they’ve been in the castle.
It’s the youngest boy who speaks first. His silver eyes flicker as he finds his voice. “We’re sick of eating the same things over and over again. We wanted some real food.”
A handful of children showed up with the lost fae, and none of them have parental supervision, so we’ve all been pitching in to make sure they’re taken care of. Edlynne keeps an eye on them most of the time, but she’s struggling to keep up with their troubled outbursts. They’re old enough to know better, and that makes it even more frustrating.
“You eat the same food repeatedly so that we do not run out of food for you,” Izan snaps, his eyes dark and hard as he speaks to them. “There are limited resources when there are ten thousand mouths to feed. You should be grateful you are being fed at all. Would you prefer we let you starve? Would that make you happy?”
I fold my arms over my chest, waiting for the boys to respond.
They’re frightened of Izan and it’s easy to see why. He towers over them by nearly two feet, not to mention he’s solid muscle. If looks could kill, these boys would be dead.
“We’re sorry,” the middle boy mumbles as he looks to the ground, avoiding eye contact with me.
“What?” I ask sharply, quickly running out of patience. “I couldn’t hear you.”
“We’re sorry,” he repeats, louder this time as he raises his eyes to mine.
Nodding his head as he glances between me and Izan, the youngest boy agrees. “We’re sorry, High Lady. It won’t happen again.”
“You’re damn right it won’t happen again,” Izan cuts in. “You’re on dish duty for the rest of the week. You will immediately relieve the group assigned to dish duty and the three of you will do ALL the dishes yourselves.”
Leaning forward as he throws scrawny his scrawny arms up, the oldest boy decides now is the time to argue. “But-“
“Butnothing,” I cut him off. “You will do as you are told or there will be further consequences. This is your final warning. This will be a very different discussion if we must have it again.”
Two days ago this same group of boys snuck down the path leading into the Bloodred Forest and started a small fire. The legion had to work quickly to get it put out before it spread larger than it already was, which is ironic considering this is Fire Court. I thought they would have a better hold on the concept of fire, but amid the chaos I learned they donot.
“The villagers are angry,” Lyra snaps. “You’re wearing out your welcomeveryquickly. We would like to find a place for you, but you need to prove your value to us. Do not cause more trouble than what you are worth. Be better than that.”
The boys nod as their faces fall in shame.
“Dish duty begins now,” I say as I wave them away.
“Yes, High Lady,” they say in unison as they bow, then scurry out of Dreyden’s office.
Izan closes the door behind them once they’re out of the room. “This is becoming too much, Adeena,” he sighs. “When Dreyden gets back to see all of this he’s not going to be happy.”
