The Vixen Trials

Betrayal

Malek

Malek chafed at standing in the shadows of the opulent, over-decorated ballroom. He was supposed to be at that meeting with Cleb and hadn't even had time to send him word. They'd mock him for being unreliable. Again. They seemed to willfully misunderstand just how hard it was for him to get away. His so-called brother was not exactly easy to manipulate or fool.

Keilah didn't even look that happy as she twirled from partner to partner, barely pausing for a breath, rarely uttering more than a few phrases to each new man who claimed her. By contrast, Lady Silsa was dancing with a lightness of feet and a beam on her face that lengthened each time a man bent his head to hers. She looked almost beautiful in her happiness, her usual pinched look softened by the tendrils of hair hanging loose around her neck. She made it obvious Keilah was miserable. She'd seemed really frightened by the Prince and Malek had been surprised at the concern for her that dug a foothold into his heart. He reminded himself that he could never care for a Wayvolkan. It would be a betrayal of his people.

By the time the dancers were exhausted, the first streaks of dawn were brightening the sky. Malek wanted to hustle the ladies out of the carriage into their gloomy house but he was too well trained to let his impatience out. He even muffled the curse that sprang to his lips when he saw the Hattavah lurking by the gate. To get away now, Malek would have to play this just right. So he forced a smile onto his face.

"Hi brother," Malek made himself say although he whispered the last word. It fascinated him how the Hattavah's face brightened. He actually felt something at that word? "Can I go out for a while? Some friends are waiting for me."

At the Hattavah's lack of suspicion, Malek swallowed a feeling of guilt. He felt trusted. How strange, when he was doing the least-trustworthy thing he'd done as the Hattavah's slave. He was going to his spy meeting.

It was not far away, just down a couple of dark alleys to a little cottage of an alehouse with a neglected air. A quick scan of the room showed a fire nearly out, a couple of rough wooden tables and some large jugs of beer. His people were all still there, drunk enough to seem to have forgotten the need for secrecy.

Cleb saw him and hooted. "Oh now you choose to show up, you child of shame." They all clinked their jugs at that. Malek found himself flushing. He'd forgotten just how derisive of him they were. Why was he doing this again? In the wave of their scorn, contrasted with the warmth of the fellow slecks of his House and even that of his master, he struggled to remember. To win the honor he deserved. A noble goal. For the first time he questioned if going back with them, if doing as he promised to do would be worth it.

"Any progress?" Cleb said in a mocking voice. "Let me guess, you've been too afraid to speak of it."

"I spoken to him," Malek insisted. At least three times. Or maybe once. His suggestion had been so decisively rebuffed that he had shelved it for a while. If Keilah couldn't make the Hattavah do it with all her repeated hints, how could he? "He doesn't want to."

"Then we have have to do it another way then."

Cleb had a nasty glint in his eye that Malek did not understand until he felt his hands seized from behind. "We'll use you as bait."

Fear bit into Malek. What would they do to him? As the men gathered around him, laughing, kicking, mocking, he remembered how they'd never been kind. Why had he ever thought he could win honor among them? For the first time he realized he never would and his stupidity reddened his face and made him fight the harder. He heard a cry as his foot connected with someone before someone tackled him to the ground and sat on his legs.

"Submit and you won't be hurt further, child of shame," Cleb hissed at him. He stilled his body. He wasn't stupid enough to fight them, outnumbered like this. He was allowed to sit up though his legs were bound.

"Let's go catch the Hattavah like we should have from the first," Cleb cried and the others cheered.

A smile almost appeared on Malek's face. They were under-estimating him. His brother would never be caught by the likes of them.