Cloud Piercer

Thirty One

Clothed in black pants and a simple white shirt, Casimir holds a metal tray, covered with a lid. My first instinct is to go to him, but he doesn't acknowledge me, and I force myself to draw my gaze away to the rest of the room, the tension easing in my stomach slightly at his presence.

They made it.

There are others in the room with him. Two girls, another male, and the last, lingering in the corner with a straight expression—Elex. The room has a long, wooden dining table in the centre atop a large rug—only two chairs at either end of the table. I scan the room, searching for Killian, but come up empty. Concern twists in my stomach.

The man who led me here pulls out the chair at the end of the table, turning to me. "Take a seat, Miss Raune."

I watch him warily as I sit, the wooden chair digging into my spine. I'm painfully aware of all the weighted gazes as I straighten my posture, trying to keep myself from looking towards Casimir and Elex.

The doors on the opposite side of the room creak open. Casimir and the other servants lower their heads as she walks in. The man at my side straightens, tucking his hands behind his back. I watch with anticipation as a woman waltzes in, her head held high. Her floor-length gown ripples with movement, the sleeves trailing past her hands and nearly to the ground. I straighten my back as her gaze falls on me. Her jaw tilts to the guard at my side, and he immediately rushes over to pull the chair out for her.

"Miss Raune, what a pleasure it is to dine with you." Her voice, though far away, projects across the table.

Wrinkles line her face, but there's an elegance to her age, her ashy grey hair pulled back to the nape of her neck. The only shifter I've seen up close in human form is Tetterman and his son, but that feeling of unease never goes away. The knowledge of what lies beneath the skin, behind the gums—it erases any comfort the human smile offers.

She waves a hand, and the servers bring the trays towards the table—Casimir to the woman, the other girl to me. She removes the lid, revealing steamed vegetables and a steak. The aroma wafts into the air, making my stomach rumble.

"Who are you?" I ask.

She picks up her fork, stabs one of the carrots and raises it to her eyeline, examining the steam as it spirals in the air.

"I don't often encounter those of you from the villages below the mountains." She wrinkles her nose, as if those people disgust her. "But when I have, none of you have been very well versed in manners." At her pointed look, I avert my gaze. "Please eat. You must be hungry after your journey."

It's more a command than an invitation. I tentatively pick up my fork, stabbing one of the vegetables and lowering my eyes. To sit in a room with someone belonging to the tyrannical rulers that ruined my life, it's hard to keep hold of my tongue. But the power that underlies her voice is a harsh reminder that it is only by her will that I'm not dead.

"I apologise if I come across ungrateful," I say carefully. "I only want to know why you've brought me here."

She regards me for a few seconds before putting the fork in her mouth, chewing delicately. Her throat bobs up and down as she swallows. "You asked to be brought here."

"Not the mountains. I mean why am I here, in this room, with you, having a meal?"

"What kind of hosts would we be if we didn't feed you?"

My frustration flares. "Who are you?"

Her gaze cuts to me, sharp like a knife. "My name is Elora. I am an advisor of King Ereon."

A chill crawls down my spine. We hear of the King right from when we're young, a distant figure living in the mountains and making decisions to make Elel a better place for all. At least, that's the message we were fed from the councillors whenever they visited. Before Samu was taken, the shifters frightened me, but I didn't despise them. And yet I've always hated the King.