Fate by the Stars /// ACOTAR Series

Chapter 8: Jurian's Pet

The minute her feet touched solid ground, Iyla swayed. She would have fallen all the way to the ground when the Fae released her arm, but Jurian swung her limp body up into his arms and began to carry her toward a large structure that looked to be a decrepit castle built into the side of a mountain. Everything around them was gray, the sky, the cliffside, and the rocky grounds on which they arrived. The air was heavy, and was surrounded in a mist or fog.

Iyla groaned. Her head was as foggy as her surroundings, and she was worried that she might vomit. Between being awoken in the middle of the night, kidnapped, exposed to the sight of mutilated human bodies, and then traveling the way that they had, the human woman wasn't fairing well.

"Shut up," Jurian said harshly and Iyla flinched. "You're in the Kingdom of Hybern as my guest," he said snidely. A couple of the Fae behind him snickered.

A messenger wearing a gray uniform approached them from the castle's courtyard, "Jurian, the King is waiting for your report. Bring your whore, he'll want to meet the illustrious Lady Sieve. You'll have plenty of time to enjoy her privately later."

Iyla remained silent, but tried to remain watchful. Her head was spinning, and she was frighteningly cold. Even though Jurian spoke to her in a rough tone, he was surprisingly gentle as he carried her inside the castle and down dark stone hallways until he reached a single door that was being guarded by another male Fae. The male, a guard in a gray uniform, stopped them from entering.

"You are to be a surprise," the Fae guard sneered at her shaking figure within Jurian's arms. "Wait until you're signaled by his majesty," the guard said to Jurian.

The door was slightly ajar, giving Jurian and Iyla the ability to hear what was being said beyond it.

"Do you why I've summoned you so late, Sieve," a bland, uncaring, they heard a male voice ask.

Iyla's entire body froze when she heard the familiar voice of her husband reply to the king, "I've not been told why, your majesty. I am here at your pleasure all the same." The guard beside her, laughed at Iyla's visible fear.

"Afraid of your dear husband, whore?" he sneered at her.

"Don't speak to my pet, Arno," Jurian snapped. "I've not given her leave to speak yet."

The King's voice could be heard again, "That is right, you are here at my pleasure, and it pleases me to tell you that my loyal servants have discovered your plot."

"I assure you, your majesty," Lord Sieve responded. "I have no idea what you are referring to."

"When I asked you for collateral and assurance for allowing you to live and serve me, you offered the love of your wife. Imagine his surprise when Jurian arrived at your home to find the worthless little creature you call your love. Jurian explained to me that there would be no love lost if she were skinned in front of you." The king continued in an amused tone, "the little ones are so easy to break, aren't they Sieve?" Iyla shuttered in the cold hallway when the king paused.

"Jurian, won't you bring your new pet out to say goodbye to her previous master?" the King's voice said. Jurian carried her through the doorway and toward the throne.

She silently took in the throne room. The door they had entered was near the side of the throne and Iyla could see the whole room from her spot. She noted that Faelights were scattered along the off white walls, and the few windows in the room only offered views of gray sky and a dark sea below. The king was seated on a throne made from the bones of humans that had browned and smoothes even more with age. Iyla felt faint.

Iyla forced herself to look away from the bones and rather at the King and she was slightly surprised by just how ordinary this being looked. Essentially the man wanted to rule the world, but he looked like a boring human in his mid 40s. He had no outstanding or striking features other than his dead eyes. This human hating, powerful Fae would have been difficult for her to pick out within a crowd. Jurian put her down on her bare feet on the cold stone floor and stepped back so Iyla would be in full view of the king.