The Siege of Shadows: Book one

Chains of Devastation (35)

ROWAN'S POINT OF VIEW

What is this?" The Seelie King shouted, throwing the silver bowl across the dining hall with a harsh clang. "Are you feeding the beast, Theros?

"That beast is a queen!" Kael's voice was low, the anger seething beneath the calm exterior. He stood his ground, refusing to flinch.

"She was a queen," the Seelie King seethed, his lips curling in disgust. "Now your mother is nothing more than a mindless, drooling beast."
I gasped. Mother? The wolf—the one chained to the castle steps—was Kael's mother?

"She is still a queen," Kael responded, his voice cold but unwavering.

"Ah, yes, of course." The Seelie King laughed viciously as he reached for his wineglass. "All hail Queen Ceri, may she reign over all the mangy, flea-ridden beasts of the Seelie kingdom!" He raised his glass in mock reverence, the other courtiers following suit with forced laughter, their smiles sharp and cruel.

The servants along the walls remained silent, their ears pointed but smaller than the others in the room. Their faces were rounder, less sharp, and their eyes betrayed the weariness of those who were used to being overlooked.

But Kael did not falter. His gaze locked with the Seelie King's, filled with contempt. The laughter that followed only seemed to fuel his resolve.

The queen, Kael's mother, might be a beast in the eyes of the Seelie King, but she was still a queen. And even if they stripped her of her crown and her dignity, I would not forget who she had been.

The Seelie King's laughter echoed through the room, a malicious sound that sent a cold chill down my spine. He was enjoying this far too much, savoring each word as he played his cruel game.

"Well, Theros," the king continued, his voice dripping with mockery, "perhaps it's time you had something real to focus on. You've had your fun with that wolf—now, you need something to occupy your time properly." He paused, eyes glinting with dark humor as he turned toward me. "And I think I know just the thing."

The room seemed to grow colder as his eyes slid over me, and I couldn't move. My heart was pounding in my chest, but I stayed rooted to the spot, fighting the urge to recoil, to run. The king's gaze ran over me like I was nothing but a thing, a possession, and I hated it.

"I think," he continued, his voice thick with condescension, "that it's clear what you really need, Theros. Something real to focus on." He paused, his lips curling into a wicked grin. "I mean, you've already shown interest in her, haven't you? She caught your eye that night, didn't she? Or was it the wine that made you forget yourself? That little party we had-things went a little too far, didn't they?"

I could feel my cheeks burn with shame, my hands clenched at my sides. The memories of that night came rushing back—too much fairy wine, too many people, and too many eyes watching as Kael and I... as Kael and I touched, as we connected in front of a room full of people. The humiliation had been unbearable then, but hearing the king mock it now, talk about it like it was nothing, like it was just some joke—it made my stomach churn. I wanted to scream, to hit him, to make him stop. But I couldn't.

I couldn't.

The king's laughter echoed again, and I wanted to shrink into nothing, to disappear into the shadows. "But I think the real question here is, Kael," he continued, his voice lowering, thick with sick satisfaction, "how good a lay she must be."

My breath caught in my throat, my hands trembling. His words sliced into me like a blade, and I could feel my face go hot with shame. How dare he talk about me like that? How dare he make me a joke for their amusement?