Home > Warrior King : New Worlds (Crystal Kingdom #6)(4)

Warrior King : New Worlds (Crystal Kingdom #6)(4)
Author: Milly Taiden

The warriors remained in action but side-eyed him. There was something to be said about ruling with fear. The men would fight harder if they were afraid of punishment from losing.

A rough-toned voice drew everyone’s attention. “If you ever take your eyes off the enemy again, I will slice your balls off and throw them in the lava pit. Do you understand me?” Ferrus sighed. Silvo was his second-in-command, but he sometimes thought he was top fae. He had embraced the king’s style of rule by an angry force.

The woman’s face flashed in his mind. Fine, dragon piss. He grabbed the closest soldier. “Take proper covering to the cells for the females and send the translator. Have them come to the throne room as soon as possible. Not the gnoleons.” The man hurried out of the cavern into one of the various tunnels encircling the main room.

“Rest,” Ferrus yelled, the echo going on and on and on. “I will return shortly. We have visitors to welcome.”

 

 

Chapter Four

 

 

Sitting on the floor of the jail cell, Lilah rubbed her hands over her arms, trying to stop the goosebumps crawling over her skin. Wren still had Xenos’s head in her lap, and she appeared unaffected by the chill.

“How long do you think they will keep us in here?” Daphne asked, pulling her arms inside her shirt to keep warm. That was a good idea. Unfortunately, her blouse wouldn’t allow her to do that.

“They cannot keep us here forever,” Lilah said. “We have rights.”

“On Earth,” Wren reminded her. “Who knows about here.”

“Shouldn’t matter where you are,” Lilah argued. “It is wrong to hold someone prisoner without giving them their say, period.”

“Well spoken, young lady.”

Lilah jumped to her feet and approached the man coming through the entrance. Wrapping her hands around the bars, she glowered at him. Most men scurried away when she flashed this side of her.

“I demand that—”

The guy shoved brown fabric at her and tossed another toward Daphne.

“Females, I am the translator. You will speak to the king through me. Please properly cover yourself.”

Lilah let the material drape from her fingers. It was her own ghost sheet. She quickly pulled it over her head and bundled in it for warmth. Now she understood the need for covering up.

Daphne said from the rear of the cell, “Why don’t you have one for Wren?”

The translator sneered at the couple on the floor. “They will remain here. There will be no spying on our troops.”

A man dressed in the same attire as the soldiers came forward and gripped the bars, bending them open for Lilah and Daphne to step out.

“What do you mean ‘spying’?” Daphne asked. “Spying for what?”

The guard pushed Daph and her behind the translator. Guess they wanted them to follow the guy. He could have just asked. Now that she had adjusted to her surroundings, she took the opportunity to study the area more. The more she knew about these people and their culture, the better she could tailor what she said.

The tunnel floor and walls weren’t smooth. This passage didn’t look as worn down as the others they came in through. That told her that this passage wasn’t used a lot, meaning they hadn’t imprisoned many others over the years. But the tunnel continued past the holding cell into complete blackness. There were no mounted torches like in the big area. She wondered if something important could be hidden farther down.

At an intersection, they turned down a tunnel she hadn’t seen before.

“Hey, translator,” Lilah said, “where are we going exactly?”

Without turning, he said, “We are going to the throne room. The prince has requested your presence before the king.”

“Prince, huh?” she said, thinking about the drop-dead gorgeous guy she saw when they came in. It was unlikely that he was royal. He was a soldier, obviously, but there was something about him that made him stand-out from the others. Something made him different, a little bit “more.” She would so willingly let him eat crackers in her bed anytime. As long as she was on his list to eat too.

No, no, no. Those thoughts had to wait until they were out of this mess. This was serious, and they could find themselves locked up here until their bones turned to ash. That did not sound appealing.

Turning another corner, they stopped at a set of double stone doors. Etched into the front of each one was a huge dragon-like creature. Not one with wings, but more Godzilla-ish to move easier across on the ground. Seeing how much she loved dragons, these were stunning. She wondered if there really were dragons here or if they were a myth like on earth.

The translator slipped behind the doors while the guard in the rear of the group stood over them. Lilah glanced over her shoulder and caught him checking her out. His eyes lit up with lust as his look raked down her body again. What the hell? She was covered head to toe in a sheet. What did he see?

Even though she was flattered that he liked her pear form, the creep sent chills down her back. He didn’t compare to her soldier. She gave a polite turn-up of the lips and faced the doors.

The translator came back and whispered, “The prince and king are here for your questioning. I remind you to speak through me.”

“You mean we give you our answers, and you will translate for us, right?” Lilah asked. She understood this process. When in court, the clients talked with her and not the judge directly. There was more order that way.

The doors opened fully this time, allowing them entrance. The throne room was not what Lilah expected. Not that she’d seen a lot of them. Bare stone walls and floors with a shiny, metal, grandiose throne in the center. No other furniture or rugs. Absolutely no female touches. Where was the queen? Surely, they’d let the royalty decorate the place.

She didn’t see the prince either. The corners of the room were pitch black. Anybody or anything could’ve been creeping along the wall back there. Their translator stopped several feet in front of the old man in the gaudy chair. He bowed low. “My King, may I present our guests.”

Lilah let out a snort that echoed in the room. Oops. But saying they were guests was a bunch of BS.

The king looked at the guy standing before her. “Who are these people, and why were they trespassing?”

The magic that interpreted all words into one universal language worked fine. Lilah understood the old guy perfectly. Why did they need a translator?

The translator turned back to her. “Who are you, and why were you trespassing?”

Somewhat confused, Lilah answered to him. “We are passing over to the other side. We were hiding in the cave when your people took us by force.”

Their guide turned to the king. “Sire, they are travelers who took shelter in our cave to conceal themselves.”

The king nodded, his brows drawn down tightly. “I have not seen fae the same color as your skin. What clan are you from?”

Their man turned to her. “The king has not seen fae the same—"

Lilah sighed, rolling her eyes. What was up with this stupid shit? She slid sideways and looked at the ancient dude. “We are—”

“SILENCE!” The king yelled, jumping to his feet. The translator got in front of her, waving his hands before her face, shushing her.

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