Chapter 29 29
The throne room went silent like a graveyard. I noticed how the flame lords and ash regents all lowered their faces, as though avoiding the gazes of the Sovereign's parents, and the Dragon Sovereign himself wore that cold expression that could tell that he was only holding back because they were his parents.
I saw his finger tighten into a fist, how he clenched his jaw and maintained eye contact with his parents, with no single smile ready to spread across his face. I turned and glanced at his parents, who seemed to mean what they had just said, and the only thing I could tell was that they didn't just want me to be his slave.
How was being his slave going to be an obstruction to him getting married? I wasn't a dragon, so there was no possibility of my getting closer to him to the extent of being the reason he didn't choose his betrothed again. Even though Orrifin had said that he wasn't interested, I also knew that if he had no other choice, the least he would do was to give in.
But, returning to that cell once again was one thing I didn't want. That Irian had almost taken my life if Orrifin didn't show up, so if I returned there, I might not live to see my brother released from the fae realm.
Without thinking twice, I dashed towards the table and grabbed the plate of water. I didn't need their validation and emptied them all, then slammed the plate on the table once again. I looked up to the Dragon Sovereign, who wasn't even shocked at what I had just done, and stated, “Today, I swore to serve you, master.” I bowed to him and stepped back.
The lords and regents all began murmuring because they were so good at it, but I didn't flinch. If I served him until he ascended, then whatever it was that was prepared for me, I would accept, because it was far better than being killed in the cell by their future queen.
My breath was raspy, and I could feel how fast my chest rose and fell. I noticed someone coming closer to me, and no doubt, it was Sovereign's mother. So I hastened and turned away, leaving the throne room before I was ordered to. No doubt, taking the oath was the last event to happen before I was finally recognised as the Sovereign's slave.
No one stopped me, not even the guards at the entrance, and I vanished from the room all by myself. I didn't stop walking, because I aimed to head to the Sovereign's chamber all by myself. If I saw Orrifin, he would take me there. Otherwise, I would find it, no matter how large the castle was.
I had walked a little far when I noticed that the buildings I passed through were all worn out and old-looking, and there were lots of bushes around, unlike the castle, which looked so neat. The road didn't look like it was abandoned, which meant that people were still passing through it all the time, but it was surely not the main castle, so I decided to turn around and take another route until I found the Sovereign's quarters.
As I turned, I happened to hit my toe on something strong like a rock, only to look up to a masked face. The mask was so ugly and scary that I couldn't help but scream with my eyes shut. I felt as though I had been pinned to the ground and couldn't move either forward or backward.
The person placed his thumb on my lip before covering my face with a sack. I tried to scream again, but felt as though I lost my voice. No matter how many times I moved my lips, I couldn't hear myself. I rubbed my index fingers in my ears several times, but to no avail.
I was raised from the floor and over the shoulder of the person, and although I fought to get away from him, what I hated most was that I couldn't speak any longer. I hit his back several times, hoping that he would feel the pain and drop me to the floor, but he didn't even bulge.
Tears streamed down my face. I hated myself for even leaving the throne room before I was ordered to, but how come I was just taken easily now that I left as though I had always been spied on?
I couldn't tell how far we went, because at one time, I felt the person holding me was flitting. But when he dropped me to the floor and took away the sack, I shut my eyes as darkness slammed my vision, making me scowl.
“Where did you bring me to? Who are you?” I tried speaking, but not even a single word of mine was heard, and it only bounced back to me. I moved my hands and even tried to speak, then I found out that I had been chained with a silver chain on my leg. My eyes moved from one corner to the other. I couldn't see anything, but I felt that someone was with me. “Take me out of here!!” I screamed inwardly again, and my voice failed me.
I was shattered. What kinda spell was used on me that suddenly made me useless? Was it a dragon that captured me, or who?
For several hours that I couldn't tell, I sat there, breathing as fast as I could, attempting to speak, but I failed again and again. When I tried touching the silver chain, it burned me, but my groan wasn't heard and was just with me.
When brightness slowly began piercing through the place I stayed, I saw it was a haggard, large room with no single object or person in it except me. I tried to stand but couldn't, and there was no way for me to scream to the hearing of anyone around.
So I stayed still, just leaning on the wall where I was, and hoping that someone would show up, at least so I would know what my fate was all about. It didn't take too long, and the man who had captured me showed up again, but this time, he wasn't alone.
While the others stayed back, he walked towards me and squatted. I hated the mask he was putting on and wished to see what he looked like, so I would run away anytime I saw him without a mask, but surely, he must look so brutal, just like his mask.
He raised my jaw with his index finger and said to me, “Nice meeting you, Davina Elm, the fae we didn't know existed.” His voice was so deep and cold that one would mistake him for a devil. My heart rate fastened as he mentioned my name in full and even my species. “Finding you was the best thing to ever happen to the fae realm, or we would have thought your brother was the last person in your clan.”
My heart sank. No doubt, he was a fae male and had been sent to capture me.
Dragon Sovereign had mentioned how the faes were after me, so how did they come into the dragon realm to take me with them, and the dragons weren't aware?
I tried to speak, to ask him about my brother, but I detested my condition of not being able to speak and only signalled him to let me speak…but he shook his head in response.
“We don't need your words, but just your life. From here, you would be taken to where your brother had been, and both of you will be executed for the fae realm to be free of future atrocities." He let go of me and stood up.
I moved my body, not wanting to let him go, but he ignored my signs and walked away from me.
Oh no! How come this was happening when I was under the wings of Dragon Sovereign? Could it be that a dragon betrayed his or her people and formed an alliance with the faes just to take me away?
At that moment, I was already watching my world crumble before me. I was doomed, and that was the last thing I ever wished for.