Of all the things Mina saw or heard, she would have never thought King Stig and Jayden's father were related. "You and Jayden are related?"
King Stig grabbed an empty goblet, poured some wine, and drank while he studied Mina. "Sit," he said. Then added, "Please." It gave Mina the impression he was a man who only knew how to give orders. "There are things we need to talk about."
"I had the impression you bought me to fuck your men, not talk," Mina sneered.
King Stig choked on the wine. “I would never do that…”
“Do what? Whore me around?” King Stig chuckled. Or mocked her. Either way, she did not care. She didn't care about anything. Well, except for getting her revenge. And after that... She did not care what happened to her after that. Pain and anger and revenge filled her head and heart. "Jayden would still be alive if not for you!" she said loudly, and the castle shook. A few books from a shelf fell to the stone floor. "I am aware that you purchased me to satisfy your men, but I am afraid you spent your money for nothing. Anyone touches me, and only dust will remain of this place," Mina said as calmly as she could.
King Stig shifted in his seat and looked at her left hand. "Minerva—"
"Mina! My name is Mina!" she said, interrupting him.
The King finished his wine before filling his goblet again. "I know what your voice can do, but even if you don't have that hideous mask on your face, you still can't use it." He pointed at her left arm, and Mina fought the urge to look at it. "I put a bracelet around your wrist that—"
"You did what?" she asked, not carrying that she interrupted him.
Her eyes flew to her left wrist. To her relief, the bracelet Jayden gave her was still around her hand. She would have scorched the entire continent if she had lost it.
"The magic iron bracelet will prevent you from using your magic," King Stig explained.
Mina did not believe a word King Stig said. She tried to shriek, but her throat felt like it was on fire. It hurt badly, but she was determined to prove she could use her voice. She tried again and again, but when she felt blood in her mouth, she stopped. As soon as her mouth was closed, the pain she felt in her throat was gone.
She looked at the iron bracelet—a perfect circle glued to her skin. It also had runes similar to those from the iron collar Jayden and his men had around their necks. She was certain a blacksmith could cut it off.
"A long time ago, a book containing evil spells had been written by a Dark Master. In that book, there were instructions on making iron objects that would prevent a person from using magic. During a war, a group of warriors and Paladins killed the Dark Master, and the book disappeared. When Kaj was a Dark Mage novice, he learned about the book and decided to find it. It took Kaj many years to track it down in a swamp infested with all kinds of vermin, especially swampsharks, on another continent. I heard he lost his wyvern in that swamp and had to steal a horse from River Elves. But it was worth it because that book gave him the knowledge to become a Necromancer. Regarding the iron bracelet, the runes not only block your powers but also prevent you from removing it. And if you try to cut it off," he said with a smirk on his lips, as if he knew what Mina was thinking of, "you will activate a spell that will kill you in a heartbeat. Only Kaj and I know how to take it off."
Mina had no doubt she would find a way to remove the stupid iron bracelet. She hated seeing it next to the one Jayden gave her. It felt wrong, foul. "What do you want from me?" she snapped. "If I am not here to fuck your men, then why did you have me brought here?"
"I need your help with—"
Mina laughed hysterically. "With all due respect, King Stig, go fuck yourself!" Mina said before walking to the door. "Nice meeting you," she said before grabbing the doorknob. To her surprise, the warrior did not try to stop her. "Or not," she added as she tried to open the door.
King Stig snapped his fingers, and Mina felt hundreds of needles stab her palm. She yelped in pain before letting go of the doorknob and looking at her hand—even if there was no blood or wounds, it hurt pretty bad.
"I would not advise you to try again. Unless you want to feel more pain." She turned on her heels and stared at the king, a question on her face. King Stig drank peacefully from his goblet. "You can only leave this room if I let you. And before you even try, know that the castle is built on a very tall peak. You need wings if you want to escape. So, if you can't fly, I am afraid you are my guest."
"Prisoner," Mina corrected him.
King Stig shrugged. "If you wish. Join me for dinner, and while you eat, I will tell you why I started the war. And I did not purchase you to give you to my men. That was the excuse I had given to Tedric so I could get you out of Athea. He had other plans for you, but I managed to convince him you would be of more use to me here. And you will be. I did not know Jayden was my cousin's son until a day ago. If I had known..."
"You can shove the food up your ass! I won't sit at the same table as the man responsible for my husband's death!"
Something dark and evil flashed in King Stig's eyes, but all Mina wanted was to kill the king. He slammed his palm so hard on the table that his goblet fell on the stone floor. "Tedric was right. You do need to be disciplined!" he growled. "Sit at the fucking table! Or else..."
He did not finish his thought, nor did he need to do it. Mina understood. 'Sit and eat, or my men will have their way with you.' So she sat. Not because she was afraid of him but because she had to make him believe she was behaving. She knew she had to gain his trust. And then.... she would run away.
King Stig poured wine into her goblet before picking up his goblet from where it fell. She drank and realized how thirsty she was. When the goblet was empty, King Stig filled it again. And again.
King Stig laughed. "You are the same as your father. He also loved wine." Mina ignored him as she finished her third goblet of wine and put some food on her plate. How could the king of Litus have known her father?
King Stig continued talking. "When I was a child, I often spent my summers in Ora Dorei with Adinet, Baswein, and Einir. More often than not, Boros would join me and the others while exploring the Enchanted Forest." Mina blinked and looked at King Stig—he was also putting food on his plate. "Boros was Tedric's twin brother."
Mina cocked her head. "My uncle has a twin brother?"
A muscle twitched in King Stig's jaw. "Had. Boros died when he was twelve."
"I never heard of Boros," said Mina. Not that it would matter if she had another uncle. He was long gone, and she still had to destroy Athea. And make Rosalyn, Duke Tedric, and Kaj suffer. She would not forget Aksel either.
"After what happened, I am not surprised. It not only ended our friendship but also changed Tedric." King Stig drank more wine.
"Too bad Boros was the one to die. If not for you and the Necromancer, Jayden would still be alive!" she snapped.
"I am sorry for what happened to Jayden. I know how it is to lose your mate."
Mina knew she was supposed to gain King Stig's trust, but, Gods, how she hated him. "I hope the Darkness swallows you and makes you suffer eternally!" said Mina.
The warrior shifted his weight on his feet, uncomfortable.
King Stig chuckled softly. "You resemble your father more than you can imagine. And trust me, I am already suffering. Since the day I lost my mate and our son was stolen from his crib, each day has been agony."
Mina smiled. "Good! And I hope you never get to feel happy again!"
"Don't you want to know why I started the war?"
"Because you enjoy seeing others suffering?" Mina tried to guess.
King Stig's eyes turned black with anger. "Twenty-five years ago, Baswein contacted the Black Mercenaries and paid them to kidnap my son. I wanted to show him what it felt like to lose a son. But, of course, Baswein did not send his son to war! So I did what I had to do! Contacted Kaj. I knew he had unfinished business with the Lady of the ocxoas, and he was more than glad to help me conquer Nodor!"
Mina narrowed her eyes. "I thought you were an ocxoa also since you said you are related to Jayden and his father."
"I am a Son of the Air! Not that it would matter." He leaned back in his chair. "I did not know Einir had a son. He had always been secretive. And over the years, I lost contact with him. Just recently, I received a parchment from Einir telling me about his son marrying Adinet's daughter. He never told me his son's name. If I had known, I would have negotiated with Tedric for Jayden and his men."
"I don't believe you," said Mina. "Not only did Jayden—who was your relative—die because of you, but you are my uncle's friend. It tells me what kind of a person you are!"
"I had no choice but to be Tedric's friend! Baswein—whom I considered a dear friend—had my son kidnapped and most likely killed."
"And why would King Baswein do that?"
"A year after Boros's death, Baswein was visiting Litus. We were both sixteen that year, and during a feast in a small town, I met my mate, Anna. Even if he denied it, I knew we both fell in love with her that day, but she only had eyes for me. I wanted to claim and mark her during the festival." Rage flashed in his eyes. "But he stopped me. And told her parents. He stopped being my friend. It did not matter because I had found the love of my life. Years later, when I married Anna, Baswein sent me a letter telling me I was not good enough for Anna because of what happened with Boros. I knew he resented me, and when Anna died, he accused me of killing her. And when my son was taken from me, I knew that one day I would get my revenge. So I waited patiently."
"And your revenge took away my mate! I bet you haven't told Jayden's father you are the man responsible for his son's death! You took another man's son away from him!"
"Minerva, I am not a bad man. I am sorry for what happened to Jayden, but you are now the Queen of the ocxoas. If you wish so, Athea can be yours."
Mina laughed bitterly. "Athea now belongs to the Order. Not that I would have wanted to rule that city in the first place."
"The Order? What Order?"
Mina huffed. "Don't tell me you never heard of the Order."
Confusion flashed in King Stig's eyes, and Mina knew the answer. She could care less if he knew of not. The Order, with the help of the Necromancer and her uncle, was the new master of Athea. Not for long, though. She would make sure of it.
"Minerva, what Order?"
Did King Stig really not know about the Order?
Mina ate from her food before replying. "You should ask the Necromancer, as he now works for them. Or with them."
"I will. Now, going back to why I brought you here. I need your help."
Mina narrowed her eyes. "If I help you, will you let me go?"
King Stig studied her for a long time. "I am afraid I can't do that, Andarra."
So he knew she was the Queen of the ocxoas. "Then, I won't help you. And one day, I will leave this place!"
King Stig stared into her eyes. "You refuse to help after I save you from a fate worse than death?"
"Nothing compares to the pain I felt when Jayden died! Nothing! So you saved me from nothing!"
He looked remorseful. "Minerva."
"Go. Fuck. Your. Self!"
King Stig looked at the warrior. "Take her to the dungeons. Let's see if a few days down there will make her behave like a lady." He shifted his gaze back to Mina. "Like a Queen!"
*Hello beautifull people! Sorry for the delay but I had a huge block with this part of the story. It is all good now aka block is gone*