lap and his foot casually balanced on his knee.
"You might not believe me, but I don't take pleasure in your pain, Aleksander. Everything I do is for the good of the world. It's inevitable that there should be some hurt feelings along the way."
Rafe flinched, understanding how Brighty felt at the sound of her real name—as though an arrow had slipped through a small break in his defenses to pierce his heart. He wasn't that person anymore. Neither was she. Of course, that was the entire point. It allowed the king to give the first strike.
He didn’t ask how the man knew. Maybe Cassi had learned it. Maybe he had other spies in the House of Whispers. It mattered little.
"I'm at a disadvantage," Rafe said instead, thrilled at the hint of surprise written on the man's face. "You know my name, but I've yet to learn yours."
"King Malek’da’Nerri, though you may call me my liege."
"You're not my king."
"Until you have the means to return to your world above the mist, I'm afraid I am, which brings us to the point of this little gathering. You want your wings back. I have the magic to return them to you. But I won't, unless you do something for me in return."
"What?" What could he possibly do that this man couldn't do already?
"I've tasked Captain Rokaro with catching a dragon alive and bringing it to me so that my mages and I might study it. We'd like to learn how they communicate with each other, how their magic and their fire work. I want you to help her, to learn about her crew and about this world, to listen to her instructions and do as she says. And when you come back to Da'Kin with a dragon in tow, we can see about your wings."
"That's it?"
The king shrugged. "What can I say? I'm a simple man."
Rafe snorted. He'd spent his life praying to the god of chance—he knew a trick when he saw one. There was no way the king had gone to so much trouble bringing him down to this world just for help catching a dragon. The gods, he was more a hindrance on the ship than a help. They might have caught the last one if he hadn't leapt into action, or they might have all been killed, but still. What could he do that a whole crew of magical sailors couldn't?
Nothing.
"Give me a dragon," the king murmured, dangling the words like bait. "And I'll give you back the sky."
"What's the catch?"
"No catch. My promise is true."
My ass it is, Rafe silently cursed.
The king leaned closer, sensing his wavering mind. "A man is only as good as his word."
"I know a lot of men who think otherwise."
"Not this man." He straightened, gaze boring into Rafe as though he could see into his soul, into all the dark thoughts and insecurities he'd spent his life trying to hide. "I grow tired of this debate. Give me an answer, now. Do you agree or not?"
No.
No.
No.
No.
"Yes." The black wings resting on the table were ripe for the taking, too good to pass up. The king was toying with him, Rafe was certain, but he would deal with the consequences when they came. If it meant getting his wings back, the price hardly mattered. "I agree."
"Good. Jacinta!" The door opened and a woman walked in, her long black hair as straight as a sword's edge, the bangs across her forehead severe against her pale skin. "Please, escort our guest back to his ship. We're done here."
The binds clasped around him again, this time yanking him to a standing position.
"Wait!" Rafe fought against the magic, even as his feet took step after step against his will. "I have questions."
"And I'm sure someone else will answer them for you. I lack both the time and the desire to do so."
"What are you doing with Lyana?" Rafe said anyway, expecting to be cut off at any moment. "Please, I need to see her. I need to speak with her."
"Don't worry, Aleksander," the king said, voice just as steady as ever, though a light pierced his dark eyes, giving them a wicked gleam. "One day soon, you will."
"Wh—"
He didn't have a chance to finish. A band of metal wrapped around his lips, sealing off the sound, as four more came around his ankles and wrists. Green sparks filled the air and the woman pulled on the cuffs. The last thing Rafe saw was the slight curl to the