Endure - Sara B. Larson Page 0,48
that hung at his side out and pointed it at one of the guards next to me — the smaller one, though he was still a good head taller than me. “Answer me immediately.”
He responded in Dansiian, but King Armando shook his head. “In her language.” He glanced at me again, his eyes flashing. “All of my sorcerers and guards have been taught Antionese and Blevonese, so that when we rule over all three kingdoms, my men will be able to communicate with even the lowest heathen in our command.” He turned back to the guard and snarled, “So you will speak in Antionese right now because I want her to understand everything that happens this day.”
“We were instructed to bring her to you exactly as she came to us,” the man repeated in Antionese this time, his accent so heavy I could barely understand his response. “I don’t know why she is injured.”
“I ordered her to remain alive. I need her to be healthy.” The king’s face remained completely placid, but in one swift movement, he swiped the blade he held up and across the man’s throat. With a horrible gurgling cry, his hand released from my arm, and he collapsed to the ground. His body convulsed as the blood pooled around him, staining the beautiful marble and turning the sunlight on the floor to crimson.
The king turned to Akio and lifted the sword until it rested below his chin. Akio trembled as Armando leaned toward him.
“Perhaps you might be willing to explain to me why she is injured?”
Akio stood stiffly, the point of the sword pressing into his skin. “Rafe is the one who stabbed her, Your Majesty. I was ordered to heal her just enough so that she could stand before you, but no more.”
King Armando stared at him silently for a long moment as if considering. Then finally, he let the sword drop to his side. “I see.” He snapped his fingers, and three servants rushed forward from where they’d been standing against the wall to my right, unnoticed until now.
King Armando tossed his sword at one, who barely managed to catch it before it struck the floor. “Have that cleaned. And you two, deal with this mess.” He gestured to the now-dead man on the ground.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” the three servants responded, keeping their gazes trained on the floor and rushing forward to do his bidding.
“Fear,” King Armando said, his eyes on me again. “It’s a marvelous thing, isn’t it?” He smiled, a terrifying upturn of his lips that reminded me so much of his brother, King Hector, that my stomach tightened with anxiety. “My father taught me from a very young age just how powerful it truly was.”
He turned and began to walk toward his throne. Akio glanced back at my remaining guard, and then they hurried to pull me forward, following the king, leaving the servants and the body behind us.
“Do you know what my first lesson as a child destined for the throne of Dansii was?” King Armando continued to speak as we crossed the grand hall to stand below the throne of which he spoke, where he turned and sat down, his cold eyes trained on mine once more. He was silent, waiting for me to respond.
My guard dug a sharp elbow into my ribs, and I gasped, “No,” through the sudden piercing pain.
“I was six, and Hector was four. You remember my brother, Hector? The man you and my nephew murdered?” King Armando watched me intently as he spoke, his eyes on my scars again, his expression indecipherable.
I was completely in his power. Weaponless, defenseless. But I refused to let him scare me. Part of me was glad my hands were tied behind my back — he couldn’t see how they shook when I said, “I will gladly take responsibility for killing that snake you sent into our midst. But I’m not the one who drove the sword through your brother’s heart.”
The king lifted one eyebrow.
“I only wish it would have been me,” I finished.
His eyes narrowed, and he burst out, “I spent my lifetime protecting him!” Sudden rage darkened his face. “My father ruled over us all with blood and horror, and I hated him for it. But in the end, we learned what he intended for us to know — we learned what it means to be a true leader. We learned that threats are only as powerful as your ability to follow through on them.”
Akio squeezed my