on high alert. A million scenarios race through my mind of what could have happened in our absence.
“What’s wrong?” I ask with a growl.
Reule stops in front of us, out of breath with his hands on his hips. He refuses to meet my eyes as he looks between Caelan and Audun. “What’s up, guys? How much time did the King give us off?”
Audun and Caelan exchange a look, and Audun shrugs. “A week. Same as last time.”
“Brother.” I snarl. I’m losing my patience quickly, and my panic is rising at the thought of my family being in some sort of trouble. I hold the piece of metal up and shake it toward Reule. “What’s going on here? I can sense that something is off.”
Reule’s eyes flash with anger when he catches sight of the metal in my hands, and he snarls as he grabs it from me and throws it across the yard. My eyes widen in shock, and there’s a moment of thick silence between all of us.
“Listen,” Reule finally says. He tugs at his hair again and meets my eyes. “You know one of the Elders came yesterday to deliver more gifts from the King, right? Well, he brought a girl with him. King Janak gifted us a wife.”
Caelan and Audun perk up at the same time I recoil. “No! Why would he do such a thing? We’ve told him time and time again how we feel about this matter.”
“She agreed?” Audun asks hopefully. “She wants to be with us?”
I cut a glare at the youngest of my brothers before turning back to Reule. “Tell me you sent her back.”
Reule shakes his head, his eyes slowly filling with rage and heartbreak. “She doesn’t speak the same language as us. She’s not even from this realm, and she had no idea what was going on when she got here. Maalik, they…” Reule bares his teeth and tugs on his hair more forcefully. “They had her in a cage.”
Caelan and Audun snarl, and my eyes go to the spot Reule threw that jagged piece of metal he grabbed from me. My gaze darkens when I realize that must have been part of the cage he’s referring to.
“Where is she now? Is she okay?” Caelan demands, glancing up toward the house as he takes a step forward.
Reule holds his hands up to stop him and nods. “She’s fine. She was pretty hurt when she got here, and nearly frozen to death. The cage they had her in was so small, she could barely move around in it. She was wearing hardly any clothing, and they only gave her one blanket. I’m surprised she even survived the trip. You know it’s probably an eight-hour journey by sled from the castle.”
I brush past Reule and storm toward the house. Betrayal is heavy in my heart. I’ve always been loyal to my kingdom, and to my King. To learn that King Janak would allow a human being to be treated this way, that he would participate in human trafficking and send a scared, defenseless girl to a pack of monsters against her will…I feel as though I’m going to be sick.
When I step inside, I expect to be met with the sound of a weeping girl. But I have to blink several times in surprise as I take in the scene before me. The crates and gift boxes sent by the king are strewn all about the room, every one of them open with items spilling out. I don’t think I’ve ever seen our living room in such a messy state, but I don’t have time to think about that now.
My eyes land on a beautiful girl standing beside one of the crates. She’s holding a pile of fabric in her arms, and she’s wearing an intricate crown on her head.
She appears surprised to see me standing in the doorway for a moment, but she gives me a shy smile and says my name like it’s a question. “Maalik?”
My heart flips and my face warms at the sound of her voice. I hate myself for thinking it, but she’s stunning. And she looks…happy. Reule said she’d been hurt and held in a cage like an animal, but this girl is so far from what I’d expected to find.
Caelan and Audun step in behind me and pause when they see her. Reule shoves past all three of us with an annoyed expression on his face and walks over to stand beside the girl. I glare