A Savage Debt (The Beholden Duet #1) - Zoey Ellis Page 0,5
they proved their value to the kingdom. However, Ana was disappointed to learn that only one person in history had earned it.
“Why the fuck would you think you of all people would have claim to a promise?” The king’s voice boomed across the hall.
Maddoc’s head tilted slightly, his voice measured and deliberate. “I saved your life a month ago.”
An icy horror breathed along Ana’s upper arms. No.
“I killed the men who were about to murder you on your last hunt… and they would have succeeded. Your guards were fucking ineffective and useless.” His eyes bore into the king. “Much like they are now.”
“You expect me to believe that?” the king snarled. “From a liar and a cheat?”
“It is easy to prove.”
“Of course it is. You will manipulate the truth. It was probably your men who orchestrated the attack!”
The outlaw’s eyes darkened even further. “I would never kill my own men.”
“Don’t pretend as though you have any honor,” the king thundered. “Why you would save my life after all your attempts to end my reign? You are lying!”
“I’m not ready for you to die yet, Orick,” Maddoc said sharply. “You will not die until everything has been stripped from you. Until all the riches you have amassed have been plundered, and the pain you have inflicted has turned back on you tenfold. You are not permitted to die until that has happened.”
Ana had never seen her father so furious. He shot forward again in his chair, veins straining at his neck. “You may wish for that, but it will never come to pass. You have one more chance to give up your men before you are fucking executed.”
The outlaw remained still. “So you will not honor the promise?”
The queen inched forward on her seat. “What proof do you have of your debt?” Her posture was relaxed, her face smooth and calm, but Ana recognized the slight twitch in her cheek that betrayed her mother’s worry, and as she glanced around the silent hall, it was clear her mother wasn’t the only one. Each body on every seat—from the houses to the commoners—leaned toward the throne, all eyes examining the exchange, even the guards had turned to watch. And all were silent.
Maddoc moved slowly. His hand lifted to his furs and dipped into a pocket at his chest, then pulled out a bloody, patterned rag that was torn and frayed. “Do you recall that I pressed this cloth against your wound? I tore it in half as your men arrived so you could maintain the pressure.”
From the king’s thunderous face, it was clear Maddoc wasn’t lying.
Ana held her breath along with the rest of the court.
“You can examine my bow and arrows and my sword that you took from me when I arrived,” the outlaw added. “They are unique. You will be able to identify that they are the weapons that killed the men.”
“And how do we know they are not your men?” the queen asked, though her voice shook a little.
“Your people examined them, didn’t they? You should already know they are not my men.”
The queen shifted back in her chair, as regal as when she sat down, but Ana could see the slight drop of her shoulders. “Why would you save him?” she asked.
At that, the outlaw didn’t answer.
“To be owed a promise,” the king spit out. His face had deepened to a dark red and his knuckles were almost white as he squeezed the arm of the throne. If he had the opportunity to kill Maddoc from where he stood with his bare hands, Ana had no doubt he would do it. But the Royal Promise changed everything.
“Your cloth and weapons will be examined,” he said stiffly, as though forcing the words out. “But given your lifelong mission to destroy me, I don’t see why I should honor any promise to you.”
A ripple of gasps and murmurs waved through the court, and prickles of dread attacked Ana’s nerves. The refusal of a promise wouldn’t put her father in a good light, even if it was to this man.
“If you choose not to honor a promise to the man who is the reason for every breath you take,” Maddoc said darkly, “you will have a riot in your kingdom, and you know it.”
“And you will no doubt encourage and incite it,” the king snarled.
Maddoc didn’t answer, but his wiry beard twitched slightly.
The king’s jaw tightened. “And what is it you want as your repayment? What is so precious that you