Warrior King New Worlds (Crystal Kingdom #6) - Milly Taiden Page 0,5

He would speak with their sword maker to see what could be done to strengthen the metal to keep it from breaking. Going into battle with such weapons would get them all killed.

His dragon brought the visual of the female into his head. Dragon balls! He didn’t need that right now. He had to focus on his men’s fighting ability for the upcoming war. The dragon disagreed and plastered the image to the front of his brain so that he would “see” her continuously. A rumble started deep in his chest.

The warriors remained in action but side-eyed him. There was something to be said about ruling with fear. The men would fight harder if they were afraid of punishment from losing.

A rough-toned voice drew everyone’s attention. “If you ever take your eyes off the enemy again, I will slice your balls off and throw them in the lava pit. Do you understand me?” Ferrus sighed. Silvo was his second-in-command, but he sometimes thought he was top fae. He had embraced the king’s style of rule by an angry force.

The woman’s face flashed in his mind. Fine, dragon piss. He grabbed the closest soldier. “Take proper covering to the cells for the females and send the translator. Have them come to the throne room as soon as possible. Not the gnoleons.” The man hurried out of the cavern into one of the various tunnels encircling the main room.

“Rest,” Ferrus yelled, the echo going on and on and on. “I will return shortly. We have visitors to welcome.”

Chapter Four

Sitting on the floor of the jail cell, Lilah rubbed her hands over her arms, trying to stop the goosebumps crawling over her skin. Wren still had Xenos’s head in her lap, and she appeared unaffected by the chill.

“How long do you think they will keep us in here?” Daphne asked, pulling her arms inside her shirt to keep warm. That was a good idea. Unfortunately, her blouse wouldn’t allow her to do that.

“They cannot keep us here forever,” Lilah said. “We have rights.”

“On Earth,” Wren reminded her. “Who knows about here.”

“Shouldn’t matter where you are,” Lilah argued. “It is wrong to hold someone prisoner without giving them their say, period.”

“Well spoken, young lady.”

Lilah jumped to her feet and approached the man coming through the entrance. Wrapping her hands around the bars, she glowered at him. Most men scurried away when she flashed this side of her.

“I demand that—”

The guy shoved brown fabric at her and tossed another toward Daphne.

“Females, I am the translator. You will speak to the king through me. Please properly cover yourself.”

Lilah let the material drape from her fingers. It was her own ghost sheet. She quickly pulled it over her head and bundled in it for warmth. Now she understood the need for covering up.

Daphne said from the rear of the cell, “Why don’t you have one for Wren?”

The translator sneered at the couple on the floor. “They will remain here. There will be no spying on our troops.”

A man dressed in the same attire as the soldiers came forward and gripped the bars, bending them open for Lilah and Daphne to step out.

“What do you mean ‘spying’?” Daphne asked. “Spying for what?”

The guard pushed Daph and her behind the translator. Guess they wanted them to follow the guy. He could have just asked. Now that she had adjusted to her surroundings, she took the opportunity to study the area more. The more she knew about these people and their culture, the better she could tailor what she said.

The tunnel floor and walls weren’t smooth. This passage didn’t look as worn down as the others they came in through. That told her that this passage wasn’t used a lot, meaning they hadn’t imprisoned many others over the years. But the tunnel continued past the holding cell into complete blackness. There were no mounted torches like in the big area. She wondered if something important could be hidden farther down.

At an intersection, they turned down a tunnel she hadn’t seen before.

“Hey, translator,” Lilah said, “where are we going exactly?”

Without turning, he said, “We are going to the throne room. The prince has requested your presence before the king.”

“Prince, huh?” she said, thinking about the drop-dead gorgeous guy she saw when they came in. It was unlikely that he was royal. He was a soldier, obviously, but there was something about him that made him stand-out from the others. Something made him different, a little bit “more.” She would so willingly