Page 24 of Magic Cursed
He carries me across the room. “Well, most ladies don’t go looking for trouble with dragons and pixies.”
I have to resist the urge to run my hand over his muscled chest. “In my defense, I didn’t go looking for the pixies. But I should have been paying more attention. There are always signs. Beaks and feathers hanging from a tree, black eyes and fangs, a pixie’s prey you will be,”
“What?” he asks, his jaw dropped.
“It’s a nursery rhyme some people teach their children when they’re young.” I don’t tell him that some people are the different magic-using races.
“A nursery rhyme of horrors. That’s a terrifying thing to teach children.”
“But it’s an important lesson that will keep them safe. Pixies leave feathers and beaks bundles hanging from the trees to indicate where they’re hunting. I just missed them until it was too late.”
Kellan gently places me in the chair, his face is hard when he says, “We shouldn’t have to look for signs. A mere walk on Thaaryn land should never be interrupted by running for one’s life because one accidentally missed a sign. It’s not like the pixies stopped to ask us if we happened to see the feathers.”
I huff a laugh. “Well of course not, they were already in a blood lust. They can’t just turn it off like that.” I snap my fingers.
“Or they don’t want to.” Kellan takes a seat across from me. “It’s bad enough that they think they can go anywhere they please, but then to expect us to follow their rules on our own land, or suffer their wrath? What if children stumbled into their hunting grounds on accident?” He shakes his head as he dishes up two plates. “They can’t be allowed on our land. They’re too dangerous.”
He has a point. If the pixies had come across children, instead of us, the results would’ve been tragic. “There needs to be a better way,” I murmur.
He places my plate in front of me. “Don’t worry, I sent a patrol of Steel Guards to take care of those bloodsuckers as soon as I got back. Hopefully, they’ll get the hint that they’re to stay off Thaaryn land.”
The pixies would’ve been long gone by the time the patrol got there. And it’s probably twisted of me seeing as they were trying to kill us that night, but I hope they were. They don’t know what they’re doing in a blood lust. I’ve only seen Elsie in a blood lust once, and it just wasn’t her. I’d hate for her to be punished for something she can’t help. But I don’t tell Kellan that. He wouldn’t understand.
I dig into my food and groan in pleasure at the flavors. Pheasant with gravy, roasted veggies with sage butter, bread, and garlic potatoes. I don’t hold back and eat half of the contents on my plate in a matter of minutes.
Kellan scoffs. “You’re definitely not a lady. You eat like a troll.”
I flip him off and he laughs.
I take a drink of wine, the dry, bitter ferment chases down my food with warmth. I set my goblet down. “I want my belongings in my possession.” I pause and look at him pointedly. “All of them.”
“Ah, you mean the scale.” He cuts into his meat. “I was wondering when you were going to inquire about it.” He places the cut of meat in his mouth in an oh-so-annoying courtly manner, chewing slowly.
I tear off another bite of pheasant, deliberately and ungracefully, chewing it before speaking. “You of all people know what I had to go through to get it.” I give him a dangerous smile. “I’m sure you understand why I want it back.” I drop the smile. “Now.”
He takes his time finishing his bite like he’s stalling, then says, “There may be a problem with that.”
I lean back in my chair, folding my arms over my chest. I’m suddenly not hungry anymore. “Oh? What problem, exactly?”
He sets down his fork and wipes his hands on his napkin. “Okay, don’t be angry.”
“The fact that you’re leading with that, means I’m not going to like what you say.”
He sighs. “Try to look at this as a great opportunity.”
“You better get to the point and fast, Hero.”
“Everything from the black market has been confiscated by the Steel Guard, including your scale.” He shrugs. “It’s illegal to sell magical items, you know that, and simply put, you got caught.”
You have got to be kidding me. I slam my hand on the table. “Only because I had to fight off a shadow demon and try not todie.”
He holds his hands up in surrender. “That may be, but it still doesn’t change the fact that you were in an illegal black market with the intent of selling an unsanctioned item, as well as a stolen one. You’re lucky you weren’t arrested.”
I just stare him down, because really, he’s not wrong. Wasn’t I wondering the same thing? But now what am I going to do? I have no scale, and no money, which means no ticket to the Southern Isles. Even if I could escape the castle, where would I go? I stole from Desmira, ensuring I could never return to Hydenglen. I slump in the chair, feeling like I just got punched in the gut. I’m now stuck here in Stonemount Keep, surrounded by enemies.
Chapter8
Secrets