He’s threatening her to get to me, thought Will. What does he want? Before he could say anything, Darla spoke out. “Let him kill me, Laina. Death means nothing to me.”
“Your guardian is both loyal and wise, Miss Nerrow,” said the king. “If you choose to take responsibility, I will grant her amnesty for so long as she serves you, but you will have to accept punishment and I doubt your father will be pleased. Ten lashes in the public square will be a mark of shame on your family’s honor.”
Laina’s face went white, and her lip trembled when she answered, but her voice was clear. “I accept responsibility. Please spare her life.”
Will’s heart sank, and Darla cried out, “Laina, no!”
Meanwhile the king smiled cheerfully and then gave the order. “Seize her.” Darla struggled to escape the men holding her as the commander took Laina’s arm.
Unused to such roughness, Laina automatically tried to pull away. “Unhand me!” she commanded. “I’ve already surrendered.”
Lognion took one quick step forward, then slapped Laina with such force that her head whipped to one side. Stunned, she stared back at him, blood dripping down her cheek where one of his rings had cut her skin. “You’re a criminal now, Miss Nerrow. Don’t expect to be treated as a woman of gentle birth. You’ll spend the night in a cell. Once you’ve taken your lashes you’ll be released. Until then”—the king paused, relishing the words—“please resist.”
Will couldn’t take it any longer. “Let her go.”
Lognion Maligant met his gaze. “You have no standing to interfere, son-in-law.”
“Yes, I do,” said Will flatly. Lognion is one of the few people who know that Laina and I share blood.
“Perhaps you do,” said the king with a twisted grin. “Would you like to beg leniency on her behalf?”
“What is it you want?” asked Will.
The king’s fist lashed out, and Will had to steel himself to keep from using a point-defense shield to protect himself, then he was falling. “That’s for showing disrespect yet again.”
Sullen anger smoldered in Will’s features as he looked up. “What is it you want, Your Majesty?”
“I have five questions,” said Lognion. “For each one you answer I’ll deduct two lashes from the punishment. For each question you refuse, I’ll give you the lashes instead.”
Stubborn and angry, Will responded, “Agreed.” He already had a bad feeling he wouldn’t like the questions, and he knew from past experience that the king was a seemingly flawless lie detector.
“Where is my daughter?”
Shock ran through him. He knows she’s gone! Will’s eyes widened, and he struggled to think. From the corner of his eye, he could see Laina studying him with combination of horror and interest, since she also desperately wanted to know the answer. Lying wouldn’t work. His mind ran in circles for ten seconds or more before he finally made the only choice available to him. “I refuse to answer that.”
Laina gasped audibly, and Lognion held up two fingers. “How delightful. Very well, here is my second question: Where is Selene?”
He started to answer when Laina broke in. “Will, stop. This is stupid. He’s her father, just tell him.”
You’re more worried about finding out yourself than you are with me taking your punishment, thought Will sourly. “I refuse.”
Lognion held up two more fingers. “Third question, where is my only living child?”
Will felt a cold sweat beginning to form on his body. He’d been beaten with a coachwhip once as a child, ironically enough because he had saved Laina from a snake the first time they met. The coach driver had thought he had attacked her and had laid into him several times before Selene had stopped the man. He still had the scar on his cheek.
He’d almost taken lashes while in the army, but Tiny had taken the blame for him. Will had seen the damage done to the big man’s back and he was sure it was worse than what had happened to him. “I refuse.”
The king arched his brows. “How noble of you. Before I ask the next question, you should know I plan on administering your punishment personally. I like to make every stroke count. I also like to soak the whip in brine. Some say that’s just cruel, but it’s a mercy really. The salt helps the wound stop bleeding more quickly, though it does make the cut agonizingly painful.” He paused to let his words sink in, then asked, “Where is your wife?”
Something snapped as fear overloaded Will’s mind. “Why don’t you summon her and ask her yourself?” The world went black as Lognion’s fist drove him into unconsciousness. When he awoke, he was being held by two men in much the same fashion that Darla had been a few minutes earlier.
“Are you awake?” asked the king. “I don’t like beating unconscious men. Too much effort for no reward.”
Groggy, Will answered, “Yes, and that was your fifth question.” Even as he said it, he knew the remark would earn him a more severe beating, but he couldn’t help himself. Probably too much time spent around the fae, he decided. That sort of thing would work with them.
Lognion remained still for a moment, then began to chuckle. “All right, fine. You made me laugh. I’ll count that one as a question answered.” The smile on the king’s face was genuine, which made it all the more terrifying.
He really is insane.
“This is why I love dealing with you, William. You’re so much more entertaining than any of my other servants or enemies.” Lognion patted his cheek affectionately. He nodded to the two men holding Will up. “Follow me. We’ll take him behind Lord Nerrow’s house.”
Laina squeaked in surprise. “Here? Now? You were going to take me to the square—”
“Remember your place, Miss Nerrow.”
She dipped her head. “Your Majesty.”
Lognion nodded happily. “The difference, Miss Nerrow, is that William is my son-in-law. A public flogging would bring embarrassment to the throne, so we will have to make do with a private affair. In all honesty, I prefer it this way. As I said, I do enjoy administering the punishment myself.” He led the way toward the Nerrow home.
Chapter 9
The Nerrow household fell into chaos at the sudden appearance of the king. The baron’s servants were running to and fro, and Mark Nerrow was clearly working hard to hide his dismay at having such an auspicious visitor with no warning.
When Lord Nerrow spotted Will among those who entered, a moment’s panic flickered behind his eyes, but he recovered quickly. A look of deep concern entered his face when the circumstances were explained. Will’s father stared at his illegitimate son’s face, but Will had no idea what the man’s expression represented—shame, worry, embarrassment, or perhaps fear of discovery.