Amarantha's Daughter

The lady of many faces

Since she had her voice back, it was time for a new interrogation. Why they hadn't just healed her neck if they were such amazing magical faeries was a question she'd asked Azriel on the way to wherever they were headed. She hadn't gotten an answer. He'd just sent her a look that she had no idea how to interpret.

This second location was far from the torture dungeon her mind had conjured up. It was actually just a dining room. These faeries had strange customs, she thought as she sat down on a chair that was pulled out for her. Azriel sat down next to her and even though the table was set for more people, it was just the two of them.

"Did you know it's normal to ask before you take a girl out to eat?" Dianthe said dryly.

Azriel looked a bit confused, but there was also something in his eyes that indicated he maybe wouldn't mind that. "This is not a date."

"Good, I hate third-wheeling." Came from a voice behind her. In walked the last unnamed bat man. He seemed more at ease now than he had when he last visited. He was accompanied by Amren, the scary faerie woman from earlier.

They sat down accordingly. Leaving the head of the table vacant.

The food on the table looked utterly delicious, but she didn't dare touch it. Even when the others started to eat.

Instead, she sat and observed. One could learn much from being silent. The biggest bat man, whose name she learned was Cassian, was definitely the most unintelligent of the 3. Even though Amren carried herself as if she was some omnipotent God, she cringed while eating certain foods and tried to avoid the vegetables all together, like some child. The hardest one to watch was Azriel. He seemed to know every time her attention turned towards him, even without her looking at him from the corner of her eye. It was eerie.

They kept the conversation light, talking about things that didn't make sense to her, but that undoubtedly were safe topics to talk about around a spy, which she got the sense they still thought she was.

When they'd finished, Amren wiped her mouth with a napkin and then turned to her and asked.

"What's the message then, little bird?"

Dianthe cleared her throat, but her voice still came out raspy. "I have to give it to her . Whoever she is."

Amren and Azriel shared a look.

"You don't know who she is?" Asked Amren.

Amren didn't believe her. Dianthe wanted to throw her plate in Amren's face out of frustration, but she had the feeling that would be the last thing she did. So instead she said. "No, all I got were these titles and the message."

She looked down at her wrist, which was still covered in strange patterns. "That was my part of the deal." She added.

Azriel nodded at Amren, something she caught out of the corner of her eye.

"Okay. You won't be able to do anything rash now, so don't even try." The woman said.

"What?" - "What is that supposed to mean? What would I do? And why can't I do that?"

But she knew the answer before Amren had the chance to reply. She couldn't move her arms or legs. Her neck however wasn't paralyzed, and she used it to turn her head towards Azriel.

"You poisoned me?" He'd given her a glass of water when she coughed earlier. But how did he have time to poison it?

Despite nodding, Azriel didn't seem too happy about it.

When she turned her head back to Amren, someone came through the glass doors that led to a balcony. That someone being the High Lord and a beautiful fae woman.