Page 86 of Death of a Mortal

I pondered our bizarre conversation and its abrupt end all the way back to the bathroom, where I changed back into the green tunic and pants set, and she asked the guards to escort me back to my cell.

“It was such a pleasant afternoon, Naci, thank you,” she said before she left.

Pleasant isn’t what I would have called it…

I wondered why she cared so much about my family, why she was so interested in my upbringing. Noxie agreed it was weird.

It was also strange how willing I was to share all of that with her. I wasn’t sure what had come over me.

But those thoughts quickly faded when Dumb brought in my dinner. It wasn’t the usual cup of shit with brownish water, but a wooden tray with a whole cooked meal. When he slid the tray under the small gap in the bars at the floor, the scent of roasted chicken and vegetables assaulted my nose.

“You can thank the queen for this,” he said bitterly before he left again.

Thank her indeed. It was the best chicken I had ever had, even if I had to eat it with my hands like a heathen.

* * *

Another week wentby of counting the days until I’d see Nella, talking to Noxie, the queen sending one large meal to my cell per day.

Much of my fear was being replaced by monotonous boredom. But the actual food was making a tremendous difference in my energy and hope.

I decided I didn’t want to keep getting weaker and wasting away in this cell, so I started doing push-ups and sit-ups every day when I woke up. After the first time doing this routine, my arms and corewere so sore I could barely move. But each day it got a little easier, and each day I could do one or two more before collapsing back to the ground in trembling exhaustion.

I ate all my food, whether it was the slop or a meal from the queen. Even the banter between Noxie and me felt fun again, like I was remembering who I was before.

And today was my Nella day. I was actually happy.

Right on schedule, the king walked in with the guards and Nella in tow.

“Five minutes,” Caedryn barked at us as Nella came running to my cell bars, then he left us alone.

I was on my feet, fingers already reaching for her through the small square openings. And I was smiling.

“Naci, you look…wonderful. And weird. What’s going on?”

“Happy sixteenth birthday! I know I missed it and I’m sorry, but I’m sure you can understand why.” I even added a little laugh at the end. I really wanted Nella to know I was okay.

“That’s okay. You can make it up to me when you get out.” She smiled back, and I could almost imagine for a moment that things were normal—except for the imprisonment part.

“How is everything going up there? How are Moe and Ott and Miss Melda? Halden?”

She told me how Ott and Moe didn’t want to talk to her. They didn’t trust that we weren’t both traitors siding with the fae, despite Nella’s protests. They weren’t my favorite people, but I felt bad that they were giving Nella a hard time.

“But Halden believes that you’re being forced, that you’re not a traitor to mortals and rebels.”

“Well, that’s good at least. And how are things going with him?”

Her cheeks flushed with a wry smile.

But before she could answer, the king came back and told us the time was up. Round escorted her out of the dungeon.

“I love you, Nella,” I said as she vanished from sight, only barely hearing her yell it back before the dungeon door slammed shut.

The king and Dumb remained.

“I hope you have realized by now that I am, in fact, a male of my word. I have delivered on every promise I have made thus far. Do you agree?”

I frowned. I didn’t want to agree with the king on anything, ever. But he was right. He had brought Nella to see me every week as promised, and she had been unharmed and safe, as also promised.