“Why?” she asked.
“Because I was born and raised to fight in the Powerless Champion circuit.” I shrugged. “I retired and now I’m here.”
“After winning,” River put in, pride in his voice. “He’s the Powerless Champion.”
“Like… boxing?” she guessed.
“Nah, that’s a boring human sport. Fae fight to the death. And Titus has killed, like, well, everyone who challenged him. His numbers are—”
Exos cleared his throat, cutting off the Water Fae. “What River is trying to say is that Titus started the Academy a little later because of an extenuating circumstance. Just as you will start a little later because of your, well, circumstances.”
“You mean my kidnapping?” Claire asked. “Because that’s what this is, right? I mean, you kidnapped me from my home.”
“This is your home,” Exos replied. “Your true home. And the Academy is your future.”
“And I have no say in this?” Claire pressed. “Because where I come from, that’s kidnapping and forcing someone to do something against her will.”
“And where I come from, it’s rude to argue with your betters.”
Her eyebrows lifted. “Betters? Like what? My parents? Because you’re not even ten years older than me. And neither is she.” She gestured to Elana. “Which is totally irrelevant, by the way, because I will argue with whoever I damn well please.” The fire in her had my lips twitching. I much preferred this to the weeping girl I found in the field earlier.
“Exos is royalty,” Elana explained so
ftly. “And I’m Chancellor of the Academy. Therefore, in our society, we are considered your betters.”
“Because you were promoted at the ripe young age of, what, thirty? That makes you better than me?” Claire snorted. “Yeah, no. That’s not happening. Not least of all because you kidnapped me. And now you want me to attend an academy against my will? Yeah, hard pass.”
River choked on his food while I held back a grin.
“You seem to think there’s a choice here.” The calmness in Exos’s voice sent a chill of foreboding down my spine. “Of which, I suppose, there is. Would you like me to explain it to you, Claire?”
“Exos,” Elana warned.
“No, no.” Exos waved her off, his status coming out in that small gesture. Elana might be the Chancellor, but he was heir to the Spirit Kingdom, making him her better in our fucked-up political system. “She wants to hear her choices. Don’t you, Claire?”
“I do,” she agreed. “Since it’s my life, it’s my decision. Not that you’ve given me much of one by forcing me to come here.”
He smiled, but it lacked humor. “Yes, well, that’s because you can no longer live in the Human Realm without being a threat to everyone around you. The bar proves that.”
Her face paled, causing me to curse internally. He had to go there, didn’t he? This was clearly a tense subject for her, not that the Spirit Prince seemed to give a fuck.
“I-I didn’t mean to do that,” she whispered. “I don’t even know if it’s true.”
“If you care for proof, I’ll provide it,” Exos replied, his voice flat. “But the fact remains that you cannot reside in the Human Realm. You’re too powerful, so much so that we can hardly contain you here. Which brings me to your choices, Claire. Are you listening?”
She nodded, her lip between her teeth, her shoulders hunched. “Yes.”
“You can attend the Academy and learn how to control your abilities, at which point you may be permitted visitor rights back to the Human Realm. Or, you will be banished to the Spirit Kingdom—the same kingdom your mother single-handedly destroyed in her battle with Mortus. It’s void of life and essence, leaving it impossible for you to hurt anyone with your lack of control.” He dabbed his mouth with his napkin in a casual gesture as he shrugged. “The third option, of course, is death. Because we can’t have a powerful rogue fae wandering the realm. Especially one who lacks training and understanding of our ways.”
Claire’s mouth opened and closed, her eyes wide, no words coming from her lips.
But of course, what the hell could she say after that calmly delivered edict?
Fucking royal blood, not thinking at all about the consequences of his words. Just uttering them as if he were speaking to a fellow warrior, not a female who had clearly been through hell over the last day or two.
“So what would you choose, Claire? Because I thought the Academy route to be the most humane and practical of options, but if you prefer I drop you in the Spirit Kingdom, we can leave tonight.”
“How about we provide Claire with a tour tomorrow of the Academy and let her see what life here would be like before you force her to choose,” I suggested, my teeth grating over every word. “And maybe give her a chance to understand the Fae Realm as well while you’re at it.”