Chelsea continues to stare at Cyrus in disbelief. Her eyes are wide, fearful, angry. She doesn’t say a word—only takes one step back away from the King.
“Wonderful,” Cyrus says, annoyance front and center in his voice. “Now.” He straightens, looking around to those who surround us. They grow thicker by the moment as everyone gathers to the ballroom. “Those of the House of Vermont who would like to volunteer to trade to the House of Conrath, please step forward now, or forever hold your peace.”
The crowd shifts and a moment later, an older woman and a severe-looking man step forward. “I volunteer,” he says. He stares me down with dark eyes.
“I’m willing,” the woman says. Her voice is timid, unsure.
“Any others?” Cyrus asks.
And there’s a little scuffle. Arms shoving, someone nearly tripping. A young woman stumbles out into our circle. She looks scared, terrified, and it’s clear that she certainly doesn’t volunteer, but is being volunteered.
“Thank you, my dear,” Cyrus says, taking her hands in his momentarily. “You will not regret this.”
She won’t look him in the eye and shuffles back toward the older woman.
“It appears that is all for our volunteers from the House of Vermont,” Cyrus says. “Now, each of you must choose someone.” He turns back to Chelsea and Charles.
Chelsea still looks shocked. Betrayed. Her eyes shift to the crowd, scanning from one House member to the next. Charles on the other hand, points into the crowd to a young girl who looks younger than Elle. “Francesca.”
The girl swallows hard and walks forward to join her group. My new group.
“Lexington,” Chelsea finally responds.
“Are you serious?” A man from the back of the room yells out, and all eyes turn back toward him.
He’s young, probably around my age, with blond hair and vivid blue eyes. And he looks totally betrayed.
“Do not question your regent or your new one may question your ability for loyalty,” Cyrus says in warning. “Please, come.”
The look Lexington gives Chelsea as he walks past her is almost enough to kill. He stands before them all. I can feel the hatred rolling off of him.
“Now,” Cyrus says, clasping his hands behind him once again. “As to the members of the House of Conrath.”
The crowd shifts, the tension in the air doubling. This is so unexpected. So brutal in a non-violent way. I understand the difficulty in building a House and gaining loyalty. And now, the King is just going to toy with it like it is nothing at all.
“Do we have any volunteers?” he asks with a smile.
I turn, scanning the crowd, suddenly scared to death that someone will step forward. That it will be Markov or Nial or any of my original members. That all of my new members will step forward at once, ready to abandon me before they know me.
But not a single Born moves.
“Ah,” Cyrus says with an amused smile. “Interesting. See, Alivia here has only had most of these House members for a few days. They come from all parts of the South, gathered here to be members of a new House of order. They’ve been given a choice. And yet, each of them chooses to stay.”
I look around, into the faces of those new members that surround me. And I see it on their faces. Some of them do look at me as if they think I’m someone worthy of following. But others, I am just one of two great evils. No better than the other choice. Perhaps I am only the one that is closer to home.
“Now to shake things up a little.”
And the coldness in Cyrus’ voice when he says it, it makes the breath still in my chest, turning to frost that freezes my entire body over. I turn to see the look on his face. His eyes have gone hard and manic. The gleam in his eyes makes me afraid.
“Some of you in the House of Conrath may look at Alivia and think she is inexperienced. She is uneducated. She has no idea what is to come in what it will take to control her region.” Cyrus turns his gaze upon me and my hands break out into a cold sweat.
He’s caught me. He’s caught onto my game. And now, he’s turning on me.
“And you’d be right.”
The room grows silent and I swear the temperature drops fifty degrees. We are all a strangled breath, caught in a throat out of fear.
He turns back to the crowd. “Those of the House of Conrath, besides those newly acquired trades, please step forward.”
The fear in the room does not decrease as bodies shuffle. Some scooting back, others fighting their way forward. One by one, my House members walk to the front. Anna. Nial. Markov. Danny. Lillian, Cameron, Samuel. New faces I hardly recognize yet. Trinity. Christian.
“I would like to offer you a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Cyrus says. The smile stays present on his lips, entertained, so happy at his diabolical games. He once more paces before his prey. “You can stay with this infant of a Royal. You can live out your menial lives here in this backwater swampland. Or you may join me—in Court. And I will give you the opportunity to earn yourself the title of a Royal. You need only to step forward. You have thirty seconds to decide.”