Chapter 4: Fear receded. The king's ears perked up with interest. "Not just money-there are gold coins too," the non-scarred Urekai said. Everyone gasped, including Emeriel. Gold coins were rare and highly valuable. The Urekai continued, "All you have to do is hand the princess over, and this bag is yours." Wait… Princess? They couldn't possibly mean… The grand entrance opened again as two guards led Aekeira into the court. No, no, no, not my sister. Emeriel moved forward, but the guards who had escorted him stopped him in his tracks. He bit his lip hard, trying not to draw attention to himself, but it was incredibly difficult. Surely, this couldn't be what he thought it was. It had to be a dream. There was no way the Urekai were here to buy his sister as a slave…! The two guards leading Aekeira to the center of the court stopped a few feet from the Urekai. The terror on Aekeira's face mirrored Emeriel's feelings. "So, let me get this straight," King Orestus began. "All I need to do is sell her to you, and all this money is mine? There are no other conditions? Nothing else?" "Yes," the non-scarred Urekai responded. Lord Vladya moved forward, closing the distance between him and Aekeira, who was visibly shaking now. Cupping Aekeira's cheek and tilting her head to the side to get a better look, he appeared utterly disgusted. "She'll do." gαℓησν????????s․com, home to unforgettable stories King Orestus picked up his gavel and struck it hard on his desk. "Sold! From this moment on, Princess Aekeira belongs to the Urekai." "WHAT!?" The shout escaped Emeriel's lips before he could stop it. He ran toward the center of the courtroom and fell to his knees. "Please don't sell my sister to them. Not to the Urekai! Please, Your Majesty." The king gave him a bored look. "It's out of my hands now, Emeriel." It's out of his… Emeriel couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You can't let this happen. She's your niece too! How could you do this?" He wasn't proud that his voice turned high-pitched like a girl's as he practically screamed, but he didn't care. "You know a fate worse than death awaits her beyond the great mountain! How could you agree to sell her to them?" "As if he has a choice," Lord Vladya scoffed, his deep baritone filled with cynicism. Emeriel whirled around to face them, anger blanketing his features. But as he stared into those intimidating gray eyes, he couldn't bring himself to give in to his rage. He had read in one of the books that an Urekai had the power to take a life without physical contact. It might just be a rumor, but with his sister's life on the line, he had no intention of testing that theory. "I will go too. Where Aekeira goes, I go," Emeriel said, lifting his chin defiantly. Aekeira snapped her head toward Emeriel, her eyes wide with terror. "No! What are you doing, Em?" Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!