The crowd of distinguished guests gathered around to watch the punishment of their special prisoner. They were eager to see him disciplined. It was due to his action – or inaction – that a very valuable and troublesome prisoner had escaped.
Well, that wasn't entirely true. He was actually following orders by attending a meeting with his superiors when the prisoner escaped.
But she had killed all of the guards and demolished the prison. So, he became the scapegoat simply because no one else survived.
And that had them most upset. Such a waste of resources. And they had not learned anything of value. Or, if they did, they'd never get the information because those that learned were all dead.
The prisoner knew they were there. He'd never met them before, but he knew what they were as soon as he caught their scent. He took another deep whiff to confirm their identity. He chuckled gruffly. He was right. They were most definitely Seelie Court Fae.