FIFTY ONE: You Know What You Need to Do

"Take p-pity on him?" Kel questioned, bile rising in her throat as the pearls glinted sinisterly.

"I've often wondered," the emperor mused, still focused on the vanity, "why the princess stopped wearing those odd necklaces."

Kel didn't have the energy to be surprised. She'd assumed the necklaces were inconspicuous enough to avoid scrutiny, so she'd gotten careless in how she stored them. Though, from the emperor's words, it seemed he'd had them figured out from the beginning.

"Perhaps, she has grown comfortable here? Is she no longer afraid of me?" the man continued, slowly spinning back to face Kel. 

"Does she foolishly trust me when I can't even keep a simple promise made to a shivering war hostage in the woods?"

A promise? Kel struggled to recall ever having had the Dragon Emperor make her such a thing.

"Are you talking about the threat you made against Barclay's life to make me behave?" she blurted.