"I made my judgment of your character when we first met," the king replied without hesitation. "I trust my reading of you, no matter the mask you wear. You do not harm children."
Silence followed. Quinlan let it drag, staring at the skies as his thoughts curled like smoke. Then his tone dropped, becoming ominous, dangerous.
"That depends on the severity of my circumstances. Just like you, I've killed children before."
The weight of those words pressed heavily. After he said that, nothing moved on either end of the line. The quiet became suffocating.
The tension climbed, stretched taut enough to snap…
"Stop this nonsense already!" Felicity's voice tore through the air, loud and furious. "Father, stop acting like I'm here against my will!"
She stomped on the ground. "I wasn't kidnapped! I came here of my own accord!"
