Royalty and the Beast CH55

Evan limped slowly down the hall, resting for a moment against the wall. His legs were still weak and he was putting on a good mask for Xeon, but there were moments when he was glad to be alone. It was hard work to keep up this lie. All he wanted to do was go back to bed and sleep, but there were things he had to attend.
After a moment of rest, he pushed himself from the wall and continued walking down the hall. It had not taken long before he could hear voices. He could tell they were angry. He stopped a small distance away, listening.
“-enough of a risk,” one voice snapped. “let us end all of this. We have already endangered everything we have worked to protect for your pet. Let’s not risk anymore.”
“you would do well to watch your tongue Vale,” Xeons voice warned loudly. “I have allowed you in this room, and I can send you away just as quickly.”
“Xeon-“
“he told you to shut it,” Vassons voice stopped him. “now have a seat.”
Evan waited a moment more to gather his courage. He straightened, shaking off his exhaustion and keeping his head high as he walked into the room. He worked hard to insure that there was no fault in his stride. The room was well light and just as warm as the rest of the palace.  There was a large, round, stone table with several seats around it. a handful of unfamiliar nagas filled the seats. Evan was sure he had seem most of them, but could never place their names.
Most of the nagas were older, having longer beards or grey hair. Xeon sat across the table, Vasson standing by his side with his arms crossed. When Evan walked into the room, it went silent. Xeon stood up with worry in his eyes. “Evan,” he called. “I was not sure you would come. Are you sure you are up to it today?”
“you gathered us all here to speak with him,” an old naga snapped, the same voice from a moment ago. “why would you assume he wouldn’t come?”
Xeon shot the old naga a dangerous look but Evan only held up his hand. “I can speak,” he assured Xeon.
Xeon still seemed unsure but nodded. “alright, then come sit beside me.”
Evan took a moment to make sure his feet were stable then he walked around the table. He kept his head high, sitting in the empty seat beside Xeon. he took a moment to glance at Vasson as well. He wished he had a moment to speak with Vasson but now was not the time. He turned his attention back to the others, clearing his throat. “I understand you all have questions for me?”
“yes,” one naga stood up. “Xeon has told us a little of what you went through, and the healers were given quite a task to keep you alive. It is very clear that you were on no vacation, but we need to hear through your words what happened exactly.”
“start at the very beginning,” Xeon instructed gently. “start from the last moment you walked out of my city.”
Evan looked at Xeon, then Vasson, then turned to the others and nodded. He took a moment to gather his thoughts. He had spent so long trying to forget everything that he worried he couldn’t recall it all. The nagas listened in silence, glancing at each other from time to time as Evan explained. No one else spoke, allowing Evan to tell without interruption. He tried to keep a straight face but it was difficult when he was speaking of the pain. He had not forgotten the pain. He looked at his bandaged arm, wincing.
“and he had returned to break my other arm,” Evan explained. “but just at that moment, Xeon came and rescued me.”
“you had been through much,” one of the nagas said quietly. “and you and Xeon have both repeated the same thing. You claim that you never spoke of us or this place.”
“I wasn’t lying,” Evan said quickly.
“I don’t think you were,” the naga agreed. “but maybe you said something that you thought was unconnected to us. Maybe you accidently mentioned something about the area, about the food, about the river or the trees. The smallest detail can give a lot of information.”
Evan sat in silence, thinking back. He itched the bandage around his arm, then looked at them. “nothing,” he shrugged. “I gave them none of that.”
“then what did you say when you were questioned?” the older naga snapped, standing up. “you gave them an answer, didn’t you?”
Evan drew a shaky breath. “where are the nagas located? I don’t know. Why were you down this far? I was running from my father. Where is your naga? I don’t know.” He looked at the old naga again. “that was everything that was discussed. That was always my response. I never even claimed to have seen a naga. Sometimes I wouldn’t even answer them. I never spoke of the forest or the river, I never said anything about the food I had eaten or the rocks I walked around. I knew if I gave them the smallest bit of information, you all could be put at risk. So I took my silence.”
“you were very brave,” one of the nagas said gently.
“are we just blindly going to believe what he says?!” the old naga demanded. “he could be lying! He’s one of them! he could be lying to us!”
“and why would he lie?” Vasson wondered. “look at him. he was nearly dead when we found him. his wounds are no lie. His pain was no lie. I had seen where he was kept. If he had given up information, he would not have been in the condition he was in.”
“Xeon,” the old naga glared at him. “I know you have a soft spot for this creature, I know you have the right intentions, but what if you are wrong?”
“Vale-“
“I was there when they stole your father away,” he said darkly. “I was there when he gave his life in exchange for the farmers. The humans showed him no mercy, though he had done nothing to harm them. that’s who they are. That’s what they are. They are monsters. Our claws, teeth, and venom hold nothing against the twisted minds of these beasts. I have dealt with them far longer then you have even been alive.”
“do you truly believe that he said anything? Even after the condition he was found in?” Vasson hissed.
“yes,” he raised his chin, looking at Vasson. “I believe that he might have had good intentions, maybe he does care about us. But he is not one of us. Why would he lie to his own kind for a race that is so different then himself? I believe that he did speak, not intending to do harm to us, but to keep himself alive. Maybe a word or two that kept them from killing him. why else would they have kept him alive so long if he never spoke?”
Xeon barred his teeth, his black claws scratching at the stone table. “you did not see what condition he was in,” he hissed lowly. “you dare accuse him of such things, yet you were not there. You did not see what we had seen. You did not smell the blood or hear the cries. They had no intention of keeping him alive.”
“I understand that you-“
“enough of this Vale,” Vasson hissed. He turned to Evan. “are you certain that you gave away no information of us?”
Evan shook his head. “not one word.”
“there, see? Continuing this argument is pointless. There is nothing the human can say that will satisfy your concerns. He claims he held his tongue. I am continent with his word. What about all of you?” he looked around the room.
“I am apprehensive, but I do believe him,” a female spoke up. “he would not have been in this condition had he spoken of us.”
“I agree,” another one shrugged. “we can’t make him confess to something he didn’t do.”
The old naga sighed harshly, rubbing his eyes. “are you all blind? I am not the villain here! I am not some crazed hermit who is paranoid of the sky. This is a real threat!”
“then what are you suggesting we do?” one demanded.
Vale gripped the stone table, looking at Evan. “question him again. And then again and again. Question him until you know of every brick in the walls of the cell he was kept in. maybe he just doesn’t remember telling anyone information. Maybe telling the story over will loosen something he has forgotten. This is serious. We could have a war waiting outside our walls.”
“Evan is not a prisoner here,” Xeon hissed. “I will not interrogate him just because you are the only one who doesn’t believe him.”
“is it worth risking your city to trust him?” the naga crossed his arms. “I know you care for him, but you have said it yourself. The state he was in was far from alright. do you think that perhaps he spoke words that he has forgotten? Maybe muttered something in his sleep? Is it really worth our lives for you to prove a point?”
Xeon and Vasson both looked at each other. Xeon gave a slight nod and Vasson turned back to the table. “We can’t fight shadows that don’t exist vale,” he started. “And we are not going to torture the human just on your suspicions.”
“you will do nothing then?!”
“I did not say that,” Vasson snapped. “you were right about one thing. It is not worth the risk to the city just because we trust Evans word. I will have triple the guards posted outside the walls. Every nook and cranny of these canyons will be under watch. We will know the movement of every bird, mouse or possible army that may or may not be out there. A single rock will not fall without my notice. This I can promise.”
The naga looked unsatisfied, but held his tongue. The female naga looked around the room, then nodded. “since that is settled, perhaps it is time to speak of the other reason we have gathered. Let us speak of the second human inside our city.”
“he’s still here?” Evan asked, surprised.
“we have not had a moment to decide his fate,” Xeon muttered.
“where is he?”
“in the same cells you were kept in at one point,” Vasson answered, putting his hands behind his back. “he is not unattended. he is under surveillance, but has stayed quiet and passive.”
Evan looked at Xeon, feeling the weight of the decision at hand. “you are deciding if he lives or dies.”
“we are,” Xeon answered quietly.
“killing him would be the easiest answer,” Vasson shrugged. “if we let him go, he will return to his pack. He will tell the other humans what had occurred and then we will have a real army at our doors.”
“does he know where he is?” Evan wondered.
“he is not stupid,” Vasson muttered. “though he was blindfolded, it is easy to assume that he is in the canyons.”
“it was foolish to keep him alive this long,” the old naga snapped. “one human is already a risk, and then you run out and kidnap a solider?”
“enough vale,” Xeon snapped. “we are passed that argument. I needed him alive.”
“so… why not just kill him then?” Evan asked, his voice low.
“he has cooperated with us.” Xeon shook his head. “he has openly spoken to us. I did not have to strain to get answers from him. he drew plans for us and talked us through everything he knew. Without his instructions, we would have never have found you in time, or at all.”
“he has been a very quiet prisoner,” Vasson agreed, crossing his arms. “but we can’t take the risk of just setting him free. There can be only one outcome here.”
The room became silent. it seemed as though all of the nagas had made up their mind. All but one that is. Evan looked at Xeon, seeing him fighting some internal battle. Evan rubbed his bandaged arm. “let me speak with him.”
Everyone turned to him. the old naga barred his teeth at Evan. “and what do you have to say to him?”
“maybe he knows something that we need to know,” Evan shrugged.
“you have no right, no justification, no reason to even be brought near him,” he hissed.
Evan raised his chin. “I think I have more right than any other to be brought to him.”
“what?”
“I'm a human,” he shrugged. “You said it yourself, we humans will speak with each other. If he has something to say, perhaps he will say it to me.”
“and what do we do after he speaks?”
“I guess that would be determined by the information he gave us. If he gave us any at all. But you can do what you decide is best. I am still a guest here. I will not speak on matters that are not my own.”
Everyone silently turned to Xeon. Evan could see the apprehension in his eyes. His dark claws tapped on the stone table. “what other information can he tell you?”
“we won’t know unless we ask,” Evan shrugged.
Xeon looked at Vasson, then sighed. “alright,” he agreed quietly. “see if he has any last information. After that… after that we will decide what to do.”
Evan nodded and Vasson uncrossed his arms, motioning with a slight nod of his head. Evan looked around the room and nodded, carefully standing up and stumbling after Vasson. He was a little surprised that Xeon did not follow, but he was sure that there was more discussion to be had once he was far enough away from the room.