"Let’s skip the pleasentries, shall we? You and I both know we’re not here for small talk."

I sit across from her. The daughter of the rebel leader. The leader of Flamebound. The girl’s brown hair falls down her back and sways around as she rocks her chair back and forth. I don’t think she’s taking this seriously. Does she not understand that she’s sat in front of THE Prince of Pryla? THE Prince Alric?

"Where is your father?" I ask, my voice unwavering. There is no way I’m going to speak to this girl.

"Dead."

I blink. That was not the answer I was expecting.

"What?"

"Your men killed him."

That can’t be right. "I ordered them to bring him to me alive."

"So you could kill him yourself?"

"You have no right to speak to me like that."

"I don’t think you’re in position to tell me how to and how not to talk," she gestures to the chains.

They changed me to Tungstrite. My hands are bound the the chains, I cannot even see my hands, they are trapped in their own mini chambers.

Tungstrite is a metal that is near impossible to melt. If you were to melt it, you would be sat there for hours—days, even. It’s what they use it in prison cells to hold Pyro captives so they won’t just burn through the metal. The metal is incredibly thick and heavy too, so no Neuro would be able to freeze water and cut through it like a slice of cake.

"Who killed your father?"

She grins, "No-one."

My brows furrow, "What?"

"I just wanted to see what you would say," she laughs. My god this girl is a literal child.

"Where is your father?" I question again, my loud voice cutting through her giggles.

Her face drops. She slowly stands up and walks over to me. She waterweaves the water out of her small tub that is strapped against her waist and creates a shape with it before she freezes it. She slowly walks up to me and tilts my head back. The girl presses the ice against my throat.

"My father is busy. You will be speaking to me, is that a problem?"

I simply glare at her. Who the hell does she think she is? If I am found dead, they will come to her and kill her on the spot with no hesitation.

She presses the ice dagger harder against me.

I weigh my options. The way she’s looking at me right now tell me she does not care about the consequences. I care about the consequences though. I’m too good-looking to be dead.

"No," I finally answer smoothly.

"Good." The woman pulls away and walks back to her seat. "Now," she places her legs on the table and crosses them. "Let’s talk."

I inhale deeply before I exhale. This is certainly going to be a meeting. "The King of Pryla has come to a decision to pay you and your father 10 million Aurins to leave. Each."

Her eyebrows raise slightly. Got her.

"Who do you think you are to come into our home and try to bribe us?" she explodes.

Nope. Didn’t get her.

"You guys are killing our men! We have lost seven just last night alone!"

"We lost far more in the past five years than you guys have in ten! You guys kill us with no mercy shown for simply being born different! We are Neuros, not monsters."

"Then go to Katharos! The kingdom of Neuros!"

"We cannot afford it because we cannot get basic jobs in THIS kingdom because we are illegal!" she stands up and slams the wall with her fist. "We shouldn’t have to be illegal."

"Your people killed so many of our family members and others with no mercy. How did you expect my grandfather to react? Let it slide?"

"That was fifty years ago!"

"And hundred of lives lost!"

"Thousands of lives are lost now! Because you guys are punishing us for what our ancestors did."

A wave of silence falls over in the dimly lit room.

The candle flickers.

The only sounds are our heavy breathing.

"We’re not taking the deal."

(Based off of my WOF series. May put this scene in my third book.)