When the creature squalls, I bare my teeth in a smile, because I can hear the difference in its voice now. This isn’t a raging scream; it’s more of a “who-is-this-scary-girl-and-why-doesn’t-she-run-when-I-hurt-her” scream. The monster scuffles backward as I keep prowling forward, caging it against the bars of the outer fence. Beyond those bars is the royal box. “See there,” I murmur. “You’re not so terrifying after all.” And I lift my eyes, just for a moment, and meet the scarlet gaze of the Ash King. The ollpheist cringes down against the bars, quieting.
