Chapter 16 --16
One team stood waiting. Five knights, motionless, eyes forward. Elara studied them for a moment, then said, "Water?"
Every head snapped up. Confusion rippled through the group like wind through grass.
Elara pointed to the crystal jug on the side table. "There. Drink if you’re thirsty." She looked at one knight near the end. "You. Kitchen. Bring back snacks, something crispy, and juice. Enough for your team."
He hesitated a fraction of a second, then bowed and left. He returned in eighteen minutes carrying a tray loaded with fried pastries, sliced fruit, and three pitchers. He set it down where Elara pointed and stepped back into formation.
"Eat," Elara said.
None of them moved.
"That’s not a suggestion," she added. "You’re going to be here for hours. I don’t need you collapsing from dehydration."
Slowly, one knight reached for the water. Then another. They ate standing, still watching her like she might take it back.
Elara turned back to the trembling servants. "These five knights stay here with me. Their job is simple: every time one of you lies during questioning, they hit you. Understood?"
The servants went paler. The knights looked at each other, still visibly confused. They were slaves in practice if not name—no one offered them water, no one cared if they were tired. The concept of being treated like people with needs didn’t fit.
Elara didn’t explain further. "You’ll understand soon enough," she said. "This palace has been rotting from the inside for years. We have four days to clean it out before anyone can stop us. You’re going to help me do that."
She sat down at the desk, pulled the first stack of records toward her, and opened to the first page.