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“I’m only allowed to use magic to cook. Cleaning the dishes was another servant’s task at the palace.”
    For an evil king, Sorenten sure has everything neat and in order. I suppose it’s his way of having control over everything.
    We work in silence. I wonder if I can use magic to make this easier, but then I decide to skip it. One, I’m completely clueless when it comes to magic. I might fry the place with my lightning bolts. Two, I’m not really interested in embracing that part of me. Not yet. Maybe not ever. I don’t know.
    When our eyes meet, Salia gives me a friendly smile. I wonder if they know Alaric has talked to me. The fact that Salia called me princess makes me think that they do. Does she know I don’t want to kill the king? Is she disappointed? Angry?
    She seems lonely and sad. I wonder what her story is and would like to get to know her better.
    “Hey, Salia?”
    “Yes?”
    “Where’s your family? Are they part of the rebellion, too?”
    Darkness fills her face and she turns away from me.
    “I’m sorry,” I say. “It’s none of my business.”
    She doesn’t say anything as she continues to scrub so hard her hands are getting red. I put my hand over hers. “If you want to talk about it, I’m here. I know we don’t know each other, but I want you and everyone else to know that I care.”
    She turns to me, her eyes glassy. “You’ve changed your mind?”
    So she’s aware I have an issue with killing the king. I bite my lip. Her eyes are wide, shining with hope. When I told Sebastian last night that they’re all hopeful, I just said it. But now as I gaze at her, I feel it. Though I don’t know her story, I can feel all the pain and suffering she’s endured in her life.
    How could I be so selfish to refuse?
    “Yes,” I tell her. “I’ll…I’ll…” I shut my eyes.
    This time she rests her hand on mine. “You still have doubts.”
    I open my eyes. She still looks hopeful, but it’s dimmed. I can see betrayal and disappointment seeping in. “It’s just hard for me. I know I have no right to say that. I have no idea what it’s been like for you and I can’t really understand...”
    “My father.” She faces the sink. “He’s been…” Her voice trails off. “He is…”
    “It’s okay, Salia. You don’t have to tell me.”
    She scrubs another dish, harder, even though there are no food stains on it. Her eyes fill with tears and her lower lip trembles. “King Sorenten tortures him. Daily. For everyone to see.”
    “What?”
    She nods, her scrubbing growing even more intense.
    “He tortures your dad. Every day? Why? What did he do?”
    She slams the dish in the sink. It doesn’t crack. “He stole some food from the palace to feed my family. We didn’t have much and my little brothers and sisters were starving.” She swallows. “He was caught by the palace guards and as punishment, King Sorenten tortures him publically. He wishes to teach the Ortarians a lesson, that no one steals from the king.”
    “Salia, I’m so, so sorry. Being the king’s torture toy? He’s a psycho. A real psycho.” I wrap my arms around her. She goes still, then slowly accepts the hug.
    “Thank you, Princess,” she whispers. The pain in her voice causes tears to spill down my cheeks.
    What sick person does something like that? Salia’s dad was desperate to feed his kids. Is that such a crime? And to be tortured every day? That’s nuts. Totally nuts.
    “Every day, I wish I were powerful enough to free my father,” Salia whispers against my cheek. “But I’m weak and helpless. Before I came here, I was forced to watch King Sorenten tear my father apart, then paste him back together again.” She sniffs.
    I can’t stand this any longer. This is just one horrible story I’m hearing. There are many, many others, some most probably even worse than this. I won’t let that monster get away with this. He needs to be stopped.
    And I’m the only one who can do it.
    “I’ll take the