ONE HUNDRED SIX: Her Gut Feeling

"Didn't he tell you that his soldiers are rounding up all my people right now?" Soren taunted, his fiery eyes locked with Kel's. "What did you think? That he wanted to invite them to a ball?"

"No, stop!" Kel shouted.

She already knew the emperor's soldiers were here. She was well aware that there was only one reason for them to be here. 

But still, she couldn't bring herself to believe that the emperor had any malicious intent. As she'd learned over the past few months, the man always had a reason for his actions. Always.

Looking for reassurance, she glanced wildly at Thane, Lucy and the emperor in turn, who all seemed to be focused on various spots of the floor, none of them looking at her. Why weren't any of them speaking up and saying that it wasn't true? 

Why weren't they saying anything at all??