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He was still alive.
Eadric turned to the blond guard. “Have our guest brought here.”
My heart stuttered. “You son of a bitch.”
He leaned close enough to murmur in my ear. “I will break you.”
My head snapped up, slamming into his nose. Eadric stumbled back, cupping his nose as blood poured. Dizziness swept through me. With my current injuries, I probably shouldn’t be using my head as a weapon.
Worth it.
The cell opened. “Healer?” the red-haired guard offered, dragging Cavis in front of him. Eadric ignored the guard, his gaze on Cavis.
I would have rather been ripped apart than watch Cavis walk in here, his brow lowered in confusion. Our eyes met, and his eyes cleared. He recognized me.
“I’ve been watching you for some time,” Eadric told me. “And my people listened to all kinds of rumors. Apparently, you’re not just fucking the Bloodthirsty Prince. In fact, there are numerous witnesses who swear you’ve claimed all of them as your own.”
It had been so long since that night at the inn. Since the first time I’d teased Lorian and the others. The first time I’d heard Lorian laugh. Eadric thought he could shame me, but the memory shored up my defenses.
Cavis met my eyes. He was back, mentally here once more. Neither of us said a word, but that look was enough. A strange calm settled over me.
“Let’s try something else,” Eadric said. “I’m going to ask each of you questions. And every time you don’t answer, you’ll watch your lover bleed.”
I clamped down on a sob. Cavis hadn’t talked. He was under the king’s compulsion, and yet he hadn’t said anything. It would be costing him.
“I don’t even need Soltor’s help,” Eadric said. “Do you know what happens when one of the king’s spiders manages to defy him?”
I stayed silent. Eadric smiled. “It’s incredibly rare—and only possible because King Sabium isn’t yet here to ask these questions himself. But each time your lover manages to fight the compulsion, parts of his brain bleed and die. At some point, there will be nothing left of him.”
He wouldn’t let Cavis get close to that point. Surely Regner would kill Eadric if Cavis died before he got to interrogate him. After all, Cavis had been close to Lorian and Conreth for decades now—within the trusted inner circle.Still, how much damage could Cavis take and still be himself after? I didn’t know much about the mysteries of the brain, but Tibris had once told me some of his theories regarding personality and memories stored in different parts of our minds.
Angling my head, I sneered at Eadric. “You need to bring someone else into this? What happened to breaking me?”
“I don’t just mean physically. I’ll break your mind. Break your spirit. It’s the least you deserve.”
“What did I ever do to you?”
Eadric frowned as if he didn’t understand the question. But it was clear something about this was personal. I racked my brain, but I’d never seen him before that day at the inn with Lorian.
He gestured at Soltor. “Let’s get started.”
Soltor waved a hand. A long slice opened up right over my ribs, deep enough to reveal bone. My head spun, and I gagged. Eadric laughed.
Cavis lunged at Soltor. Eadric stopped laughing as Soltor backed up against the wall, flinching away from Cavis.
“Stop,” Eadric ordered Cavis.
Cavis ignored him, blood pouring from his nose, his eyes.
“Cavis, please stop,” I begged.
Eadric glanced at Soltor, and this time, he cut Cavis, opening a long gash across his thigh. Cavis’s leg went out from under him, and he smashed to the floor. The black web contrasted against the pale skin of his face, his dreamy eyes now glazed with pain and confusion. Heat coursed through my veins, as if my blood were simmering.
Soltor sliced along Cavis’s cheek, tearing the web in two. His flesh hung torn, the white of his cheekbone stark against the blood.
What could I do? How could I end this? I was useless. Utterly useless. I strained against the manacles, searching for some glimmer of my power. I felt nothing. My eyes burned, my breaths coming faster and faster.
Eadric smiled at me, as if reading my mind. “Torture alone is boring,” he said conversationally. “After all, there’s only so much damage the body can take before it begins to shut down. That’s why Soltor’s power is so interesting. There’s no limit to the pain you will suffer. The pain your lover will suffer. We will heal you again and again and again, and it will be your mind that breaks before your body. It’s far more enjoyable that way.”
