“Get up, Asha.”
It wasn’t a request. She pushed herself onto her knees and rose, keeping her eyes on the floor. The dragon king reached for her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. It shocked Asha. The dragon king never touched his Iskari. His eyebrows formed a vicious vale and his normally warm eyes were wary. Distant.
“Have I misplaced my faith in you?”
Yes. I’m more corrupted than you ever thought.
Asha wanted to close her eyes against that disappointed gaze.
“No, Father.”
“How can I be sure?”
“If you let me return to the Rift, I’ll do what you asked. I’ll bring you this dragon’s head before dawn tomorrow.”
There was nothing in her way now. No more commands. No more gifts that were actually curses.
“I can’t just let you go without punishment.” His forehead creased in a frown. He needed her to hunt down Kozu, yes, but he also needed to uphold his law. “You’ve committed a serious crime. A crime against yourking.”
He studied her for a long time before releasing his grip on her chin.
“So youshallreturn to the Rift.”
Asha sighed in relief.
“In two days’ time.”
Asha went rigid. An icy chill swept through her. “But that’s...”
“The morning of your binding.” The look in his eyes told Asha he knew what he was asking of her, but she’d given him no choice.
Twenty-Seven
On the morning of her binding day, the cell door opened.
It wasn’t Jarek who stepped through. As Asha’s eyes adjusted to the torchlight, she found two soldats standing in the rectangular glow.
“You’re to come with us, Iskari.”
Asha rose. She hugged herself to keep the damp chill from sinking farther into her bones.
“I’ve served my sentence. My father said I could return to the Rift on the morning of my binding.”
“There’s a dress in your room,” said one of the soldats, ignoring her. “You’re to put it on and follow us. Your father commands it.”
What?
She thought of escape, but six more of Jarek’s men waited in the hallway.
When they arrived at her room, the first things Asha noticed were the bolts fixed to the outsides of her doors.
The second things she noticed were the heavy iron bars running crisscross over her window, sealing her in.
And the third: her empty wall. They’d taken all her weapons.
“Did Jarek do this?”
No one answered her.
