Sam stepped forward, his jaw hung open, but Draevyn knew he was at a loss for words. While he’d told his friend the stories of what his father had done to him, Sam never witnessed a true interaction between him and the king.
Varis’s grin was smug as he wiped the blood from his bottom lip. “Stupid brute.”
“Take him.” The king’s voice was final, edged with steel.
The guards hesitated for only a breath before closing in.
Draevyn clenched his jaw, every muscle in his body tense, but he didn’t fight this time. Not when the king was already reveling in his moment of power. Not when he knew Esmyra’s crew also awaited him in the dungeons, and now hopefully he’d be able to derive a plan with them.
One night.
One night in a cell was nothing compared to the war that was coming.
He let the guards seize his arms, shoving him toward the doors. As he was dragged from the throne room, his brother called after him, “I’ll get you out!”
“Don’t,” Draevyn said through clenched teeth before lifting his gaze to the king for a final time. “You deserve everything that’s coming for you.”
His father’s chuckle echoed as the throne room doors slammed shut behind Draevyn and the guards.
CHAPTER 6
Draevyn
The iron door groaned open, and Draevyn was shoved forward. His boots skidded against the dusty stone floor as he stumbled, catching himself against the wall before turning with a snarl.
The guards merely smirked. “Sleep well, Captain.”
Barred doors slammed shut with a deafeningclang; the lock clicked into place before they turned on their heels and headed back for the stairs.
The cell was dark, reeking of mildew and rust. Draevyn exhaled sharply, shaking off the lingering heat in his veins before rubbing his hands over his face.
“Well, well, well…” A voice cut through the silence from across the hall. “Look who finally ended up in a cage like the rest of us.”
His eyes snapped to the other cell, his vision adjusting to the dim torchlight before his magic had them surging brighter.
Esmyra’s crew was lined up against the bars, eyes burning with hatred and suspicion.
“You know, Phoenix,” Jak started, his golden, owl-like eyes gleaming in the firelight. “When you said you’d meet us down here, I’ve got to admit, this wasn’t what I had in mind.”
“So much for breaking us free,” Ren snapped from beside him.
Draevyn rolled his shoulders, forcing himself to breathe evenly. “This obviously wasn’t part of the plan.”
Nothing about this was part of the plan.
“And here I was hoping you had time to sit and think of a way out of here yourselves once I came for you,” he finished.
“Oh, we’ve had plenty of time to sit and think,” Jak said, stepping forward. “And to wonder why our captain isn’t in here with us. Where the fuck is Cyrus? He was in the same bloody cell we stand in now the last I saw him.”
Draevyn’s stomach twisted, bile climbing up his throat. He never considered having to tellThe Night Wraith’screwof their captain’s fate. His sole focus was on Esmyra, but now he would have to deal with them before he could find a way to save her.
“Blackwood is dead,” he admitted, lifting his eyes back to meet Jak’s from across the hall. “The king murdered him the moment I stepped away. Atlas informed me as you were all being brought here.”
Their jaws fell in unison, unrelenting fury evident in their eyes before they all began yelling, cussing at Draevyn in their disbelief.
Jak’s knuckles turned a ghostly white as his grip tightened on the velsinyte bars of their cell. “Again, here we are with the lies, you fire-breathing fuck! Cyrus is immortal. He can’t die!”
Draevyn sighed, his lips pressed together in a thin line. “Esmyra found a way to break his curse.”
