Eva stumbled backward, clutching the ribbon to her chest as if it might protect her.
“Take them,” Jack barked, his voice sharp as a blade.
Amelie cried out, “Eva!”
Footsteps thundered, and Neal burst into the space with his sword drawn.
“Stay back!” he shouted, planting himself between Eva and the men.
For a heartbeat, hope flared bright and desperate in Eva’s chest. Jack sneered. “Get him,” he said calmly.
The clash was swift and brutal, metal ringing against metal in the narrow yard. Eva could scarcely follow it, her hands shaking as she watched. One guard feinted, another lunged, and Neal staggered. A blade drove through him, and Neal fell without a sound.
Eva’s scream rose again, raw and broken, as Neal collapsed to the ground. Blood darkened his tunic, spreading fast against the stone. She took a step toward him, then froze as hands seized her arms.
“Nay,” she sobbed, “please, he was only doin’ his duty.”
Amelie rushed forward, her face pale with fury and fear. “Leave her be!” she cried, striking at one of the guards.
A blow caught her hard, and she crumpled to the ground, her body still.
“Amelie!” Eva shouted, panic flooding her voice.
Jack stepped closer, looming over Eva.
“Quiet now,” he said, almost gently, “ye’ll do as ye’re told.”
Eva’s chest heaved as she stared at Amelie lying unmoving, at Neal’s lifeless form beside them. Terror wrapped tight around her heart, and for the first time since coming to the castle, she truly understood how cruel the world beyond its walls could be.
“Let me go,” she cried, her voice breaking as panic surged through her.
Jack caught her wrist, his fingers bruising as iron, and dragged her back. “Daenae be foolish, lass,” he said coldly, “ye’ll only make this worse.”
She kicked and fought again, wild with terror, her skirts tangling as she tried to flee toward Amelie’s fallen form. Jack nodded once, sharp and deliberate, and one of his guards hauled Amelie upright by the arm.
Amelie groaned softly, her head lolling, barely conscious. “Stop,” Jack warned, “or I’ll finish her where she stands.”
Eva froze, horror flooding her as she looked at Amelie’s pale face.
“Nay,” Eva sobbed, tears spilling freely, “daenae touch her, I beg ye.”
Jack leaned close, his breath sour as he spoke low in her ear. “Then ye’ll do as I say, quietly and without fuss.”
Her shoulders sagged as the fight drained from her, despair settling heavy in her chest.
Eva nodded once, trembling from head to toe, and whispered, “Aye… I’ll go.”
Jack straightened, satisfied, and gestured for his men to bind her hands. As the rope bit into her wrists, Eva swallowed a cry and prayed silently that Amelie would live.
They lifted her onto a horse as though she were no more than a sack of grain, the world swaying beneath her as the animal moved. Eva cast one last desperate glance toward the village, her heart shattering as it disappeared behind the cottages. The guards mounted quickly, and Jack took the reins of her horse himself.
“On we go,” he said flatly, and they rode out at a hard pace.
The forest swallowed them whole, the trees closing in as light thinned to green shadows. Eva’s arms ached where the rope cut her skin, and every jolt of the horse sent pain through her body. She tried to steady her breathing, though fear pressed tight around her ribs. The sounds of birds and wind felt wrong, too calm for the terror pounding inside her.
They reached a small clearing where a camp already stood, rough tents and a low fire pit ringed with stones. Eva’s heart sank further at the sight, the cruel proof that this had been planned.
Jack dismounted and hauled her down none too gently.
