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“Where did Stralia take her?”
Relief stained her face when she realized it was me and not someone else, jumping to her feet.
“I don’t know. Queen Zephyrine held off the others for our safety,” Maywin sobbed. “I-I never imagined that she was in harm’s way. She’s always been so strong and fearless.”
“Now she’s missing!” I spat, although I wasn’t angry with her. “What do you know about Stralia?”
Maywin wiped her wet eyes and straightened her shoulders, her chin quivering, but a spark of defiance overtook her.
“Alpha, Stralia was no friend ofmine,” she reminded me purposefully, and shame made me nauseous.
Simultaneously, I stared at her, an idea springing through me.
“But she didhavefriends. A lot of them, if the rumors are true.”
Maywin returned my stare and nodded. “The dungeon!” she gasped, waving her hands like an excited child. “The Queen was fixated on the dungeon. She insisted we go down there earlier.”
Taken aback, I thought of the moldy, dank underbelly of the palace. “No one uses the dungeon…”
“That’s precisely the point, isn’t it?” Maywin told me excitedly.
We rushed toward the door in unison, our hopes renewed. In the hallway, my flock of guards followed as I led, and I heard Jasper tell Maywin to remain in her room.
“No!” the maid breathed. “She’s my friend, and she needs me.”
“It’s no place for you, Maywin,” the guard told her tenderly.
I looked back over my shoulder at the couple, a fusion of annoyance and affection twining inside me.
“Let her come,” I told Jasper. “It was her idea to look in the dungeon.”
Jasper frowned, but Maywin offered me a timid smile, curtseying in thanks. I wasted no more time heading back toward the back stairwells, calling out to the rest of the household for reinforcements.
“Your queen protected you tonight. It’s time for you to return the favor, Ironhelm. Let’s rid this house of the vermin we permitted to fester in the walls and bring Zephyrine home.”
With a rally cry, we burrowed downstairs, but despite my calls of confidence, I was terrified for my mate.
Please, gods, don’t let it be too late.
Chapter19
Zephy
“Wake her up! Wake her up now!” I heard Stralia shrilling, her anger permeating my unconsciousness, the dull thudding in my brain enhancing with my waking. But from somewhere inside me, a loud noise overtook Stralia’s voice, warning me to remain limp, unmoving, despite my instincts to fight and escape.
Slowly, distinctly, I became aware of my hands and feet bound in place. I still didn’t dare open my eyes, and I depended on my other senses to account for my surroundings. The dank smell told me instantly that I was in the basement, the duskiness filling my lungs. I was incredibly weak, but even if I’d been in possession of my powers, I was too deep in the palace to call upon the weather to save me now. Even if I could conjure the clouds to do any of my bidding, I was helpless to use them.
“WAKE HER!” Stralia screamed again. “I want her to see what I’m going to do to her!”
“I’ve tried!” I heard Coraline complain. “But we cannot stay here, Stralia. It’s only a matter of time before we’re found—”
A slap stopped the cook from completing her sentence, and I realized that Stralia was losing control not only of her followers but of herself.
If I keep my eyes closed, I will buy myself a little bit of time. She wants to torture me first.It was a daunting thought, but it kept my mind sensible.
If I pretended to remain unconscious, Stralia may hold off on killing me. I had absolutely no doubt that was her intention.
“Don’t hit me!” Coraline whined a half second later. “I’m giving you the facts. We can’t stay here, Stralia.”
