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Something’s wrong.
“Kaithar, go and see Ciel at once. Tell himexactlywhat’s happened. I’m going.”
In a flash, I’m gone, moving faster than the wind itself, leaving my commander standing in the courtyard.
I can’t spare even a moment longer.
If something has happened to her.
If they’vedonesomething to her…
I can’t even imagine.
What I’d be capable of.
42
FINLEY
For what feels like an eternity, they force me to walk. The air becomes colder, smelling of damp, musty decay. The light down here is dark and gloomy.
I want to turn around and bolt, but there’s a wall of bodies behind me, and I wouldn’t have a chance against them.
It would just give them another excuse to hurt me.
So I keep going, because that’s all I can do.
Corvan will come for me. Hewill.
We reach a cellar-like chamber where the air is laced with the faint smell of sewers. Nausea roils around in my stomach. I force myself to go still… to fight it. I can’t vomit here, not with my mouth stuffed full of rags.
Kinnivar strides across to a metal door and yanks it open. The hinges squeal in protest. One of the guards prods me in the back. “Go.”
I follow Kinnivar as he enters the door. It leads to a flight of stairs. “Up.”
We start to climb. We walk until my legs are burning; until my arms—so tightly bound and wrenched back until they feel like they’re going to pop out of their sockets—go numb.
At last, Kinnivar stops. He opens a door. Cold air streams down from above.
The stairs have led us to the outside. I can only guess that we’ve traversed a tunnel of some sort.
They’re taking me away from the castle.
Corvan, where are you?
I have never longed to see him more than I do now.
Because I know he would tear them apart.
I take the stairs, step by agonizing step, up to the top. We emerge into the cold night, where the stench of decay penetrates the cloth covering my nose.
Gripped with dread and fear, I stop.
They’re going to take me away from here. Once I’m outside the castle walls…
He might never find me.
Never before have I felt so helpless.
