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“Gonna behave?” the taller, burly one asked.
I glared at them. “Where are you taking me?”
“You heard the captain,” the wiry one said. “We’re taking you to see the Master.”
The Master. Sorcha had warned me that he was Lord Edric. I’d wanted to stay as far from him as possible. Once he saw me, he’d know who I was, with or without my human glamour.
“Shouldn’t I get cleaned up first? Maybe change into something more suitable for an audience with your master?” I asked. I didn’t know if charm worked on a spirit; I’d never tried before. I flashed them my most roguish grin and channeled a hearty dose of magic behind it.
The burly spirit chuckled and elbowed his companion. “That’s not a bad idea, Bub.”
The wiry one narrowed his eyes at me. “Captain didn’t say nothin’ about new clothes,” he said.
I stepped closer to the nearest hell beast. I’d survived this trial only to face certain death once Edric laid eyes on me and realized I was his nephew. If I was going to meet the Master, I needed a weapon. Iron. But these Hunters carried only steel.
“Guess you’re going like that, then.” The burly spirit cackled, and his friend joined in. Together, they dragged me up the steps. I could only hope Sorcha had escaped with Evelyn to warn the others.
12
After they camefor Liam, I paced in my cell. I didn’t dare sit and risk ruining the white dress I’d been given to wear. The woman in the robe had instructed me to keep my eyes down and not say a word unless someone spoke to me directly. All I could do now was wait for them to come for me and worry about Liam.
Soon enough, she returned. I rushed to the bars.
“Where did they take him?” I asked. “Is he okay?”
“Hush,” she said. She unlocked my cell and beckoned to me. “It’s time. Follow me.”
She led me down the corridor and I followed as we turned down another that looked the same. We stopped outside another cell and were joined by two other women, also wearing white dresses like the one I’d been given. One had long brown hair that fell in waves to her waist. The other had strawberry-blond hair that reminded me of California. Neither met my eyes, nor did they speak to the woman in the robe. I let them walk ahead of me and fell into place at the end of the line.
The woman led us up a curved staircase and into a large chamber. Pillars lined a path down the center of the room. She walked toward the pillars and we followed. When she reached the pillars, she turned and shuffled down the path between them toward the figures waiting near the opposite wall. I tried to keep my eyes on the floor in front of me, but I snuck glances at the smooth stone walls. There were no windows and no artwork, no markings of any kind that might give me an idea where we were.
I remembered what I’d been told, and when we stopped, I didn’t dare look up. The robed woman arranged us in a line, facing the small group who waited there. With my eyes on the marble floor, I guessed from their boots that this was a group of men.
“Master,” the robed woman said in a hushed tone, “these three were captured by your Hunters this evening.”
One pair of boots stepped forward and paced in front of us. I tried to keep my heart from hammering and attempted to breathe normally. My palms began to sweat and I pressed them against the sides of my dress. The boots stopped in front of one of the other two women.
“Her hair,” he said. His voice was gravelly and deep. “Reminds me of summer.” He took a step closer to the woman. “Let me see your face,” he said.
He made a noise of disapproval and turned to the next woman in line. “Look at me,” he said. “Not highborn, but might be useful.”
He stepped in front of me and stopped. “Look up,” he said. I obeyed but tried to keep my eyes trained on a spot in front of me and didn’t meet his gaze. “Well, look what we have here. Something new,” he said, excitement creeping into his voice. For a moment, I was back in my boss’s office, frozen, unsure how to react.
“Look at me, girl,” he said.
I turned my face toward him but kept my eyes downcast as I promised I would.
He paced around me, studying me from every angle. “I think I’ll start with this one,” he said. My heart sank. I’d followed every instruction and still he’d chosen me. “Take the others back. I’ll deal with them later.”
“Yes, Master,” the robed woman said. I followed her with my eyes, but she didn’t look at me once before turning and leading the others away. She’d left me alone, when Liam had said she’d promised to help me. I wanted to shout after her, but I held my tongue and looked down at the ground.
“Tell me what you know, girl.”
“I don’t understand,” I said, not taking my eyes off my bare feet. “Know about what?”
“Don’t play the fool. Tell me where she is.”
“Where who is?”
