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“Your tears won’t sway me, girl. I won’t stop until she has been returned to me, if I have to find and kill every single one of her kin.” He nodded at the man holding the knife.
“Master,” said a voice from the back of the room. The guard holding the knife hesitated.
“You’re interrupting me,” Edric said. “This better be worth it.”
“One of the prisoners has successfully defeated the beasts. We have a new champion,” the voice said.
“Bring him here,” Edric said. He waved his hand at the guard with the knife, and the man released my hair and stepped back. I let my head drop forward and kept my eyes down as I listened to the footsteps approach.
“Master,” a voice behind me said. “The new champion.”
I watched Edric from beneath my brow. He sat forward on his throne and placed his elbows on his knees.
“Well, isn’t this interesting.” He stalked toward the man they’d brought forth who stood to my right and a little behind me. I couldn’t see him without turning my head. So, I kept my head down and tried to catch a glimpse from the corner of my eye.
Edric’s feet disappeared from view as he slowly circled the man.
“Yes,” he said. “This is very interesting.” He returned to his throne, paused for a moment, then pivoted to face us.
Extending his arms out to his sides, he addressed his men. “Hunters, it appears we have a distinguished guest for our festivities this evening.” Directing his attention to the man they’d brought in, he continued, “How kind of you to join us, and how convenient that you’ve earned the honor of becoming our Solstice Champion.” He dropped his arms and took a few steps forward before continuing. “You will be our honored guest for our solstice celebration this evening.”
He nodded to the guard holding my arms behind me. “Take them back and get them cleaned up and dressed. The festivities will begin in an hour.”
“Yes, Master.” The guard released my arms and grabbed the back of my neck with one hand.
Edric’s attention returned to the champion. “The girl will join you this evening at our celebration.” Then he spoke again to the guard holding me. “Leave them in the same cell and bring her the clothing and supplies they’ll need. Let her tend to the champion.”
“Yes, Master,” he said. He gripped my upper arm and led me away. When I turned, I finally got a chance to look at the man they were calling the champion. I forced myself not to react at the sight of Liam standing in front of me. Deep gashes covered his body. Some still oozed blood. Dirt and blood matted his clothes and hair. But underneath the filth, it was Liam, and my heart lurched. I wanted to run to him, but I held myself still. He didn’t look at me before he turned to follow one of the other guards. Clutching my shoulder strap to keep my dress from sliding to the floor, I fell into step behind him.
The long walk down the center aisle and down to the cells below gave me more than enough time to catalog the injuries covering his back. He looked like he’d been left in a cage with wild animals. No matter what he said, I wasn’t letting him out of my sight again. We’d get out of here together, or not at all.
They tossed Evelyn into the cell after me and slammed the door behind us. A guard passed a stack of clothing through the bars and set it on the floor. I waited until we were alone before I lunged for her.
“Are you okay?” I tilted her face up until I could look in her eyes.
“Am I okay? Look at you,” she said. She pulled back so she could look me over. “You’re a mess. What did they do to you? Are you hurt?” She leaned toward me and placed a hand on my cheek. I winced.
“I’m fine. Or, I will be,” I said. I touched the spot of blood under her chin. “He kept you and sent the others back to the cells?”
“That man is insane, Liam. He thinks he’s Lord Edric! Can you believe it? I told him Edric is dead, and he tried to tell me he was a ghost. He did this magic trick where he made it look like his fingers could pass through a solid object.” She shook her head.
I frowned. “He’s not a ghost, Eve.” I’d been hoping to avoid this conversation. But, since we were both still here, I was going to have to do some explaining.
“I know! But what is going on? And where are we?” She paced to the bars of the cell, glancing back and forth down the empty hall.
I shook my head and dove in. “What I mean is, he’s notjusta ghost. Ghosts can’t take physical form. He’s a spirit. And not just any spirit. He really is the spirit of Lord Edric.”
She spun around and stared at me. “Are you teasing me?” When I didn’t respond, she continued. “You’re joking, right? You don’t believe him, do you?”
I walked over to her, taking her hands in mine. “I know this sounds crazy to you. You don’t have to believe me. But you must know that he’s dangerous. We need to find a way out of here.”
She narrowed her eyes. “It does sound crazy. But I agree with you about the fact that we need to get out of here.” She leaned back and looked down the corridor again. Then she turned to face me. “Do you have a plan?”
“Not yet. I’ll tell you what I know and maybe we can come up with one together.” I knew I had to tell her something to prepare her for whatever Edric had in store for us, but I couldn’t tell her everything without putting her life in more danger even than it already was. I’d have to choose my words carefully.
She nodded. “Okay.”
“Edric’s spirit returns around each solstice. He leads a band of other spirits who are seeking revenge, or just interested in causing trouble. The locals call it the Wild Hunt. They captured you, and they’re holding us prisoner. I’m fairly certain that Edric is up to something, inviting us to his party.”
