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Two soldiers stood behind him. Neither was the Draconian from the night before, “How’s your little bat?” I spat at Valin, “He paid me a visit last night, but I don’t think he had a great time.”
Valin smirked, nodding to the soldiers at his sides, “Take her.”
They stepped into the room and I ignited my Grace, letting it build as big and as hot as I could. The two closed in on me cautiously as though I was a rabid animal.
I was about to let lose what little fire I’d built when I noticed their hands.
Covered in thick black gloves. They took advantage of the split second of distraction, each grabbing hold of one arm. I fought against them, but they were stronger. I radiated the heat throughout my skin, satisfied to hear them hiss as the burning heat met their gloved hands. But it wasn’t enough.
And my hold over the Grace was waning.
A shackle closed over one of my wrists. Then the other. I pulled at them—but even on the cusp of breaking my own bones, they wouldn’t come free.
“There, there, myqueen.” I heard Valin say, and I forced myself to calm. Focus. I had to focus.
The two males still held me by the arms, though with the heat fading in my veins, I was of little to no threat to them.
While I was still in the cell, I wasn’t.
I glanced to the dark hallway behind Valin. Out there, they couldn’t control me. I’d throw everything I had into it. I’d burn them, just to freeze them, and then burn them again out of spite. And then I’d find the Mad King and end this once and for all.
“I have a gift for you,” the so-calledherocrooned, “From the king.” He stepped into the cell. Pulled a length of chain from his pocket. Hanging from the chain was a stone, rough and uncut—black as ash. It shone in the torchlight.
He brought the necklace closer. Moved to place it over my head. I recoiled. I could feel it—like the feeling of the bindstone. That smothering, squeezing, suffocating feeling. That stone waswrong.
I jerked my head out of his reach only for one of his minions to grab hold of my hair against the back of my skull. Force my head to stillness.
He dropped it around my neck and the rough gem and fell against my skin like a boulder. Crushing. The little heat I had left cooled in my core. Evaporating entirely.
No.“No!” I shouted at him.What had he done?I needed to get my hands free. Had to get it off. But I couldn’t. I was shackled in every possible way.
There was no way out.
Therehadto be a way out. There wasalwaysa way out.
“Let’s move,” Valin said to the males, “Don’t want to keep him waiting.”
The shackle around my ankle vanished, and they were dragging me from the cell. It all seemed so far away. Like it was happening to someone else.
Distantly I heard Valin bark an order, and one of the males let go, the other one gripping tighter around my bicep until Valin took up the other’s position. Blocking me in from both sides again.
A click. A groan. “Liana,” I heard her say, and I broke free from whatever force had my mind slogging through haze.
“Aisling,” I turned my head back, watching the soldier drag her from her cell. Her eyes glistened in a face covered with layers of dirt. Her reddish-brown hair looked dull—muted. My breath caught at the sight of her gown.Mygown. The one I had lent her to go see Valin. Stained with blood and torn—one of the shoulder pieces detached, left to hang over her breast with frayed edges.
What have I done?
“What’s happening?” she cried, needing little prodding to fall into step beside the soldier shoving her down the hall.
My chin quivered, and I didn’t take my eyes from hers as I said, “I’m so sorry.”
Aisling eyes widened. She hung her head and cried. And I couldn’t look anymore. Couldn’t bear to see the pain I’d caused written in each tear that fell.
I reigned in my urge to sob. That wasn’t how I would go down. They wouldn’t want that.
Alaric. Kade. Tiernan. Finn.
They’d want me to be strong. To stare the Mad King in the face when he killed me. So, I would. And I would smile because though my males couldn’t save me—they’d make damn sure they avenged me.
