The implication behind his words made my skin crat. I doubt that The only expression on
fare when we first ext
Then you must have a really good memory
I refused to be drawn into stufner
I playing. “Where is this heading to?“:
His hand shot out, gripping my chin with bruising force. A sharp true. I love to see how you would look without it.” Mis fingers dug into my skin. “Your mother had tried to poison and murder mes could you explain why?”
I met his gaze despite the fear coursing through me: “She did nothing.
e responsible had been killed.
“A woman was killed, yes, hut he one responsible wasn t.” His lip curled in disgust. “Your mother had been in my room. How couldn’t I tell? I can never forget that scent.” He released my chin, stepping back. “My son is either growing weak or trying to spita
Is it a shame you couldn’t ask my mother this question yourself? challenged, desperate to keep the conversation away from detach that might endanger her further
I would have, but she is under Kalus’s protections, so it could be quite… difficult,” he replied, seeming almost amused by the of cat and mouse we were playing
A surge of pride gave me courage. “It hadn’t been difficult for her to get to you.”
“Hell hath no fury like a woman seeking revenge,” he quoted, his smile cold.
My fear gave way to righteous anger. “You should be ashamed of yourself.” I straightened as much as my bindings would allow. “If you hoped to get anything from me then apologies your royal highness, I know nothing, so whatever you have to do, make it quick
Alaric’s eyes gleamed with anticipation. “Quick No. That’s not going to happen. This would be a very long day. But first we talk. 1 ask the questions, and you answer.”
“Go fuck yourself,” I spat.
Hetsked, unaffected by my defiance. “I am disappointed; my son didn t train you the way I did his mother. Perhaps I could help with
My stomach turned at his implication, but I refused to show weakness. “Very funny you keep referring to him as your son; does he still remember that? Dues he still remember that you are his father?
Something dangerous flashed in his eyes. “Very funny coming from you, seeing as you don’t have a father. He leaned closer, his breath hot against my face. “Have you ever wondered who he was? It could be anyone–a road side drunkard, a soldier, a captive,
I recoiled, horror washing through me at the suggestion.
“I must admit that breaking her was my biggest hobby,” he continued, clearly enjoying my disgust.
“Stop,” I whispered, unable to bear the th
the thought of my mother in his power.
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“You know what I liked doing best? I liked giving her false hope, I like making her believe there was going to be a future, before snatching it away right before her very eyes.”
“Stop talking. My voice
“How much
stronger with each word.
tell you she tell you about me? Did she tell you how she fell in love over and over again, only to end up in tears? Did she
I took everything she had over loved, making her a shell of the person she once was?”
“Shut up, you bastard!” I strained against my bonds, fury temporarily overwhelming fear,
Alaric’s smile widened at my reaction. “You are right. There is not rich in talk about; I’d rather give you a taste. I do not think my son had ever done it the right way—our way,”
He reached for me, his intent unmistakable. I jerked back as far as my bindings would allow. “Touch me and you are dead.”
“And
my skin crawl
who’s going to kill me
me? You will be long dead before then,” he plied, his fingers trailing down my cheek in a touch that made
I miss this too; you scent so much like her,” he murmured, leaning to inhale deeply near my throat.
I closed my eyes for just a moment, then snapped them open, steeling myself against whatever cruelty he had planned. My jaw clenched tight, muscles tensing as I prepared not just to endure, but to fight.
The sound of his communicator interrupted whatever he’d intended next. Alaric stepped back, irritation flashing across his features ́as he checked the device.
“Well continue this shortly,” he said, heading for the door. “Don’t go anywhere.” He chuckled at his own joke, locking the door
behind him.
Alone, I fought against panic, testing my bonds again with increasing desperation. Time seemed to stretch endlessly, marked only by the irregular dripping of water somewhere in the darkness and the frantic beating of my heart.
When the door opened again, I braced myself for Alaric’s return. Instead, a veiled figure slipped inside, moving with quiet urgency
Ophelia.
I blinked, certain I was hallucinating. Kaius’s mother was the last person I expected to see.
“Quick, get out of here; he might be back soon,” she whispered, producing a knife from beneath her flowing robes. In seconds, she had cut through the ropes binding me.
“Why are you helping me?” 1 rubbed my wrists, wincing as circulation returned painfully.
This is not
ot because of you.” Her scarred face, visible beneath the partially lifted veil, was set in determined lines.
I know it is for your son… I began.
—No, not for him.” She cut me off, shoving a small bundle into my hands–clothes, I realized; to replace my torn and dirty ones.
“I do this for your mother. Now go!”
I changed quickly, my mind spinning with questions. Ophelia knew my mother? Before I could ask anything further, she pressed key into my palm.
This will get you to the entrance. Head east through the forest. They re looking for you there.” She pulled her veil back into place, concealing her scarred features once more,
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Chapter 95
Thank you.” I whispered, tout between gratitude and condition
She nodded once, then gestured Impatiently for me to hurry. I slipped out the door, heart pounding a 1 navigated the unfamiliar corridors of the dungeon. The stone passageways twisted and formed, it only by sporadic torches that rast long shade
damp walls. The air was thick with the smell of mildew and something worse–fear, perhaps, or despair. I passed cells with in hars. averting my eyes from the dark shapes huddled within some of them
Every shadow held the threat of discovery, every sound the potential of Alaric’s return.
But luck, or perhaps Ophelia’s planning, was with me. I reached the raitance without incident, unlocking it with trembling hands. Cool night air washed over me as I stepped outside, stars (winkling overhead in a sky that seemed impossibly vast after my confinement.
East, she had said. I oriented myself by the stars as my mother had ught me long ago, then plunged into the forest without looking back.
And in the distance, barely visible through the trees, a flicker of muyment caught my eye. A massive black wolf stood sentinel at the edge of a clearing, amber eyes scanning the forest with desperate intensity.
I ran faster.
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