Fin struggled against Cas, but the Prince showed no signs of pain or intention to release him. “Apologize,” Cas said, voice slow and low. “I’m already serving punishment for killing your comrade, I have nothing more to lose if I kill you too.”
The kingsmen had their swords out in a flash, the metal singing through the silence. Cheers erupted from the other cells. “Kill them!” someone called. “Kill the kingsmen!”
Sawyer exhaled, releasing Fin’s words with the breath.
You’re more like your mother than you know, then.
“One day, Finigan. One day I’ll kill you, and it will bring me so much joy to finally never have to see you again.” Sawyer tapped
Cas's arm. “But that day is not today.” Cas released him, then pushed him forward.
Fin glared at them both, rubbing at his neck between labored breaths. “You have five minutes before I tell your father you’re down here.”
“Just go do it now, asshole. We both know you need to kiss his ass daily.”
The man clenched his jaw, his eyes narrowing on her. “You were a good commander, you know.” He strode past her, sure to shove her aside. “Too bad it got to your head.”
Sawyer waited until the dungeon's door clicked shut and the kingsmen beyond it scattered before she slammed a fiery fist into the wall. “Pricks.”
A sigh resounded through the dimness as Cas slumped against the cell’s far wall.
Sawyer was too busy imagining all the ways she could pummel Fin to notice the kingsmen had locked the cell door before they left.
She sank to the ground in front of it and looked at Cas. “You look like shit.”
“So do you.”
Sawyer frowned at her gown. “This dress comes straight from Ventry, you jerk. It’s pure feather silk.”
Cas inched sideways then slid himself to the ground. “Exactly.”
This wasn't the Prince of Eswin’s first time in the dungeons. In fact, it was that very fact that made Sawyer follow him down here, to make sure the memories didn't implode the little grip on himself he regained through years of careful healing.
His mother and sister had been down here after his father’s execution. They had been down here for months, all of which Cas had spent mostly where Sawyer sat, reaching, yearning to be reunited with his only remaining family. When they disappeared, that thread of humanity Cas held on to vanished with them.
Sawyer looked around at the neighboring cell. It was empty save for a tray of rotting food, presumably from its previous dweller. The firelight along the hall shone amber but seemed cold, not an ounce of warmth emanating from a single corner of the subterranean space.
She traced circles on the dirt beneath her. “What’s your sentence?”
Cas's head lolled toward her. “Hmm?”
“What did my father tell you?”
He slid his hand behind his head. “After his kingsmen beat me with barbed whips? Nothing. Just threw me in that cage. I learned about my participation in the Vows at the same time everyone else did.”
Sawyer couldn't hide the grimace, anger permeating through her features. “Cas, I'm so fucking sorry.”
“Don't be. It’s not your fault.”
“He’s myfather. I??—”
“Sawyer, it was always like this.” Cas sighed. “Before we left, it was like this. He cycles through us like seasons. We all suffer.” He looked at her, all the times she had been in his position hanging thickly in the damp air. “Including you.”
Clenching her jaw, she shook her head. “He will only get worse now there’s an heir.”
Cas managed a dry laugh. “Obviously.”
Although the cover of darkness helped, the man wasn't as good at hiding his emotions as he thought.
