It was the black wooden throne with intricate stars cut into the wood, and the man sitting upon it, that made her see red.
“Move!” The Guard pushed her again in the back, grazing her wounded arm, causing her to gasp from the pain.
Putting one foot in front of the other, she stepped onto the marble floors, her heels clacking on the hard stone. She picked up her head, rolling her shoulders back as she marched forward.
The man on the throne glared at her, his dark eyes brewing with detestation. A golden crown adorned with glittering Starlight crystals sat upon his head. He wore a robe of furs, the sleeves widening at his wrists. His hands rested on the arms of the throne, flexing with every step she took toward him. Evilcoursed in the air around him as dark shadows crept around the throne.
The clanking of the chains from her manacles echoed off the marble walls, and the Guards near the man tensed, arms resting on their swords. They were afraid of her.
Good, she thought, smirking at them.
“Stop!” the Guard behind her ordered, yanking on her manacle chain.
Her arm screamed, but she bit down on her cheek until she tasted blood.
“Bow!” he commanded, pulling her downward with the chain.
Her feet faltered, but she managed not to topple over as she was forced to her knees. She kept her gaze fixed on the man before her, piercing him with daggers.
“Leave us!” the king shouted, looking at the Guards next to him.
They hesitated, hands still resting on their blades.
“Now!” he yelled, face red.
The Guards scurried away from the throne, exiting through a door behind her. The Guard behind her shifted but did not move as he loomed over her.
She smirked at the man on the throne, unblinking. “Hello, Uncle.”
Maelrik clenched his teeth, gripping the arms of the throne—herthrone—so tight his knuckles paled. “Astraia Solenne. Alive, I see.”
“Sorry to disappoint.”
“You were always a disappointment,” he snapped. “No matter. A minor inconvenience that will soon be remedied.” He looked over her head, at the Guard behind her, and gestured for him to come forward. “Levi, you have served me well. You have delivered the most dangerous traitor to me, and you will be greatly rewarded.”
Boots rang out on the marble as the Guard stepped from behind her. She felt heat rushing to her face, knowing this Guard had a hand in her capture and likely the capture of Draven. She had not seen signs of her hunter, and her stomach dropped at the idea that he might be dead. She gritted her teeth, pushing damning thoughts deep down into the abyss of her mind, where her darkest thoughts stayed.
Her chin tipped up. She would not allow herself to spiral. Breathing slowly, she stiffened as metal armor moved next to her, preparing to memorize the Guard’s face so she could tear it off him one day.
As the Guard came into view, his head was covered with a helmet, obscuring his face. He knelt before the false king, bowing his head.
“Rise, Levi. Stand at my right hand. You have earned it.” The king gestured toward the side of the throne, and the Guard stood, walking over to his new position. “And remove your helmet, Levi. I wish the traitor to see her captor before she is thrown into Pyrgos so she may see your face in her nightmares.”
Astraia paled, her stomach plummeting. Pyrgos was the tower of the forsaken. The stone dungeon on the farthest part of the castle. Where men and women were tortured into madness or locked away until the world forgot their names. The stone tower was endued with stardust, making it impenetrable from the outside or inside—and he was sending her there. Death would have been more merciful.
Her gaze drifted to the Guard. His hands hesitantly rose, sliding off his helmet.
And amber pools looked back at her.
Astraia could not breathe. Her heart cracked in her chest. Her pulse froze in her veins. The room around her closed in, and she was suddenly hot, sweat beading on her forehead. Shebegan to list to the side, her body slackened as she fought off unconsciousness.
“Astraia Solenne, you will be taken to Pyrgos, where you will give the remainder of your pathetic life in service to the Crown, finishing what my brother started.” The king grinned, his black eyes glistening in the firelight. Shadows appeared to lurk behind him, ready to strike at any goodness left in the world, sinking fangs into noble intentions.
The condemning sentence rang in her ears, but she was unmoved. It made no difference to her now that heartbreaking truths were unveiled.
Her entire soul stared into the eyes of the one man she had broken walls for, healed broken pieces for—only to have them shattered again.
The waves of her mind were a hurricane, forcing the whisper of hope into submission and driving it deeper and deeper until it could not breach the surface for air. The walls she built solidified once again, spiraling up and up until only the Stars could climb them. And her heart, the one that cracked years ago and was mended by breathless embraces under an oak tree—that heart turned cold.
