Lana
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
Even after all these years, the dripping never stopped. Hearing the splatter of the water droplets on the cool stone still sent shivers up my spine.
The memories of the dungeon, of this particular cell and the horrors committed against Ian and me would never be forgotten. The pain would remain etched into every fiber of my being. The walls permanently soiled with what had been done here.
Every panic attack. Every nightmare. Every moment of self-doubt. They all stemmed from the torture I’d received in this very cell.
None of it had mattered in the end though. The words of a hate-filled, cruel man meant nothing now. I worked harder every day, overcame every obstacle, and in the end, even got my own fucking magic.
Andras would never win now, and he would never see the light of day again.
He stood chained against the wall, arms above his head. Despite the blood dripping from his ear and the black eye, he still laughed, eying each of us with arrogance despite his precarious position.
“Play all you want, Princess,” Andras spat. “Thames will be here soon to stop this farce, and then you will truly understand what pain and suffering is. What I did to you will look like child’s play.”
As much as I wanted to let my emotions take control, I knew I couldn’t let him see that part of me. He knew all too well I had let feelings rule my decision-making in the past. He would never get a reaction out of me ever again.
I leaned coolly against the bars of the cell. “Ah, well, you see, there’s just one problem with that little plan. You’d have to be alive in order for Thames to save you, and I don’t intend on letting you breathe for that much longer.”
Andras sneered at us, his tattered purple robes falling off his shoulder. “I have served faithfully for years, and that kind of loyalty means something. I will be rescued and you will benothing.” His shouts echoed in the dungeon as he pulled against the chains at his wrist, but he couldn’t go far.
Ian unlocked the cell door, allowing it to creak open. He paused, closing his eyes once. I wanted to reach for him, but with Andras watching our every move, I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of seeing any of us hesitate.
He said nothing as he stepped inside. Kade followed close behind, his shadows remaining ready just in case Andras got out of hand. The rest of our friends stayed outside, waiting. We were all exhausted from the battle, yet still we found the energy to care for the wounded and reestablish a chain of command. We’d worked until the middle of the night before starting to go our separate ways. Kade and I put people we trusted into place tostart securing the palace and searching it to ensure the dark ones were gone. We all needed respite. Time to sleep. Time to heal.
Yet every one of them remained here by my side now, in the early morning hours.
With careful steps, I moved toward Kade and faced Andras. “Perhaps if you answer some of our questions, we will make your death a little less… How should I put this? Drawn out? Painful? Take your pick.” Crossing my arms over my chest, Apollo practically hummed in its sheath, beckoning me to use it, as if the darkness called to it. But I wouldn’t use it just yet.
“Like I would tell you anything.” Andras sneered.
I nodded toward Ian, and he walloped Andras in his side. He must have knocked the air out of his lungs, because the coward was already gasping.
I waited a moment, picking at some dirt under my nail. “Ready to begin, then? What is Thames’s weapon?”
Andras paused for a split second, barely enough time to register the confusion crossing his expression. “If by weapon you mean me, or Kade, or his army of dark ones, then there you have it. We were created by him, for him.”
“Again, Ian,” I commanded to my friend, who smashed his fist into Andras’s side once more. I swore I heard a rib crack. “Now, Andras, didn’t your mother ever tell you it was in poor form to lie? Let’s try this again. What is hidden at Firestone?”
Andras couldn’t mask the confusion this time. I hadn’t imagined it a moment ago. “If Thames had a weapon, I would certainly know about it. I think you’re making up lies, girl.”
Kade stepped forward and swung at the pitiful royal advisor, splitting his lip. Blood, dark and thick, dripped slowly down his chin. “Your queen asked you a question.”
I stepped forward and put my hand on Kade’s shoulder, smiling. “It’s all right Kade, he doesn’t know. Clearly, he’s notall that useful to Thames, not even knowing about this big secret weapon.” I sauntered back to the edge of the cell.
Andras pulled against the chains as if he could get to me. “Iamimportant.”
Turning back to face him, I wrinkled my nose, not bothering to hide the disgust that came any time I thought of this man. “Not important enough, it seems.” Placing my hands on my hips, admiring the scene before me. Oh, how the tables had turned.
Andras didn’t falter. He remained strong in his conviction, raising his chin in a pathetic attempt at defiance. I heard my friends snicker outside of the cell. They would have their moment too.
“This is what’s going to happen. Every single one of my friends will exact whatever punishment they deem fit for the crimes you committed against them. I will sit here and watch. Then, when they are done and have had their fill, I will end your miserable excuse for a life.”
