Time was endless down here. Limitless.
The agony would never end.
The others were chained in cells beside me, but we had given up on talking long ago.
It was useless.
It didn’t change anything.
Time dragged on.
I cursed the fates—and I swore, one day, I would get my revenge.
They had thrown me in this place, and somehow, some way, I would get out.
And when I did, the fates would pay.
The ones who trapped us here would pay.
They would all pay.
“That’s him! Right there!” The grating voice broke through the memory, piercing through my sore mind and yanking me back to the present.
“You’re sure?”
“Yes! See, there’s blood on his cloak!”
I lifted my head, squinting to see what all the commotion was about.
Folk were surrounding me, pointing fingers, a few even waving tools and weapons in my direction like they would wallop me if I attempted to flee.
I knitted my brow in confusion. “What’s going on?” I asked.
“You tried to kill Ginny!”
“Murderer!”
“He’s the one the King warned us about in the missive!”
Murderer? No. And what King? My head throbbed incessantly.
Certainly, Ginger wasn’t dead. Shecouldn’tbe.
The gryphon in charge approached me slowly, his hands behind his back. I glared at him. “Don’t come any closer,” I threatened.
He paused. “It’ll be better for everyone if you come without any trouble.”
“Come where?”
He revealed his hands, and what he was carrying.
Shackles.
My throat went dry.
“No,” I whispered.
“Come with me, Shade. At least until we get this sorted out.”
