‘I had a few questions for him, so I took him to the prison tower,’ he explained. ‘It is the most suitable place for that sort of thing.’
Eda eyed the weapons on his lap. She could get to them if she needed to. But then what? Would she threaten him?Killhim? ‘Does Prince Becket know you have imprisoned one of his guests?’
Roger stood, gaze dropping. She felt exposed despite the sheet covering her.
‘I will be the one asking the questions this morning.’ He gestured to the clothing on the floor. ‘Get dressed. I shall be waiting for you in the corridor.’
He left without a fuss, the door clicking closed behind him.
Eda’s mind raced as she looked from the dress on the floor to the window. She could climb up and squeeze through it if she needed to. But she did not even know where the prison tower was or how many guards stood between her and Roul. It was better to play the helpless woman for now.
Someone pounded on the door. ‘Let’s go!’ There were guards waiting for her on the other side.
Eda slipped from the bed, but instead of picking up the dress from the floor, she pulled the far more conservative one from her bag. There was no chance she was doing this with her breasts on display. Dressing quickly, she shoved her feet into her boots, then searched her bag for a spare dagger. Nothing. It seemed someone else had already been through it. She pressed her palm to her forehead and took a moment to breathe. Then, straightening, she pushed her hair back from her face and tucked it behind her ears. There was no time to pin it.
She fetched her cloak, then pulled the door open. Two guards waited with Lord Roger. Never a good sign. Lifting her chin, she said, ‘I won’t answer any of your questions until I see Commander Thornton.’
Roger eyed her coolly. ‘Whatever power you think you have right now, think again. You are in no position to be making demands.’ He gestured with his head. ‘Start walking.’
One of the guards took hold of her arm. She tried to pull free, but he held tight. She could have had him on the ground gasping for air with a few simple moves, but that would not help Roul. She needed to save the fight for a time when it was beneficial.
The party descended the stairs at the end of the corridor into the inner bailey. They were back indoors soon after, climbing up another set of stairs and emerging onto an open walkway. A bitter wind blew in off the sea. She blinked against it while mapping out her surroundings, committing every detail to memory. When they entered the turret at the end, it took her eyes a moment to adjust. Eda’s pulse quickened as they descended another stairwell, passing a number of cells along the way. She searched for Roul in every shadow.
They were halfway to the bottom when the guard pulled her to a stop in front of a cell. It was so dark inside that it took Eda a moment to see the shackled man hanging from a chain. He was shirtless and blood-splattered. He lifted his head at the sound of keys rattling, and Eda sucked in a breath when she recognised Roul.
Blood covered one side of his face, and his eye was swollen. He tensed up upon seeing her, and the chains attached to his feet rattled.
‘All right,’ Lord Roger said, stepping inside. ‘Now we will get some proper answers.’
Eda was led inside.
‘Did they hurt you?’ Those were the first words from Roul’s mouth.
Eda went to reply, but nothing came out.No, no, no. Not now. She shook her head at him.
‘First things first,’ Lord Roger began, clapping his hands together and looking at Eda. ‘What is your real name?’
Her mouth was so dry. She wet her lips and attempted to speak but failed yet again.
‘There is no need to be nervous,’ Roger said. ‘We are all friends here.’
She signed a response because she did not know what else to do and feared they would hurt Roul further if they thought her defiant.
Roger emitted a confused laugh. ‘What is all this?’ He made a mockery of her signs and looked to the guard beside her, who was grinning.
Roul rattled the chain attached to his wrists to get his attention. ‘I’ll answer your questions.’
The lord glanced in his direction. ‘We tried that earlier with little success. Look at the state of you. And all we got was your name. Now I am suddenly supposed to trust what you say?’
‘She can’t speak right now, so I’m all you’ve got.’
Lord Roger walked over to him, eyes remaining on Eda. ‘Yourname.’
Eda, she signed, knowing it was pointless.
Roger threw his elbow up, and it connected with Roul’s jaw. His head snapped back on impact, and a breath later, blood trickled from his mouth. Eda lurched at the lord, but the guard yanked her backwards.
‘Name!’ Roger shouted.
