How could he have sacrificed his people, his family, to one of the most evil forces in the realm? I punched the stony wall, then winced at the sting. Did he destroy an entire kingdom merely to spite Hathor and kill the sacred arbor? Yaga was right. Alaric deserved his punishment. A thousand years wasn’t long enough.
Regardless, I didn’t have time to ponder it all. Not with The Dark One’s general due any minute.
Come on, Serafina. Thorne needs you.
While I’d been hesitant to harm the trogg, it was time to flex my magical muscles. I scooted Speck’s cot to the far wall, stoodin front of him like a shield, and aimed my palms at the door of my cell.
Imagining Alaric’s face where the bars rested, I tapped into my magic and launched a ball of white energy against the door. Light exploded, shattered embers sparking before me. I coughed mold and dust from my lungs. Finally, the haze cleared.
The bars remained.
Wracked with despair, I slumped against Speck’s cot, sitting on the edge. Stupid warding. I’d have to find a different way.
“You.” Speck’s gravelly voice was startling in the quiet. He peered at me with unseeing eyes. The straps restraining his wrists and ankles were intact, though his sedative had worn off. Without access to my herbs, I couldn’t give him another dose.
He looked so small, resting on his cot. Since his transformation, he’d grown pale, his cheeks hollow, eyes bruised and sunken. And his hands…
I smoothed the back of his hand, and his fingers twitched. Like the other ghouls, his nails were now thick and blackened, tools the creatures used to burrow through the earth.
“What shall I do, Speck? In a short time, I’ve gone from slave to handmaiden to prisoner. And through it all, I’ve been a fool. And who do you think is to blame?”
“You,” he groaned.
“That’s right. Me. I allowed Alaric to play upon my sympathies, growing complacent in my captivity here. What with the warm bed, endless food, and false sense of security.” Hadn’t I done the same at Rottbarry, trading freedom for safety? Afraid of what would happen should I succeed in my plans to escape.
Once again, I found myself in similar circumstances. I should have known better. Fought harder. “Now I truly am the dragon’s captive. And Thorne is—” My voice broke, hot tears burning my eyes.
Stop it.I cursed at myself, grinding my knuckles into my eyeballs. Crying would achieve nothing.
There had to be a way out of here. Time to take stock of my surroundings. Work with what I had at my disposal. Cot, chair, bedding, my clothes? All useless. At least I was allowed to change out of that absurd dress and into the clothing Thorne gifted me. Otherwise, I would likely freeze to death.
I glanced at the remains of the breakfast Myrna had brought me earlier when I’d sat with Speck. The dishes had yet to be cleared. Nibbling on a crust of bread were a pair of rats. I shivered and drew my feet up on the cot. An image of Speck holding a rat in The Dark One’s prison flashed in my mind. How he’d gobbled it up like one of Cookie’s honey cakes. My stomach churned, my mind twisting as well.
I really didn’t want to consider this, but what other option did I have?
After spending the last few days in the dungeon, Speck had to be starving. It was a long shot and risky. Speck could easily turn on me instead. Still, it was a chance I had to take.
Quick whack of my boot, and I dispatched both of my uninvited guests.
“Sorry, guys. I promise your lives won’t be wasted.”
Speck’s head turned sharply, and his nostrils twitched. Black drool glistened at the corner of his mouth. Goddess, forgive me.
I unbuckled his ankles, then held one limp rat by the tail, forcing my voice steady. “Look what I’ve got for you, buddy.”
He lurched upright with startling speed and ripped it from my hand. I gagged as his teeth crunched down, bones splintering.Don’t puke, Sera. Not now.
While he devoured the first, I freed his wrist and dangled the second rat near the door. His head snapped toward me, black eyes locked. He sniffed, low and feral. My heart pounded so hard I was sure he heard it.
“Here, boy,” I coaxed, voice trembling. “Come get the tasty rodent.”
He staggered forward, drawn by scent and hunger. At the lastmoment, I tossed the rat through the bars. It landed just beyond the threshold.
I held my breath. Speck dropped to his knees and clawed at the dirt. Earth sprayed, the muscles in his shoulders moving efficiently. My palms itched with the urge to clap and cheer, but I bit it back.
Moments later, he wriggled out the other side, snatched his reward, and tore into it with greedy abandon.
Relief flooded me so hard my knees weakened. There was no time to waste. I crawled into the tunnel and slipped free of the cell. “Thank you, friend,” I whispered. “I’ll come back for you—I swear it. Just hang on.”
