“You could?—”
Even in the darkness, her eagerness leeched into me as she hung on my every word.
“Yes, I could.” Her hands loosened the chain around my neck. “But I won’t.”
Rage erupted inside of me. I threw my head back, narrowly missing her chin. I screamed and tried to right myself, but she hovered just out of reach, still bathing me in the temptation of her light.
“The Collectors are your responsibility, no?” She waved toward the shadows, drawing the spirits out. Sharp hands ratcheted back around my wrists, ankles, neck. Probing fingers sank deep into the grooves between my muscles and latched on. “But if you’ve had enough, you just need to say it. Tell me.”
The chains tightened, my feet dragged closer toward my hands, contorting my spine.
“Aren’t you tired, Tam?”
The pressure intensified. My shoulders were wrenched back to the point of popping, the joint creaking with every eked millimeter.
“No.” It was a whimper when I wanted to sound strong and defiant.
“Such a shame.” She tsked, sucking the sound through her lips. “Well, we have seen each other in situations such as this in the past, have we not? And you always find a way to slither through.”
“Without your help,” I whispered.
She tittered, her voice resuming its deadly, yet airily persuasive quality. My stomach flipped. If only the pain would intensify so I’d black out and be unable to hear what was coming.
“Unfortunately, I gave this bounty to you with the best intentions. Although nowhere near as fun, I have a number of equally qualified candidates lined up. They are literally chomping at the bit to get ahold of this assignment. And considering the...” She tugged on the chains and my shoulders screamed in protest, “imminent danger you find yourself in, it makes sense to bump up the deadline. Don’t you think?”
Finally, the pressure on the chains loosened and I groaned, slumping back to the dirty floor.
“It may not seem fair now, my dear, but there’s not really anything I can do about it. If you won’t join me, you’ll continue to work for me instead.” She glided closer and began stroking my hair again.
“Don’t you set the rules?” I jerked my head away, her fingers slipping through the tangled curls.
She laughed. “Well, yes, I suppose I do.” She turned my chin toward her to kiss me on the mouth. It had been a long time since she’d kissed me, but my body remembered. I softened, barely a fraction, but she felt it. “You have until midnight on the day of the wedding to complete the bounty. Three full days should be plenty. Until next time, Tam.”
Her warmth disappeared, the scent of lilies rotting in the dank air. I pulled at the chains, digging furrows in my neck, forcing my throat to constrict. I screamed into the darkness, hearing not even a muffled echo return.
Eventually, exhaustion won out and my eyelids fluttered closed.
As soon as I drifted off, the chains tightened, and I moved.
I remained rigid, the pressure around my neck loosening enough to allow shallow breaths. I was dragged face down across the dirt, dust and ash embedding in my nostrils, lining my sinuses, my throat, my lungs. My bound hands scratched against the ceiling, splinters giving way to rough stone.
I was inside the floor but travelling upward toward the new castle again.
My heart thumped and a brief flash of hope warmed me. Maybe Siobhan was giving me another chance. Small pockets of foggy light speared through holes in the floor, dimly illuminating the way. The spirits were still invisible, but they no longer touched me, even though their marks were burned onto my skin. Their touch lingered with every swallow and twitch of my body.
Should I scream for Lilyanna? For Clement? The smell of roses was overpowering again so I must be close.
The chains tightened around my wrists, catching the flesh between the links. I stifled a cry, keeping my body taut.
Suddenly, the floor disappeared, and I plunged headfirst. Before I could scream, I was jerked upward, my body hitting the floor, but my face left intact. I continued horizontally again, the stone above my head transitioning to wood planks as the air chilled.
I was in the old part of the castle and lower than before.
I thrashed against the chains, my heels connecting with the shaft, and my whole body jerked to a stop. The pressure on my neck tightened, squeezing air from my throat. I tried to claw at the chains, but my hands only twitched uselessly behind my back.
I forced my body to relax, to silently promise the spirits I’d behave but nothing came out.
The chain was tugged hard once more, and I was squeezed from the shaft, collapsing in a heap on the floor. They loosened just enough for me to drag in oxygen. I gagged and choked, wheezing in dust-laden air while I lay on the hard-packed earth, my body wracked, the blood stagnant in my veins.
