“With the inhibitor,” I say. “Why do you even bother if it makes you dependent on getting a fix?”
He smiles, making his face seem even more gruesome than it already is. “You already know the answer to your question. Didn’t you feel it? What Jade can do? You become invincible. The rush is unlike any other—three parts invulnerability, one part bliss. Mother’s milk to any soldier.”
I remember the feeling that had swept through me when the Scav had injected me. True, the high had been indescribable, leading me to feel like I could conquer the world. I’d felt strong. Fearless. And the pleasure had been infinite. But I couldn’t imagine being so dependent on that feeling, even if I could control it.
My thoughts flash to my magic, and I flinch, shaking my head. It’snotthe same. I’m not addicted to using my power. In fact, I have no desire to use it at all, no matter how tough it makes me feel. But I can’t deny the rush of omnipotence it brings or the thrilling taste of the invincibility sluicing through my veins.
“Suraya, get the ring of keys and come in here.” Aran’s voice filters into the room.
I meet the captain’s eyes. “I told you,” he says with another smug grin.
Without hesitating, I grab the Scav’s heavy key ring. As I walk down the corridor, the feeling of uneasiness intensifies, curdling in my stomach like spoiled milk. I enter the adjacent hall, which contains only two sealed cells. One is empty, but the other is not.
I peer through the thin bars to see a body lying in the middle of the space—a human body. Roshan is crouched down in front of the cell door, gripping the iron. Every nerve in my body goes on alert.
“Do you know who it is?” I ask. An ashen Aran nods.
“Open it,” Roshan rasps out, a shocked expression on his face. “We need to be sure.”
Frowning, I use the captain’s key to open the lock. The door swings open with a soft creak.
The prisoner doesn’t move, only moans softly. He has cropped dark hair, and he’s clad in a band of linen draped over his hips, similar to what Aran had worn earlier. His body, though grimy, is slender but muscular. I prod his bare foot with the tip of my toe. He moans again and then rolls toward us.
Everything inside of me freezes as a heavy-lidded ice-blue gaze collides with mine. Eyes that are imminently recognizable.Holy fucking shit.When he faces us fully, a gasp shudders out of me at the sight of the unsightly burns on one side of his face that stretch down to his neck all the way to his chest. Guilt and horror rush through me; I’d put those there. Clenching my jaw, I shove those feelings away. He’d put his hands on me, and I’d defended myself. All actions have consequences, and he’d met his.
Javed.The king of Oryndhr.
“What in the flaming fires of Droon is he doing here?” I whisper out loud, rocking back onto my heels. Stupefied, I turn to Roshan. “It’s him, right?”
“Yes.”
“I didn’t believe my eyes at first.” Aran exhales. “How did they capture him? He never would have left Kaldari, not without his kingsguard.”
“He went after me,” I deduce, my mind racing. “He knew that Coban would be the first place I’d go, and he must have tried to get there in secret... and the Scavs intercepted him somehow.” I throw Aran the captain’s belt. “Give him a shot of the inhibitor, and you take one, too, for good measure.”
Aran blinks, gripping the strap. “Where are you going?”
“To get some answers,” I say grimly.
There’s sly satisfaction on the big Scav’s face, and the gash on his throat ripples as he chuckles at my return. I swallow my revulsion and school my expression. “Why do you have the king of Oryndhr?”
“Come now, young warrior,” he drawls. “Surely you understand the ways of the Dustlands. Nothing comes for free.”
“You’re in a cage,” I counter.
“And my mouth is my own.”
“And what if I cut your tongue from your mouth?” I respond silkily.
He draws his finger along the raw, lacerated flesh of his throat. “You think I’m afraid of pain? No, little one, out here you must give me something for the price of my information. A question for a question should be sufficient.”
“What is it you wish to know?”
“What are you?” Curiosity glitters in his eyes. Curiosity... and avarice.
“A woman.”
“Not entirely so. That glow from your body, what was it?”
