I couldn't help but smile. "Okay. I'll do what you say."
Olei contentedly buried his face in my neck and didn't say anything more. I kissed the top of his head, a fierce emotion surging through me.
For this child, I couldn't break. No matter what, I had to get out of here.
The sky outside went completely dark. The servants took Olei back to his own room. I leaned against the headboard, waiting quietly.
I knew he would come.
Sure enough, before long, the door opened. Silas walked in holding a glass of warm milk. He set the milk on the nightstand, then sat in the chair by the bed.
"Drink something." He said quietly. "Dr. Reed said you need nutrition."
In the dim light, his face looked even more haggard than during the day.
"Let me go, Silas." My voice was calm.
His deep gray eyes held emotions I couldn't read.
"I don't want to talk about this right now," he said, starting to stand. "I'll come see you tomorrow."
"Don't want to talk about it?" I laughed coldly. "You lock me in here, make breathing painful, and you tell me you don't want to talk about it?"
His body dropped back into the chair. He looked at me. "You're just sick. Take your medicine, and you'll get better."
"I won't get better. I can't stand this anymore!" I said through gritted teeth. "Are you letting me go or not?"
"I told you. Over my dead body." His voice was so low it seemed to come from deep in his chest. "I will never let you go."
I wasn't surprised by his answer, but when those words actually left his mouth, I still felt like I was suffocating. Hatred and despair churned and collided in my chest, finally crystallizing into cold resolve.
"Then die!" I shouted.
Somehow, a shard had appeared in my hand. I lunged from the bed and pressed it against his throat, the sharp edge against his carotid artery. He didn't dodge.
"Let me go." My voice shook. "Or I'll kill you."
I pressed slightly harder. The shard broke his skin, and a thin line of blood seeped from the wound. He still didn't move. Didn't change his answer.
"Do it." He said. "If it sets you free."
I pressed down hard. The shard sank deep into the side of his neck. Blood sprayed out, coating my hand. His body went limp. He slumped in the chair, hand over the wound.
I froze for only a second. Then I jumped from the bed and ran barefoot toward the door. I'd just pulled it open when I ran straight into two guards. I fought desperately to get between them, but they each grabbed one of my arms. No matter how hard I kicked, it was useless. It was over. I couldn't escape.
Then a weak voice came from behind me.
"Let her go."
It was Silas. After speaking, he collapsed on the floor, his breathing stopped, but his deep gray eyes still stared straight at me.
The guards heard the order and immediately released me.
I didn't stay another second. I ran out. Through the hallway, through the great hall, through that door I'd stared at for countless days. Fresh air hit my face. My bare feet slapped the stone path as I ran, ran as hard as I could—
"Anthea." A voice sounded behind me. "Stop trying to leave."
I stopped abruptly. That was Silas's voice. But he was clearly already...
