Symond blinked. “A… gift?”
“Yes, a parting gift. Consider it my acknowledgment of your… loyalty.” He gestured toward the door. “Fifteen minutes. Do whatever you like. Finally get the revenge you crave. That you deserve.”
Deserve?The word caught him off guard, burrowing into his thoughts like a thorn itself. Revenge, yes. He craved it, burned with the need to make Elora suffer as he had. Butdeserve? Was he owed revenge? For what? For being Thorn’s favorite target? For every time he was knocked down, beaten raw, left to crawl back on his own while she walked through it all untouched?
His previous thought of just leaving was already paper-thin, but now, with this opportunity before him, it threatened to crumble his resolve entirely. He clamped his eyes shut, trying desperately to shut Thorn out.I don’t have to do this. I can’t let him use me anymore. Just leave.
As if Thorn could see his hesitation, he continued, “You’ve always been a smart boy, Symond. Ever wonder why she always walked away unscathed? Why you were punished more than anyone else?” Thorn whispered, with a hint of conspiracy laced throughout. “Come now. Surely, you’ve thought about it.”
Symond’s eyes shot open, narrowing with a blend of confusion and simmering anger. “Of course.”
“Every punishment she earned, every lash, every moment of pain was inflicted on you instead.”
Symond’s mind reeled, struggling to process what he’d just heard. “What?” he breathed. He sensed the ground tilting beneath him, his entire body growing cold as the realization sank in.All those times… all the pain…He’d endured it thinking it was all his own failure, his own weakness. But it had beenhers.
“Why?” Symond demanded, forgetting the authority of the man in front of him. “Why would you do that?”
Thorn shrugged, the gesture casual, almost bored. “Politics. The only thing that matters now is whether you want your fifteen minutes, Symond. Or will you walk away, knowing your pain should have been hers all along?”
Symond’s hands shook, the urge to turn and leave replaced by a white-hot anger that burned through his veins. He’d wanted to let go, to move on, but now the thought of leaving without making her pay felt unbearable, like swallowing glass. Fifteen minutes wasn’t nearly enough time. Hell, the rest of eternity wouldn’t be enough. But he knew this was all Thorn would offer.
The words came out before he could stop it; before he could second-guess. “I want it,” he hissed through clenched teeth.
Thorn’s smile grew, a dark satisfaction gleaming in his eyes as he reached for the door. The lock clicked open, and he stepped aside, motioning for Symond to enter.
“Then enjoy it, Symond,” He didn’t wait for a reply, turning on his heel and striding away down the hall, leaving Symond standing at the threshold.
All he saw was red. The years of seemingly unwarranted punishments finally made sense. Whatever sick politics were at play had landed him at the receiving end of Thorn and his captain’s cruelty. All because of her. Hewasowed revenge, and tonight, she would get a glimpse of the pain he’d endured for so long.
Chapter 10
Elora
Elora drifted in an uneasy sleep, the events of the ceremony replaying behind her closed eyes, the black flames burning in her mind. She turned in her bed, the thin sheet tangled around her legs, the cold air brushing against her bare arms. Then she heard it: a soft creak and the unmistakable sound of her door swinging open. Her eyes fluttered, and she held her breath as she squinted into the darkness.
At first, she told herself it was just another layer of sleep, a fractured piece of her mind playing tricks. But then a shape emerged in the doorway, just outside that sliver of moonlight, the kind that doesn’t pretty up dark corners.
“Symond?” Her voice came out strangled, a raspy whisper smothered by the remnants of sleep. She pushed herself up on her elbows, blinking hard as shadows wrestled with her vision. He was just standing there—still, like a statue. The doorway framed him, highlighting the tension that came off him like static. It made her skin crawl, a warning sign flashing in the back of her mind. Something wasn’t right. The darkness in his eyes was unfamiliar,unsettling, and her thoughts spun, grasping for some explanation, some context, but there was none.
He didn’t say a word; he simply stepped through the door, allowing it to shut behind him. Elora hoisted herself up, her back pressing firmly against the cool, smooth surface of the headboard. “What are you doing here?” she asked, trying to keep her voice steady, but it came out sharper, edged with the fear she couldn’t quite hide.
Symond’s lips curled into a tight, bitter smile. “I thought I’d pay you a visit.” He took another step closer, and Elora’s fingers instinctively gripped the sheets tighter, her heart pounding in her chest, sending off distress signals.Where is Tehvan? He has to know something is wrong. He always knows.
“What do you want?” she demanded, though the shakiness in her tone betrayed her. The weight of his gaze pinned her in place, her thoughts spiraling into unsettling possibilities she dared not voice.
Symond didn’t answer. Instead, he reached out, grabbing the edge of her sheet and yanking it away. Elora flinched, pulling her knees up to her chest. He stood beside her bed, leaning in so close she felt the heat of his breath against her cheek. She turned her face just enough to escape his intense stare, but there was no sanctuary, no retreat from his suffocating presence.
“You’ve always been protected, haven’t you?” he hissed. “Shielded from everything. From Thorn, from the punishments, from the pain.” His eyes blazed with a primal intensity, a volatile brew of fury and betrayal that contorted his face into something horrifyingly unfamiliar. “Do you know how many lashes I’ve taken becauseof you?”
Elora’s throat was parched and raw, her thoughts churning as she struggled to grasp the implications of his words. “What are you talking about?”
“Every time you messed up, every rule you broke,Ipaid the price. I thought I was being punished for my own failures, but no—it was all because ofyou.” He spat the last word like a curse.
Because of me?Her thoughts whirled chaotically, grappling for some form of defense, some kind of rationale. Nothing seemed to make sense.Why would he endure my punishments? No... that wasn’t possible. Tehvan wouldn’t let that happen.
Before she had a chance to fully comprehend what was happening, he delivered a sharp blow to her cheek, the force of the slap reverberating painfully and causing her head to jerk violently to the side. The shock of it left her momentarily dazed, and as she registered a bitter taste of iron, she realized her lip had split against her teeth.
“Symond, stop,” she managed, but he only laughed.
