“So you guys have nothing,” Daegan says more to himself than anyone. They might have missed it, but there’s a note of disappointment there.
“We have nothing to lose,” Gaethri corrects him, standing tall and proud with his chest protruding. “And all the determination of a wee Dothronite in a Bingman battle.”
I stare at him, perplexed.
“Never mind,” he huffs.
“And yet you’re locked in a cell…”
“For now,” Rhydra replies. She flicks her gaze between us, crossing her arms. “What are you two doing down here? A lovers’ rendezvous? It’s not the most romantic of spots… plus, I never thought I’d witness a dragon shifter and an elf mingling…”
I clear my throat. “That’s not what this is. And it’s not because he’s a dragon, it’s because he’s… him.”
Daegan huffs, as if a laugh is trying to escape him, his expression tinged with mild amusement. “We’re looking for something,” he says. “So, if you don’t mind, we really should be going now.”
My mouth opens as if to speak, but then I find myself not knowing what to say.
“Wait!” Rhydra says. “What about us?”
“What about you?” Daegan shoots back.
“You’re just going to leave us in here?”
“With all due respect, we don’t know you at all. We don’t know why you’re in there. You could have murdered children for all we know.”
“We did not murder children,” Rhydra seethes. “We simply tried to get access to the library, and then we were interrogated and thrown down here.”
“My—” I stop myself. “The king wouldn’t imprison someone for simply trying to read some books.”
Daegan looks at me now, eyebrow quirked like it is half the time he looks at me. Like I’m something that amuses yet perplexes him.
“He wouldn’t,” I assure myself, less sure this time, slowly folding under the weight of their doubt.
Gaethri sighs, then retreats and sits against the wall. My heart drops at the hope that visibly leaves his face. The defeat its left with.
“We’ll talk to him. To the guards,” I offer. “We just need to be sure. If you’ve been imprisoned for the simple crime of wanting to read, then that isn’t right.”
Rhydra’s eyebrows lift with doubt, her forehead creasing in several spots. I notice a few thin whisps of lighter gray hair among her wild red curls. “You’re going to talk to the king?”
“Yes.”
She looks me up and down then, not hiding her disdain. “Who are you?”
“No one of importance,” I reply.
I shift my gaze to Daegan, who I’m surprised to find already watching me. “Ready?”
He offers a quick tip of his chin.
“We won’t leave you here long,” I tell them. “A day at most.”
They don’t look hopeful as we say our goodbyes and continue down the looming dark hallway, Daegan trailing behind me. Even if I haven’t been down here in a while, I’m still far more familiar with our grounds.
We walk in silence for a long stretch of time, glancing at the walls, floors, and ceilings, looking for any etchings or markings or anything that seems irregular. We pass by a lot more occupied cells and the inhabitants—who are both elves and other species alike—watch us with acute curiosity. Most of them don’t bother speaking to us. They look rather hopeless.
I can’t help but wonder how many more prisoners are down here for crimes they didn’t commit.
“What are the cuffs a lot of them wear?”
