“Stop it!” she shouted in Kalorian. Her eyes watered as the large man tightened the ropes around her wrists and yanked her forward. “Don’t hurt him, please,” she whimpered.
“Tell your lover to shut his mouth and come with us. No more struggling.”
Her first foolish instinct was to correct him, to say he was not her lover, but she dared not. The side of her face throbbed.
“They said be quiet and come with them. Don’t struggle.”
Harrison’s eyes were wild, like he wanted to fight. Aerity shook her head. They were tugged forward, through the treesand back onto the path. Each step closer to their fate turned Aerity’s stomach. Ten minutes later, wrists burning from the ropes, the trees opened into a clearing. In the dusky, dim lighting, Aerity saw a tall, dilapidated building and a camp with several tents and a fire raging in the center.
Her eyes darted about as people shuffled over to see them. Bald men with a woman in a Torestan-style shift and a young girl stared. A thin man in a Lochlan farmer’s tunic watched. Aerity’s hopes plummeted at the unfamiliar faces, though they seemed harmless enough.
They stopped in front of the largest tent, where candlelight flickered within.
“Madam Rozaria,” the man holding her called out. Ice slithered down Aerity’s back and she froze, her breaths ragged with terror.Great seas. No.Then the man said proudly in Kalorian, “We have captured intruders.”
Aerity clenched her teeth, shaking. If it was the Rocato woman, would she recognize the princess? If so, she would surely kill them immediately. Or worse—kill Harrison and use Aerity as leverage to manipulate her father. Sick bile rose in her throat.
The tent flap opened, and a beautiful face peered out.Her.Aerity had a bow and arrow the last time she’d faced Rozaria; this time she was unarmed, her hands bound. Despair trickled into her like drops of toxin, making her dizzy. Deep oceans, help her. Rozaria pushed out through the tent flap, seeming somewhat annoyed. She stood, looking Aerity up and down,then at Harrison, with no signs of recognition. The princess held her breath, prepared to struggle and fight with all her might, come what may.
And then the flap opened again, and a man came out. His brown hair . . . those unruly waves . . . a sob nearly choked Aerity. When he stood fully, he glanced at her, then at Harrison, then back to Aerity. Their gazes locked, then abruptly his eyes seemed to erupt as he stared at her.Aye, Aerity wanted to cry out,it’s me.
He was in terrible need of a shave. He inspected her intensely but remained silent. Aerity watched as his eyes went to Harrison again, and Paxton gave a quick, minuscule shake of his head. Harrison dropped his eyes.
“You’re Unlashed,” Rozaria said in Euronan. “And Lochlan.” Aerity wondered how she would know they were Unlashed, other than having no marks. They could be Lashed who’d never worked magic, couldn’t they?
“We’re only traveling through,” Harrison rasped as if he were in pain. “We meant no harm to your camp.”
“Then how unlucky that you happened upon us,” Rozaria said in a cool, low voice, “because we cannot allow you to leave.” She turned and placed a hand intimately on Paxton’s arm. He acted as if it were natural and fine, but a sickening zing ratcheted up Aerity’s back as Rozaria gazed up at him. The look on her face was one of ownership and comfort. Seduction, even.
What in all of Eurona is going on here?
“You, Martone, and Robertone will escort them to the tower for questioning. Trust no one, Paxton. Ever. Even an innocent-seeming woman. Assume the worst and find out what they know. Take Chun with you so he can see how it is done. Remember: pain and fear prompt truth.”
“Aye, Rozaria. I understand.” The way he looked at the Rocato woman so openly, without fear—something was between them.Oh, seas . . . are they . . . ?No. Her mind whirred and she couldn’t form coherent thoughts. Everything was wrong.
Aerity bent at the waist and dry heaved. Her empty stomach felt as if it were twisting in on itself. The world was spinning and turning and she started to topple until her captor yanked her upright and gave her a shake. She let out a weak wail.
“Callie,” Harrison called. “Be strong.”
He was rewarded by a backhand to the face from the brute holding him. Harrison shook his head like he was trying to clear away the pain. Aerity wanted to be sick again. She looked at Paxton, whose stare dropped to the ground between them, his eyes glazed in calculated thought.
Rozaria gave instructions to Martone in Kalorian, saying not to kill them—that they could be used as a test for loyalty. Aerity had no idea what that meant, but she knew they were in unspeakable danger.
Aerity and Harrison were dragged to the old building, and one of the bald Torestan men joined them, lookingunsure. The moment the door to the building opened, Aerity was smacked with the rancid smell of decay. She gagged and coughed. It was the exact concentrated smell of death she’d experienced on the Isle of Loch, a gruesome stench from her nightmares that told her Rozaria was creating more monsters here.
This couldn’t be happening. Why was Paxton allowing it? Aerity questioned everything she thought she knew in that moment. Paxton had carried so much anger when they’d met, but he’d still seemed to value human life. He couldn’t have turned, could he? Had he been romanced by Rozaria’s ideals of Lashed power?
No, Aerity refused to believe it.
In the entranceway, she saw an open room to the right. A young woman stood at a table with some sort of hairy creature wriggling under her hands. A scar marred one side of the girl’s pretty cheek. When she saw them, she quickly raised the hood of her cloak, hiding her face. The small creature took this opportunity to stand and leap down from the table in a flash. Aerity screamed as it ran toward them on four little legs, claws clacking against the ground. The brute Martone tried to grab it with one hand while holding Aerity’s arm with the other. It streaked past and up a dark stairwell.
The girl shouted, “Imbecile cub!” in Kalorian.
“I will retrieve it,” Paxton told her. “I’m on duty here tonight anyway. We’re dealing with these prisoners, and then I’ll take care of the creature.”
The girl didn’t respond, causing Aerity to wonder if she could understand Lochlan. She simply glowered at Paxton and then tugged her hood down farther, rushing past them and out of the building.
Martone pulled Aerity toward the dark staircase and she stumbled on the first few steps before finding her footing. They seemed to wind up and up forever until they came to a round room where Martone shut them in. Aerity expected the tiny monster to jump out at her at any moment, but she saw it nowhere. Harrison’s captor shoved him down onto the filthy floor covered in loose hay. A single window let in the last of the early evening light, swirling dust around old bed pads on the far side of the room.
