Page 236 of What Lies Within Blood & Heirs

“If I wouldn’t have gone and searched the tunnels with you… Took me a wee bit to navigate. But I popped out and followed guardsmen to the dungeons. Did you know Ladomyr has eight?Eightdungeons. What a bloody?—”

“Aiden,” Thalon scolded with urgency and raised a brow, shaking the dooragain.

Those shale eyes filled with realization. Aiden straightened. “Right. Shall we then?” And rifled through the piled guardsmen, producing a ring of keys from the mess.

Thalon nodded a gesture toward Garrik. “Attend him first.”

Garrik did not so much as move, listening to the scuff of dirt under Aiden’s approach.

“You’ll have to help carry him.”

The sound of a key slipped through the lock and turned as Aiden retorted, “Damn beastie can walk.”

“He can’t even stand,” Thalon informed.

Aiden slipped his hand in his captain’s frock and produced a small pearlescent vial, jiggling it. “Aye, but he will.” And waggled his eyebrows before he burst open the door and slid to his knees beside Garrik. “Won’t return the magic but will pretty that gorgeous face.” For a male who lived for suspense, Aiden held none and touched the vial to Garrik’s lips, effectively pouring the serum down his throat. “Should make you feel better real soon, brother. Swallow for me.”

Garrik leveled a glare, and Aiden’s face scarleted.

But Garrik obeyed him anyway. Over and over until it was empty.

Less than a minute and every wound had healed.

Aiden pulled Garrik to his feet, embracing each other’s forearms before his sea captain unlocked Thalon’s cell and his Guardian stormed outside with something like unquenchable wrath and holy fire in his eyes.

No one said a word as Garrik stalked toward the guard’s weapons and those knives he was so thoroughly acquainted with. One smelled of his blood. The ilk had not bothered to clean it. Most likely intended to use it on him again.

Not five feet from claiming that knife and sinking it into their skulls, a flash of gold caught Garrik’s attention.

In the darkness of the cell beside Thalon’s …

He stopped.

“Did the guards only bring me down here?” Garrik asked Thalon, turning toward the door that had not been locked. As if there was no threat inside. As if the darkened form hanging in the corner held little threat of escaping.

Thalon furrowed his brows and answered, “I was too busy screaming at them to stop kicking you to notice if they did.”

The metal hinges screeched. Garrik stepped toward the darkness. Toward the blood pooled beneath. Toward the gold shimmering against the torchlight.

“Zander,” he breathed, warring off a tightness in his chest. Refusing to believe …

No breaths. The princeling’s lungs were not expanding as he hung by his wrists like Garrik had. That sun-kissed skin was bleak. Cold to the touch when Garrik lifted his chin from his chest.

An ache—a terrible, crushing ache—held Garrik’s heart so viciously it skipped a beat.

“Get him down…” his voice cracked; the strong planes of his face went taut. “Get him down.” Not realizing he said it again until Thalon cupped his shoulder.

Chains rattled. Garrik hardly stomached it as Thalon hugged the princeling’s waist, lifting him enough that the chains slackened. Aiden made it four keys before finding the one that unlocked Zander’s shackles.

Then Zander was on the dirt. On his back, limp and lifeless.

Garrik felt a long-sealed part of him break.

He loosened a breath as liquid lined his eyes. Clenched his painful, skipping heart as his chest tightened. Swallowed the emotion rising in his throat as he knelt beside him and draped Zander’s hands over his heart.

Thalon and Aiden knelt too.

Garrik barely registered Thalon’s prayer. Barely recognized his voice and stood in a daze, determined to grab the torch, and set the princeling ablaze so his soul could ride the smoke of the dungeon pyre to the Stars Eternal.

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