Page 75 of The Sorcerer of Shadowholde

The words echoed in Vita’s head, confirming all of her suspicions. A fool, a fool is what she’d been.

Had the High Consul lied? No, it was her own stupidity, her desperation to live one of her silly fairy stories that did this. She was his pet, his plaything, something he’d never tried to say otherwise. But she’d tricked herself into thinking there was more, that Renatus could be like Verian, a man who…

A man who loved her.

There was a flash in his red eyes, as if he realized he’d struck a nerve, a tic in his jaw highlighted by the low light of the room.

“Vita…” he started, but she took a step back, one, two, three, and she was gone, moving down the hallway, moving towards the front door.

She needed to get away, needed to see Verian, never wanted to return to this wretched palace. Tears streamed down her face, any hope crushed with a few simple words.

Fool. Fool. Fool.

The night air was crisp, sending a shudder through her already trembling body. She was insufficiently clothed, her periwinkle dress the only thing warming her against the chill of darkness.

Renatus could catch her if he wanted to, but he didn’t.

He didn’t want her.

Vita wiped tears from her eyes as she walked into Shadowholde with no distinct destination in mind.

She could try the archway, but Verian would surely not be there, his current position as Praetorian guard bringing new tasks beyond watching the city gate.

Going to the barracks was not an option. A woman caught there would have no reputation left to mourn.

Ad Noctua.

Yes, Vita would let a man buy her an ale and calm herself, thinking about what to do. If she’d grabbed her coin pouch, she could’ve rented a room, but that was a problem to deal with later.

“Hey girlie…” A growl from a darkened alley surprised her.

As she turned to look, a man appeared, gangly and dirty, with a mess of stringy blonde hair. What was worse was the vicious sneer on his face as he stepped out of the darkness.

“Where ya going, sweetheart?” Another voice came from behind her and she whipped around to face it.

Two more men, making their way towards her with leering smirks.

“Oh, I, uh, I’m heading to the tavern to meet my friends.” Vita glanced between the three men who had stopped a few feet away from her. “They’re city guards. One is captain of his regiment.”

The men just laughed, ugly barking howls like that of the street dogs, and every muscle in her body tensed. She turned, hurrying towards the center of Shadowholde, but one man followed, planting an arm on the stone wall and blocking her path.

“If you want a drink, sweetheart, we’ll give you a drink.”

He lifted his other hand, which held a terracotta jug, a foul smelling liquid emanating from it as he wafted it under her nose.

She tried to muster up some power, some magic, but it was as if a void was inside her. Before she could even tense to run, strong hands gripped her, two on each arm. Her struggles were useless as the first man brought the lip of the jug to her mouth, tilting it up and pouring the vile liquor down her throat.

Vita sputtered a cough, most of the liquid running down her chin and dripping onto her dress, though the small amount that made it into her mouth burned every bit of the way down.

“Good, innit?” the first man asked, gripping her neck tightly in his hand. “Why don’t you come with us? This alley here is quiet. You look like someone we’d enjoy very much.”

There were grumbles of vile laughter from behind her as he ran his greasy fingers through her hair.

“Please,” she begged. “My friends will be looking for me. They work for Praetor Amulius, members of his guard.”

The first man glanced at his two friends before turning his attention back to her. “City guards, Praetorian guards. Which is it?”

Vita shuddered, her hope of using Verian’s rank to her advantage utterly dashed.

---