Page 146 of The Throne's Undoing

With a resounding click, he pushed the cell door open.

The shadows in the cell retreated as the flickering light from the torch in Myra's hands spilled across the floors, illuminating the prisoner within.

"Right on time."

Chapter 50

KALLIE

"I was wonderingwhen you would return, sister," Fynn called out, stirring Kallie awake.

Her eyes fluttered open, and the familiar bright blue sky stared down at her in its unnatural beauty. Pressing her palms into the dirt, she pushed herself up. And there Fynn was, sitting upon the same rock as always.

This time, however, one of his legs hung over the edge, sweeping lazily in the air. He wore a coy smirk, the dimple at the corner of his mouth prominent.

He observed her, his gaze quickly sweeping over her. "Congratulations are in order, I believe."

"For what?" Kallie asked, her forehead creasing in confusion.

"For finally being free."

Kallie scoffed and stood, brushing off the sand from her hands. "Am I though?" she asked, the question barely audible, yet somehow Fynn still heard her.

"Is there reason to believe that it didn't work?" he questioned.

Kallie shrugged and looked at Fynn. "Can't you tell me?"

Fynn stared at her, his brown eyes narrowing slightly. "Is this why you wished to speak to me? For reassurance?"

"Perhaps," Kallie mumbled.

Folding his arms over his chest, he clicked his tongue. "Only you can know the true workings of your mind, sister."

Kallie scoffed. "If that was true, wouldn't I have known Myra was manipulating my emotions to begin with?" she hedged.

"Maybe you just did not want to admit it then," Fynn replied with a slight shrug. "I think some part of you always knew something was wrong. If Myra had been truly successful to begin with, she would not have needed to mess with your mind constantly. However, from what I can tell, you fought her. Perhaps you did not know it then, but subconsciously, you were fighting her the entire time." He smiled.

Kallie pursed her lips. "So...what? I just wasn't strong enough on my own?"

"Needing the help of others does not mean you are not strong enough on your own." Fynn sighed and jumped off the rock, his feet landing with a softthud. "Tell me what is truly bothering you."

Kallie bit the inside of her cheek, then released it. Brushing back her hair, she said, "It seems I might have only exchanged one cage for another."

"How so?" Fynn mused, folding his hands behind his back.

"Where to begin?" She tilted her head up to the sky and laughed, the sound cold. "Ever since we've arrived in Tetria, I've been followed by guards. When the guards are not around, someone else is. I'm always being watched and am rarely left alone besides when I sleep. And trust me, I understand why, but it still does not make the collar around my neck feel any looser." Kallie pressed her palms against her temples. "And now, when I finally feel like I'm becoming comfortable with thisnew normal, Esmeray sends a letter stating she has grounds to charge everyone with treason."

Fynn dug his hands into his pockets and shrugged. "Well, in her defense, they did not seek her approval before rescuing you."

Kallie dropped her hands from her head and looked at Fynn. "Does that matter when it is my fault to begin with?" she snapped.

Arching a brow, Fynn cocked his head to the side and asked, "How long are you going to take the blame for the wrongdoings of others, Kallie? You were manipulated. You didn't know any better."

Kallie groaned. This was the same conversation she had with so many others already. Yet their response never changed.

"Our mother is not an unreasonable woman. While she often follows the natural order of things, she will come around. Ultimately, all she wants is peace and for the kingdom to be safe."

"And naming Terin a traitor will keep him safe?"

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