Page 84 of Fire in Stone

Twenty-Four

ELEX

He sat on the floor with his back leaning against the wall. At sunset, he’d turned to stone, becoming nothing but a part of this windowless room. The sunrise revived his body, but his soul lay dormant without its usual spark.

Another day passed just like that, then another.

Sometime during the second week since he got there, the footsteps stopped in front of his cell once again. The High General entered.

“Are you ready to talk now, outsider? Which one of the Rebel Lords sent you?”

Elex forced his eyes open, licking his dry lips with an equally dry tongue. “Where’s the king?”

“Why do you think the king would want to see you?” The High General smirked.

Elex shrugged, trying not to aggravate his injured arm that wouldn’t heal. “Whether he does or not, I’ll speak only to him.”

The High General gripped his shoulder, jolting his arm that had become one agonizing wound by now. “You’ll speak when I want you to speak. And I want you to answermyquestions. Who are you?”

Elex gritted his teeth from a shockwave of pain. He took a few shallow breaths, trying hard not to make them sound like groans.

“You wouldn’t believe it if I told you.” He managed a grin. “Trust me, my story is out of this world.”

Clearly not appreciating the truth or the humor, the High General shoved against his shoulder again.

“Name! I need your name.”

Elex couldn’t help a groan this time, fisting his left hand. He panted through the white-hot flash of pain, then forced his lips to stretch into a smile once again. It visibly aggravated the High General, and that was the only weapon he had against the man.

“The name is nothing without the status and the purpose, is it?” he said. “And those I will only disclose to the king himself.”

“So, you need some help to open up? I’ll leave you in the care of yourfriends, then.” The High General straightened and clapped his hands once.

Osym entered the cell with an armload of metal. He dumped it on the floor with a loud clatter. Draig was close behind him, bringing in more items that he tossed onto the pile.

Chains, spikes, and clamps were among the rusty metal that the two had dumped in the middle of the room. Elex recognized a few old torture devices he’d seen only in the pictures in the old scrolls in the Royal Archives.

Never in his life could he have imagined any of those being used onhimone day.

“Make him talk,” the High General spat out the order before spinning on his heel and leaving the room.

Draig cracked his knuckles, selecting from the pile a metal rod with a chain and a hook attached to it.

“All right, outsider. Let’s see who you really are and what you’re made of.”

Elex no longer had his ring. By giving it to Amber, he’d lost its protection from spells and magical substances. They could’ve force-fed him some glacier saffron that would make him obey their orders, including the order to speak. But glacier saffron was rare and precious. And they obviously preferred torture.

“Let’s see how much we can squeeze out of this one.” Draig grabbed Elex’s injured arm.

Agony lanced through Elex, igniting his anger. He hadn’t endured years of slow torture by Ghata or crossed the dimensions from another world only to be tortured here by these lowlifes unworthy to shine his boots.

Osym hooked the chain around his other arm, yanking at it to bring Elex up to his knees.

Rage rose in him. Almost tangible, it rolled through him in waves, heating the air in the dark, dirty dungeon.

Swaying forward, he propped both hands on the floor. His palms connected with the cool stone. His body appeared to fuse with the rock of the castle. His magic merged with the ancient force pulsing deep in these walls. They were inside the Bozyr Peak, the castle of his father and all the kings before him. The magic of Dakath had been forged and nurtured for generations of his royal bloodline.

“Come on!” Osym kicked against Elex’s right elbow.

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