Page 31 of Wrath of the Never Queen

“I thought my cage was bad, but I believe yours may be worse,” I tell it, looking around. “And you were cursed at birth, so…” I chew the inside of my cheek, eyebrows furrowed. “How much of your life have you spent here?”

The beast gives a half-hearted roar. It bangs a twisted fist against the cage before slumping down, its back against the bars. Its thick tail flops to the side. The only thing I can hear is its ragged breathing, but I see the glow ofits eyes staring at me.

We sit in silence for several minutes. I try to ignore the chill nipping at me and still the quiver in my hands. I am satisfied the bars will hold despite the brute strength of the beast. Eventually, in the silence, my eyelids grow heavy.

It has not made a noise in quite some time and the eerie light of its eyes is extinguished. If I could not see the silhouette of its hulking form laying slumped in the cage, I might think it is not even there. Is it asleep?Doesit sleep?

I shift uncomfortably on the ground, my arms wrapped tight around my knees. I am struck by how much more nervous I was to sit across from the king than I am in the presence of this beast. At some point during the long night, I fall into a shallow sleep.

???

I awaken suddenly to a wet snapping. My head shoots up from where I had been resting it on my knees, and I squint blearily at the cage.

Snap.

This time it is followed by a strangled cry, distinctly human. I hastily get to my feet and inch closer to the cage. The orange glow of the torches bathes the beast in light, but…it is not a beast anymore. It is something between animal and man.

There is another painful snap and theprince falls to his knees, hunched over. The bones in his back move and rearrange themselves as he cries out. His scales split to make way for the bloody human skin underneath. His inky black tattoo emerges underneath, and I realise the word in dragon text is hidden amongst the design. The large boils between his scales burst painfully. His face twists and contorts into something more human.

I rush to the bars of the cage, wrapping my hands around them.

“Your Highness?” I call. My voice is laced with worry. I have never seen such painful magic inflicted on another person before.

The prince does not, or cannot, reply. Instead, he sobs violently, his whole body shaking with the force of it. He curls into a ball on the ground.

“Move, please, miss.”

I am startled back by a sudden voice behind me only to see several of the guards have reappeared. One of them jangles a set of heavy-looking keys. A burst of fury erupts in my chest.

“You!” I point at them. “You abandoned him! How could you leave him alone like this?”

The one with the keys shrugs.

“His condition is more beast than man,” he replies evenly. “It does not make a difference.”

“Does not make a…?” I stare at him, mouth open. “You heartless piece of swamp scum. You are the beast here!”

“Take it up with the king.” The guard sneers before pushing past me. I resist the urge to punch the back of his head and let him open the cage.

The prince has not moved from where he is curled up in a tight ball. Two guards march over and haul him to his feet. He cries out in pain, but they ignore it.

“Careful!” I yell at them.

“Listen, miss,” another guard rounds on me. “This is a regular occurrence around here, so do not get all high and mighty with us. The prince is fine, as he always has been.”

“I did not realise she was so close to the prince,” another guard pipes up, smirking. “One night with him, and she falls at his feet.”

“Do not be absurd,” I snap back. “Only a man bankrupt of empathy would confuse basic compassion for friendship.”

He opens his mouth to retort, but the other guard waves his hand.

“Leave it,” he says, and his tone is final. They drag the prince away.

I take a moment to douse my anger before I say something which will land me in further trouble. The last thing I want is to attract more attention from the king. I scurry after them.

The guards ignore me the entire way, including when they place him back in his bed. For my part, I ignore them back and quietlyseethe. By the time the prince is laying in his chambers and the guards are gone, he has regained consciousness.

“Miss Shivani,” he greets me. His voice is strained and weak.

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