Page 71 of Red Queen

“Her head on a pike, which Catarina would do. I won’t rest until she’s free,” I say, the urgency of our mission burning like a flame within me. “Catarina will pay for her taking what belongs to me.”

Nicolai nods. “We shall return to strike hard, fast, and without mercy.”

“Every second counts,” I remind them. The thought of Eleanna suffering ignites a fire inside me. “We regroup, resupply, and return with an army.”

I lead the way out of the castle, the cold air of winter sharp on our faces. Our horses await, nickering and prancing nervously. After mounting up, we gallop into the night, whispering of wars yet to come.

Every fallen foe brings me closer to her. And I will stop at nothing until she is found.

Chapter

Fourteen

Eleanna

Consciousness claws its way back to me, dragging my senses out of the abyss into the frigid embrace of a cell hewn from stone and malice. My limbs, heavy as lead, shackle me to the cold floor—iron cuffs biting into my wrists. The venom, that cursed poison, slithers through my veins like a serpent, sapping what’s left of my strength.

The one good thing about the dungeon is it’s reachable by the secret passage and?—

I stop. Hope dying as I take in where I am.

The long term cells. They block sound, and are located in a different part of the castle. My father used them when he held important prisoners. They were built for political enemies, usurpers, traitors where information was to be extracted from. And, they served to hold those too important to kill.

The chains on the floor are new. I glance around. A plain bed, a tray. And a goblet.

A shudder passes through me. I’m not eating or drinking anything from her.

“Damn you,” I hiss through clenched teeth as pain hits.

One thing I know about these cell rooms is they were also made to be escape proof. Or as close to that as one could get. The knowledge doesn’t stop me trying, though.

The shackles rattle their mockery as I wrench against them, muscles coiling with supernatural power that feels muted beneath my skin. Each pulse of pain is a reminder—I’m still here, still fighting, still a threat.

Eyes straining in the dark, I scour the gloom for anything overlooked, any shred of hope or tool. My gaze lands on a jagged edge of rock protruding from the wall. Plans begin to form, each more vicious than the last.

“Alexandru,” I whisper, invoking the name of my anchor in this turmoil. “Your strength flows through me.”

With renewed vigor, I yank at the shackles, feeling the metal groan under the force. There has to be a weakness, a flaw, a?—

“Break, damn you!” I scream, the sound echoing off the walls.

A metallic taste floods my mouth, coppery and warm. With each strain against the unyielding iron, I imagine Catarina’s face contorted with fear as I reclaim my life, my throne. I’ll have my vengeance.

With a final, desperate thrust of power, I push against the chains, waiting for the sweet snap of liberation, but they don’t yield against my frail strength.

The cell door creaks open, and she saunters in, her stride as arrogant as the smile gracing her lips.

Catarina stands before me, the essence of mockery. Her ice-blue eyes gleam with a sickening triumph.

Has something happened? Alexandru— But no, a woman like Catarina would have rubbed that in. He’s out there. Alive. Plotting. I know it.

“Awake, Eleanna? I trust you find your accommodations...fitting,” she says, taunting me, and I can almost hear the venom dripping from each syllable.

“Only the best for royalty.” My heart pounds against my chest like a war drum, calling me to battle, even now.

A shudder of lancing hot pain hits me and I almost fall, unable to breathe for a moment.

Catarina’s laugh scrapes against my nerves. “Oh dear, that poison in your veins—you’re beginning to feel it, aren’t you? The exquisite agony? It’s a special blend, known only to those at the apex of vampire sorcery.”

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