Page 163 of Once the Skies Fade

“Careful how you speak to me, worm,” Alek hissed. Graham tried to speak, but only rasped groans escaped him. “You aren’t the only contact we have on Sandurdam. You are replaceable, and you only draw breath right now out of my good graces. Understand?”

He maintained his hold on Graham’s throat as his black eyes shifted to mine again, but this time he looked me over like he was assessing a cow at the market.

“Who is he anyway?” When no response came, he slid his gaze back to Graham and released him, letting him fall to the ground in a gasping heap. I winced at the crack his knees made against the rocky ground. Graham’s head hovered low as he struggled to catch his breath.

Without looking up, he answered Alek in a rough whisper. “No one of consequence.”

Alek’s laughter boomed through the pass. “If he is so inconsequential, why not throw him into the Laraburn? Why keep him alive?”

I had to admit, it was the question that had bombarded me since he’d taken me from the dungeon.

Graham, still bent over, shook his head slowly. “Pain. He deserves pain, as does his mate.”

Crooking a brow at me, Alek frowned as he pondered this. “There are painful ways to kill him without bringing him here.”

“Nothing compares to what the Lassiters could inflict on him,” Graham explained, groaning as he pushed up to his feet.

Alek didn’t disagree but simply lifted one shoulder. “Very well then. I can take you to West Peak––until they decide what to do with you both.”

Chapter 73

Calla

Every time my door opened, my heart spiked with foolish hope, but it was never Isa. Three times a day it was the same pair of guards delivering—and feeding me—my meals. Each morning and evening, Jocelyn arrived with an escort to administer my tonic. Apparently, the iron gloves weren’t enough to put the Assembly at ease; they needed to ensure I was emotionally stable, to the point that they even insisted the guard verify I had consumed the entire mug before they left me alone again. The guard’s constant scrutiny prevented me from ever asking Jocelyn if she’d seen Isa.

By the third day, my hope had dwindled to a mere sliver––that was promptly crushed that morning when my usual guards didn’t come to deliver my breakfast. Instead, four new guards arrived—two with swords drawn, one carrying a piece of black cloth, and the last holding an iron collar.

“Where are you taking me?” I asked. Lifting my chin, I fought to maintain my regal stature, but my stoic expression was slipping before I could even get the first words out. If the guards noticed the fear present in my eyes, they didn’t let on, graciously allowing me to hold on to some bit of dignity.

The guard who responded—a male whose name I didn’t remember—seemed almost apologetic as he said, “To see the Assembly, Your Majesty.”

Part of me relaxed at not hearing the wordgallows, but the practical part of me wasn’t so easily fooled. The gallows could quite easily be the next stop after those wretches.

“Is that”—I pointed a stiff finger at the collar—“entirely necessary?”

“Only if you resist,” the male said, shrugging. “We do need to use this, though.”

He lifted the black cloth up, pulling his hands apart to reveal it was a hood.

“Why? Where is the Assembly that I’m not allowed to know their whereabouts? Are they not in the castle?”

The guards exchanged timid looks but provided no clarification.

“Fine.”

No sooner had I uttered the word than the two armed guards stepped forward and took hold of my elbows, aiming the tips of their blades at my neck and gut. Sucking in a deep breath, I summoned every bit of courage in my veins as the male stepped forward and lifted the hood up over my head. I remained relatively calm until he cinched the opening of the hood closed loosely around my neck, preventing any light from entering. Swallowing hard, I attempted to maintain control over my thumping heart and quickened breaths.

The door to my cell slid open—known to me only because I’d grown accustomed to how it roughly grated against the stone floor—and the guards marched me out. The dungeon was quiet aside from the steady footsteps of my procession, until Raven’s voice echoed off the walls.

“Fight, Calla! Do not let them win!”

I allowed myself a small smile. One of my guards diverted down the hallway, and I flinched at the loud clang as they struck the bars.

“Quiet, woman,” the guard snarled, but Raven called out again all the same.

“He needs you!”

Matthias’s face flashed in my mind. Dread pooled in my empty stomach.

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