Page 15 of Crown of Wrath

Jasper Wren is a gangly male High Fae. He’s nothing like what I’d thought Steel soldiers should be. They’re supposed to be built like mountains, like Rhion. Instead, he looks like someone stuck toothpicks on a pea pod. His arms and legs are so thin that Iquestion how he canholda spear or sword, much less wield it. His dark eyes hold so much anger in them.

For any other Immortal, Darian and Lee would have put a steel collar around his neck. It would have siphoned off any attempt to use his magic. The House of Steel is different, though, and collars do not work on them. Instead, Jasper is being controlled through fear—fear of the Shade and fear of the Painted Crown.

“You’re in charge of watching Casimir Cyrus?” Lee asks.

We’re in a simple guard’s quarters of the Keep of Steel. Rather than the crimson marble that makes up the Keep of Flames, the Keep of Steel was created from gray granite. Blacks and whites crisscross through the stone, creating a nearly colorless background, and it’s hard not to compare it to the human castle at Stormhaven. It’s so much less grand than the Keep of Flames.

The guard’s quarters are tiny. I’m not entirely sure that Cole’s bath would fit. It’s just a bed, dresser, and table and chair. The four of us and Jasper barely fit inside it.

Jasper’s voice is low, something the Shade has emphasized is important. “I’m the sergeant in charge of night duty for the section of the prison that houses Casimir, but I’m not personally in charge of watching him. I’ve never even talked to him.”

He spits the name Casimir like it’s venom, and I stay silent as Darian, Lee, and the Shade interrogate the High Fae. I’ve never had to do this. He knows that we’re the enemy. He doesn’t want to say anything to us from loyalty to his own House and hatred for us.

But the Shade owns him. We just don’t know exactly what he’ll need to ask. If I still had my full-strength Shadow powers, I could force him to do most things, but I don’t have them anymore. Thinking about the Shade allows me some use of the inky black tendrils, but not enough to control a High Fae like I did before.

Now, I don’t even know if I could restrain someone.

“Shade, please cover the walls in shadow?” I say softly.

He doesn’t question me, his hands splaying out, and darkness covers the floor. It climbs the walls and moves across the ceiling. “We’re too close to the rest of the guards,” I say. “The last thing anyone wants is for other people to hear him screaming.”

Jasper looks from the Shade to me, a grimace crossing his face at my comment. Unlike King Aric, Jasper knows what the Painted Crown means. He may not understand what I’m capable of, but he knows the power differential between me and him.

I know I should be nervous. This is the first time I’ve ever interrogated anyone, but it feels obvious what we need and how to go about dealing with Jasper. I’d felt conflicted talking to the Shade moments ago in his safe house, but I’m completely calm now.

“I’m only going to ask these questions once,” I say as I draw the knife from my belt. “If you lie, I’ll hurt you. If you refuse to answer, I’ll hurt you. If none of that works, I’ll have the Shade call in his debt.”

Peace flows through me like a meandering river during summer, slow and unworried. I take Jasper’s hand in mine, and I can feel every ounce of terror in him. He’s not restrained, but he doesn’t need to be. That’d just complicate the process. As soon as my fingers wrap around his, there’s nothing he can do to escape my grip.

My Earth magic enhances my strength a dozen times. Far more than any House of Steel Immortal. I press the blade of Vesta’s knife against Jasper’s arm almost parallel to the skin. The angle is just enough that the knife will dig in if I press very hard. “Where is Casimir’s cell at?” I ask.

My eyes follow his, waiting for his response—waiting for the lie. This is all a trap, and that’s why we’re doing thingsdifferently. “It’s at the bottom of the Keep of Steel. The very bottom floor.”

It’s the first lie. His heartbeat changes ever so slightly. A practiced lie, but I’ve been judging people’s truths since I was young. Vesta always told me to trust my instincts, but in reality, it was a mix of information that I was processing better than any human could. It was magic.

Now I know, and it’s not trust anymore. It’s fact. I was manipulated for months by Cole, Darian, and Lee, but I always knew something was wrong, and they never explicitly lied to me. The difference between hiding the truth and telling a direct lie is small in effect, but when it comes to my powers, that difference is enormous.

And I’m sure Jasper is lying.

The knife cuts into Jasper’s arm, slicing through flesh as easily as a hot knife through butter. He immediately begins screaming and tries to pull away, but my grip is stronger than steel manacles.

When he tries to stop me, no one moves. His hand wraps around my wrist, and I smile at him. “Jasper Wren, do you really think you’re stronger than me?”

He looks down at the strip of flesh that’s fallen to the ground, exposing muscle, and then up at the shining gold and brown crown across my brows. “No,” he whispers and releases my wrist.

“Good, now let’s try this again. Where is Casimir Cyrus being kept?” Jasper doesn’t even try to lie. He tells us exactly where Casimir is being kept in short and simple statements. I’m not sure if he does it because he’s afraid of me or because it’s part of the trap, though.

“Good. When are you supposed to be on guard duty next?”

He frowns from a lack of understanding, and I’m not surprised. All the Houses have become so completely twistedfrom their original forms that the only things they value are the skills that allow them to fight better. There are so many better uses for Steel powers.

“In two hours.”

I smile at him and turn to Darian. “Do you think you can pretend to be Jasper long enough that we can get in and get out?”

Darian nods and I turn to the Shade. “And you’re positive that you can get us behind him? Even in a steel room?”

He hesitates. “I can get us in, but I’m not sure I can get us out.”

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