Page 90 of Crown of Iron
She sinks to her knees, and a hiccupped sob burst from her mouth. “Oh Raelle, I should have never left Lucent.”
A sharp pain emanates from my chest, my heart breaking for her. She is so pathetic in her broken state, like a beautiful, exotic bird with a broken wing. I sink into a squat so we’re eye to eye and place my hand over hers, wrapping around a bar.
“I’ll get you out of here,” I promise, praying it will give a sliver of hope.
Several more sobs rattle her fragile frame, and she shakes her head. “I thought this would be better, easier. They don't let you leave. You don't want to be here, go home. Don't let them take your gift.”
“I won't. I'm not here for that. I need to find my father. Do you know where he is?”
“They are going to put you in a cell and send you to work their fields and farms. The second you tell them you want to leave you will end up down here with us until they can send you away to be their slave. There’s no way out. Death is our only hope. Don't do it. Don't do it.” She sits back on the floor and rocks back and forth, chanting her warning.
“Rose, I need your help.” She doesn't respond, lost in her own deteriorating consciousness.
I slide onto my ass, press my back to the bars of her cell, and stare up at the ceiling. It was asinine of me to think I could pull this off. What business do I have trying to save anyone from this place? I'm just a stupid girl whose only value lies in the stone hidden in my leg. I shouldn't have left Kyron. He would know what to do.
“Who is it you seek?” asks a gruff voice.
I look into the cell across from me, where a willowy man is huddled in the back corner. Like the rest of the prisoners, he wears soiled rags and filth covers him.
“I asked who you seek, girl.”
I clear my throat and answer, “My father, General Abrum Mansi.”
The man crawls forward, his wrinkled face covered in a long brownand gray beard. His piercing blue eyes peek out from under heavy lids, looking me up and down. “Aren’t you the girl Micah chose to be the future queen?”
I scoff. Right now, I feel incompetent to be a leader. The very thought of me ruling anything is ridiculous. “That's his hope for me.”
“Esmeray keeps your father as a pet. She chains him to her throne. There’s no way you’ll reach him. You're better off going home, Your Grace.”
Again, my heart rips down the center. It’s a bloody, jagged mess of my emotions. My poor father is chained like a dog to our enemy's throne. Only the worst kind of evil could contrive such a disgusting scenario. I can't leave him like that. I won't. It doesn't matter that I don't know how I'm going to get to him. I didn't come all this way to turn back empty-handed. I owe it to everyone who got me to this point to try.
Standing, I brush the dirt from my armor and say, “I appreciate your concern, but I'm not leaving without him.”
The man nods and slinks back to his corner. “Then may the Statera be with you, Your Grace.”
My legs move of their own accord, racing toward the staircase. I need to get to Kyron. He can help me find a way into Esmeray's sanctuary. Perhaps if we hide for a day or two, tensions from our attack will die down and we can sneak in. This isn't a lost cause.
I leap onto the first step but fall short mid-air. Massive arms wrap around me, pinning me to a broad chest. I struggle to get loose, kicking and scratching, but my captor holds tight and laughs.
“She is a lively little thing.”
“I wouldn't have expected any less.” The pale Electro from upstairs steps in front of me. He's a little worse for wear, with a gaping, burned hole in his breastplate, but he survived my attack.
I double my efforts to break free and reach for my sword, screaming, “Where is he? Where is Kyron? Kyron, help!”
The Electro clicks his tongue and steps closer. “Now, now, Lucent princess. I think our queen will be most delighted to see you. She’s been expecting this visit,” he says, pressing his calloused palm to the side of my neck.
I grit my teeth and wait for him to show any sign of his gift, planning to rip it away and use it against him again. He holds my stare with his, one side of his lip twitches. The lightning zaps me, bolting through me and nevergiving me the chance to rein it in. My body spasms with a searing pain and I'm plunged into darkness.
Thirty-Two
Every single muscle in my body aches like I haven't moved in weeks. The gentle rush of water doesn’t help matters. It threatens to lull me back to sleep, but I fight it, lifting my heavy eyelids. My gaze wanders over the never-ending stretch of glossy black, and the beautiful baroque design reflecting from its surface. I trace the swirls of leaves until I reach a combined sun and moon adorned with a crown. The LeFur family crest. My heart drums against my ribs as my last moments of consciousness come rushing back to me.
The Electro in the cells electrocuted me.
It takes every ounce of my strength to slide my hands under my chest and push up from the ground. A long string of drool runs from my mouth to the shiny onyx floor, and my hair hangs haphazardly in a ponytail, with strands covering my face. I hold myself still, waiting for the room to stop spinning before running the back of my hand over my mouth.
“Not very becoming of a future queen, is she?” says a woman with a smoky voice.
