Page 2 of Royal Captive
I’d been through too much at this point to let a little slap discourage me. Using the momentum of his hit, I spun around and rushed at him, going blindly for the sword on his belt.
He didn’t expect that, and tears of relief welled in my eyes as my fingers closed around the hilt,and I yanked the swordback far enough that it slid from its sheath, and I blindly hurled myself forward. The fae let out a stream of expletives in a language I didn’t understand, throwing a hand up at me. An unseen force slammed me against the wall. Stunned, the sword fell from my grasp and clattered to the ground.
Gibberish floated above me, unintelligible but soothing to the ear. The soldier called up, and a rope ladder descended. He pointed at me and the rope, looking like he’d rather wrap it around my neck than use it to get me above ground. A second later, he picked up the sword and more securely tied it to his waist. His dirty look could have curdled milk as he gestured for me to follow him.
Well, anywhere had to be better than here, right?
I climbed up. The ladder wobbled with my movement, but not enough to scare me. I was tired of being scared, and I’d do anything to control my fate, to lean into any moment where I could decide something for myself. For now, I decided to climb.
Light assaulted my eyes, costing me precious seconds as the guard nimbly climbed out of the cell and stood over me as I ascended more slowly. Hauling me up with a vice grip on my upper arm, he threw me down and gathered the rope ladder up behind him, slamming the grate shut.
I blinked rapidly, willing my eyes to adjust to more light.
The fae guard sputtered something back in the lilting, lyrical fae language, though I gave him points for making the smooth fae language sound ugly on his lips. He gestured impatiently in front of him.
Ah, get moving.
I took a few steps forward. The fae guard huffed.
“There she is,” said a new voice, a masculine one.
I flinched as a new fae emerged from the darkened shadows in the corner. Had he been standing there this whole time?
He was tall. He had dark hair like Ellis, but it was straight as a board and tied back from his head in a smooth ponytail. His eyes were pure silver, and every inch of his face was sharp. Angled cheekbones, a long nose, and a pointed chin. He was stunning, of course, as all fae appeared to be, but there was an edge to him that warned of a predator. The fae was beautiful in the same way a falcon was, or a man-eating cougar.
He reminded me of Ellis, but older and … colder.
“Come along. We mustn’t keep everyone waiting. You’ve beenverynaughty.”
My lips parted in shock and indignation, but nothing came out.
The fae turned on his heel and strode off, clearly expecting me to obey. The guard huffed as he followed behind me, poking me in the back when he apparently didn’t think I was moving fast enough.
I cleared my throat, deciding to try my luck. “Where’s Ellis?”
He didn’t answer. Both of them kept walking, up and up.…
My tired legs pushed forward, my stomach grumbling and my mind exhausted. When had I eaten last, or slept? And in my book being knocked out didn’t count as sleeping.
The fae led me down twisting passages and so many tunnels that I knew I’d never be able to navigate them alone. The stone floor under my boots inclined ever so slightly, and eventually the moist air gave way to a cool, fresh breeze. Natural daylight filtered through slats high in the stones, my legs burning as the gradient spiked sharply and we went up, up, up. Hadn’t the fae heard of stairs?
My calves ached in protest, but I trudged behind him. We were getting somewhere, and the walk allowed me to study him like I hadn’t been able to in the dimness of the dungeons.
His long, black ponytail fell all the way down his back, his tunic made of pure silver inlaid with diamonds that caughtwhatever small bits of light he passed under. His weathered black pants fit him like a glove.
Don’t stare at his ass.
Shaking my head, I took in the fine craftsmanship of his boots and the jeweled sword at his belt. A crown that looked more like a headdress sat atop his head. What looked like woven black branches came from it to a small point down over his forehead. It wasn’t anything like Ellis’s crown or the crowns I’d seen in my life.
The surrounding halls were still stone, but changed to a bright green, swirling pattern I’d never seen before.
“Serpentine stone,” he called out from in front of me.
I shut my mouth, not realizing I’d been gawking like a simpleton. It wasn’t just the grandness of the castle—I’d been living in Ellis’s castle for weeks now, but this castle was grand on a scale that was borderline … garish. The marble floors were polished to such a shine I feared I’d be chastised for marring the gleaming surface with my dirty footsteps. Hundreds of delicate, white candles lined the halls, emitting a soft glow and throwing into relief glittering cases of jewels and gold casually on display.
Outside, a crack of lightning shot down from the seemingly clear sky, striking a tree and splitting it in half. I jumped, nearly tripping and falling on my face.
The fae didn’t even flinch; his eyes simply flicked to the charred, burning tree with irritation before he dismissed it completely, and passed by the window as if nothing untoward had occurred.
