Page 47 of Sword of Desire
Harley
Harley’s heart pounded, and her entire body shook as she stared into the cold eyes of her husband.
Lyle snatched both her wrists. “It took you long enough,” he sneered. “What? You can’t possibly be surprised.” He pinched her right wrist, forcing her to drop the sword.
She should have moved faster. By not shoving the sword into his neck, she’d failed at everything she’d been sent there to do. A cry escaped her lips.
He shoved her away and slid out of bed. Grabbing his pants, he pulled them on. “Get dressed. I can’t have you taken to the dungeon if you’re naked.”
Her head pounded, and a ringing sounded in her ears. She’d failed. And now she was going to be thrown in the dungeon. People would die because of her incompetence.
Lyle chucked her nightgown at her. “I said get dressed.”
She took it, putting it on, while trying to think of a way out of this mess. Eyeing the sword, she wondered if she could grab it, piercing Lyle’s back as he headed to the door. After putting the nightgown on, she stood.
“Don’t even try it,” he said. “If you so much as touch that weapon again, I’ll drag you to the tower and hang you myself.”
At this point, she wasn’t sure she cared to live. Ackley and Owen would be so disappointed in her.
“Okay,” Lyle called out.
Both doors flew open, and a half dozen soldiers poured into the room. Two clutched onto Harley’s arms, dragging her away. Everything moved so quickly she couldn’t fully process what was happening.
They took her through her bedchamber. She squinted at the bright morning light. Instead of locking her in her room as she’d hoped, they took her out of the suite and down the stairs to the first level of the castle. Stopping before an oversized door with three locks, the sentry standing there withdrew a key and unlocked the door, granting them entrance. The two men holding Harley dragged her down into the dungeon. The other soldiers followed close behind. As if she were a threat. She couldn’t even kill Lyle.
Disappointment, cold fear, and numbness warred within. She’d failed.
One soldier opened a cell door, and the two men tossed her inside. She stumbled and crashed to the stone floor, hitting her chin. The door slammed shut, and the sound of a lock sliding into place echoed in the dreary corridor.
“How?” she managed to squeak out.
One of the soldiers glanced back at her. “Did you say something?”
She was going to ask how Lyle knew she was going to kill him. However, that would only implicate her to treason. She had to be smart about this. “What am I being held in the dungeon for?”
“Treason,” the soldier stated.
“Explain,” she demanded, getting to her knees.
“You tried to kill the king.”
“I didn’t kill him.” A fact, and he had no proof. It was Lyle’s word against hers. “And Lyle is not the true king so long as Owen lives.”
Something flashed in the man’s eyes. Harley couldn’t tell if it was hesitancy or not. Regardless, she forged on. “And he can’t be the king. He has no claim to the throne.”
“You’re the late king’s daughter.”
She got to her feet, moving to the metal bars. Sliding her fingers around the bars, she said, “I haven’t been crowned yet.” And if she wasn’t queen, Lyle couldn’t be king. “Maybe you should remind my husband of that fact.”
“Edgar!” one of the other soldiers said. “Let’s go!”
The soldier turned and hurried away. Harley hoped she’d gotten through to him.
An eerie silence filled the dungeon.
The last time she’d been in there, she’d run into Lord Silas. Curious if he was still here, she called out, “Father!” The word echoed.
“Harley?” his voice answered. “What are you doing here, child?” He was a handful of cells down from her on the other side. Too far away to see him in the dim lighting.
