Page 33 of Sky of Thorns

“The queen wants the most recent group brought up to her for inspection.” A deep, gruff voice says.

“The women and children?” Another voice responds.

“Yeah, from the recent raids. You should have seen the look on Aramis’s face when he had to report that the town was vacated. He has no idea the games his stepmother plays with him.” A deep grunt, as though one was jabbed in the side, then the footsteps continue.

“Hush. The queen will have your tongue. She has eyes and ears everywhere. Do you reme–” Two guards I do not recognize walk down the hall, the polished handles of their broadswords gleaming in the torchlight. They pull up to my cell and leer down at me. Between their legs, I see the two tiger shifter cubs have disappeared back into the corner of their cell.

“Well, what do we have here?” One of them whistles in a low cat call. Chills creep up my spine as I stare up at their leering faces. I bare my teeth at them as one cups his groin through his pants and winks at me. I shudder at the thought of his calloused hands touching me. The sound of their crude laughter echoes around the dingy room.

“I’d like to have my turn with this one before we send the next lot to the mines.”

“Isn’t she the one the Queen has been looking for? Look at her forehead. Kieran would nail our hides to the wall.” He glances warily down either side of the hall as if speaking his name would draw his presence.

“Send who to what mines?” I ask as I push myself to a standing position. A wave of nausea and dizziness hits me and I throw out an arm towards the stone wall to brace myself. My hand squelches as it hits a thick gelatinous slime dribbling down the walls causing the guards to laugh loudly. Between the noise, the smell of the dungeon, and the sensation as my fingers envelope in the cold slip; I lose my battle with my nausea and vomit directly on the guard through the bars.

“You fucking bitch! You vomited on my uniform!” He bellows as he moves to slide his sword from his belt. The sound of a door slamming shut has his companion laying a hand on his arm. I don’t take my eyes off the guards as I brace my body for a fight, wiping the slime on my skirt. I didn’t know what it was, or how long it had been growing down here.

“Leave the dirty shifter alone for Kieran and the queen to deal with. It’s not worth losing your head or job over.” He grimaces as he glances down at his friend’s ruined tunic and shrugs sheepishly before glancing between me and the sound of the slammed door.

“You’ll get what you deserve, whore.” The guard with brown hair stands before me, his face twists in disgust. With a loud and repulsive sound, he spits a thick glob of saliva on the ground, right by my feet.

“I am no male’s whore. When I get free, you’ll see exactly who I am. I will serve the vengeance my people deserve.” I laugh bitterly as I wipe my mouth with the back of my clean hand. The crackling flames of my fiery determination grow stronger. The flickering light dances on the faces of the innocent children across from me, casting long shadows on the grimy walls of their prison. The sound of their quiet sobs and muffled cries echoes in the damp, musty air. My heart races with a mix of anger and sorrow as I vow to protect these children and any others who have been wrongly imprisoned. I will find the camps they spoke of and free them, then take down this entire kingdom if I have to. I stand still, my eyes fixated on the guards’ retreating backs as they disappear around the corner. The sound of their footsteps echo through the cold stone dungeon, making the hair on my arms stand on end. I clench my fists, relishing in the rough texture of the wall against my fingertips, as I let my anger fester.

Tricella thought she had caught a tame unicorn to siphon.

She will find there are reasons unicorns are both revered and feared.

Aramis

Theclackofmyboots reverberates off the cold, damp stones as I descend down to the dungeons. I can’t get Sybil out of my thoughts since apprehending her yesterday. Her usual scent of tea, lavender and vanilla was completely marred by the smell of damp stone and sweat. If fear had a smell, there’s no doubt it would coat her pale skin.

Seeing her so frail and scared, with her hair roughly cut and eyes empty of their usual light, had nearly driven me insane. I had promised her a fair trial and found her a shell of the woman I had retrieved from that cottage. Something is very wrong and I hate myself for not knowing what to do. Why am I so willing to sacrifice everything I have and everything I am to save her?

After presenting my report to both my father and Tricella the night before, I was determined to clear my mind of her. I tossed my shirt into the fire and submerged myself in the steaming water, but despite scrubbing my skin until it was raw and red, I could still feel and smell her. Even though she has been a prisoner for some time, I swear her lavender scent still lingers, as if my imagination can’t release her. Never have I experienced fury such as when Kieran laid his filthy hands on her and I was ready to see the light leave his eyes for that one small gesture. Goddess knows I only stopped myself because Tricella would have undoubtedly claimed a life for a life and killed Nero or Edmund to punish me. In a desperate attempt to dull my senses, I drank a few drams of dark starlight before finally succumbing to a deep, fitful sleep. Visions of her hair caressing her cheek as she tilts her head in thought, her soft rosebud lips, and those damnable soft hands still plague my dreams. Shaking my head, I rake my fingers through my hair.

The unicorn must have cast a spell on me once Tricella unleashed her powers, it’s the only way I can explain this obsession, this urge to make sure she is safe.Shifters are abominable creatures, only with animal instincts to fuck, kill, and conquer,I tell myself. My words ring false, even in my head, and I wonder why I keep trying to tell myself this, when I know Sybil has proven to be the only exception, demanding that I change my mind–that I do better.

“Why was she even free in the castle?” I question aloud as I turn the corner and proceed through another door, slamming it behind me. My movements are guided by an instinctive need to see her.

Another flight of stairs and over the reek of the dungeon. I smell the faint hint of her scent. My heart is pounding in my chest as I sprint toward the ominous entrance of her cell, but my steps grow heavy as I get a first glimpse at what lies behind the bars. Curled up in the muck, shivering from the cold and covered in dried blood, Sybil seems to be asleep. I slowly take a step forward, careful not to wake her. My breath comes out in ragged gasps, each exhale a silent prayer for her well-being. A low growling sound emanates from deep within me, reverberating through my chest as my eyes lay on her tear-streaked face in the dim light of the dungeon and time seems to freeze. A magnetic pull tugs at my gut, urging me to move closer. Every detail of her presence is magnified, as if the world around us has faded away and we are the only two beings left. In that moment, the air cracks and my heart, already racing with fear, now pulses with new found intensity.

This can’t be.No. She is a shifter. She is nothing to me.

My knuckles turn white as I grip the bars of her cell, watching her. I can’t seem to look away from the heartbreaking sight in front of me. Her thin gown is stained and ripped. My breath catches in my throat as shock and recognition wash over me.

Save her. Free her. Mate. My Mate—

The tug inside me demands. I recoil from the cell and quickly step back, cursing under my breath as my boot splashes in a puddle of fluid.

No. She can’t be.But I feel the relentless insistence down to my very core.Mate.

Her eyes flash open, their hazel depths peering into my soul.

“Aramis,” she says venomously. Her eyes are full of malice as she continues to stare.

“Sybil,” I reply. My practiced speech and witty remarks fail me; a deadweight on my tongue.

She pushes herself up to a sitting position, a wince briefly flashing over her face. “Come to gloat,Princeof Shadowvale? You’ve managed to capture a scary group of—" she pauses, her breaths coming out in labored grunts as she pushes herself to stand unsteadily on her feet. She gestures towards the cell behind me. “Scared, defenseless men, women and children.”

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