Chapter 54
54
I awoke to a shudder of thunder jolting me awake on the cell floor. I blinked, pushing myself up, my body aching and my thin gown barely keeping my body warm in the cold. There were no windows in the cell, but time had passed. It must be nearly morning.
A few vines had crept into this old cell beneath the palace. On one of the vines bloomed a moonflower. I crawled closer to it, the white petals blooming from a starfish-like shape at the center. The moonflower was so rare, and it only bloomed in the darkest hours of the night.
I reached out my hand and brushed the pure white flower. It had fought so hard to unfurl its soft petals in this dingy cell.
Far away, I heard the clanking of keys and the unlocking of a door. I watched as polished boots made their way down the steps. Too polished. These were boots that never saw mud or true terrain. Only fine rugs and smooth palace floors.
I made my way to my feet, keeping my head high as King West strode in front of my cell, his nose wrinkling as he took in my dirty dress and unkempt hair. “Pity. I gave you every opportunity to arrive at your final trial in glory. And instead you try and attack my High Sorceress? You deserve for all of the allied courts to see you as the filth you truly are.”
I leveled a glare at him, no longer trying to hide my hatred. “At least I’m not the filth that pretends to care about his people and then turns around to murder innocent villagers.”
He quirked his head. “Innocent? They chose to fight with the rebels and sealed their fate. Those villages were far from neutral and had to be put down.” He took a step closer to the bars. “I will destroy every last one of the rebel forces after this is over. And you’ll help me.”
“I will not?—”
King West reached out and grabbed me, yanking me to the bars. I felt something pierce my arm, and I looked down to see one of his extravagant rings was twisted open to reveal a hidden sharp blade just the length of a thumbnail, but wicked sharp. Blood slid down my arm where he had used it to slice my skin. “You will do what I say.” Suddenly, my blood was levitating as he raised his free hand.
King West was a blood magic wielder.
I tried to hold back a whimper as that horrific sensation crept through my veins, the blood starting to march at his command.
“Never,” I whispered, pushing down my panic as I held his piercing stare.
He grinned. “You’re a feisty one. You’ll need that. I’m already planning all of the ways in which I’ll force your body under my command. I will learn how to best… provoke your siphon powers. I’ve already promised you to my best warriors who will use you as they see fit on the front lines.”
I felt a chill sweep through my body as I realized the full truth of what lay ahead of me after this sixth and final trial.
A fate truly worse than death.
“I’ll never help you,” I said, but my voice wavered.
“You have no choice,” he said, tightening his grip on my blood and I felt my heart skip a beat as he paused the blood in my veins, keeping it from flowing.
I opened and closed my mouth, no oxygen coming in or out. Stars started to cloud my vision, and I felt myself teeter on the brink of passing out.
Then, my blood rushed back into my heart, and I slumped against the bars, the King pulling away with a low chuckle.
“You will always submit to me, Saffron. Oh, and I did you a favor.”
It took too much effort for me to lift my head to face him, my breath coming in gasps.
King West took out a small gold handkerchief, cleaning the blood off his ring as he hid the dagger within it, sliding the crest of Luminaria back into place. “You’ll only have one opponent in the final trial.”
“What?” I asked, fear slicing through me.
“I sent one of my men to take care of the shifter for you. Just to make sure there was no way you’d lose. And just for good measure, we closed up the threadwell pool by the coliseum with a grate of metal stakes. Just to ensure that any… unexpected guests would get an equally unexpected surprise.”
My mouth went dry. Rachelle. Tristen. No. Surely Zara would have reached Rachelle in time and the King was lying. And Tristen… gods, I hoped he was still alive.
“You fucking bastard—” I threw myself at the cell, wishing I had the strength to break it down and strangle him.
But King West had already turned on his heel, heading to the guards stationed at the stairs. “Put on a good show today, Saffron. How you’ll be treated after you win will depend on it.”
I screamed, shaking the bars. But the sounds were swallowed up by the cell. I slid to the floor, my body shaking with rage.
I was all alone, withering on the damp stone floor as the night-blooming flower slowly closed its petals as dawn made its death march.