Chapter Ten
The Protector
I follow Ni back into the palace, leaving Scarlett and Emery to head back to the throne room.
They don’t need to witness this. Although I am half convinced Scar would want to contribute to his torturing in some way.
He almost killed her, and he almost killed Elaenor. He deserves what’s coming to him.
Nithe leads me straight down to the dungeon, past the bunkers, to where Tano is being shackled to the wall.
His hood has fallen back, his entire face exposed, but all I see is weakness.
This man—this fragment of a protector—was supposed to be Elaenor’s guard.
He was supposed to protect her, but he didn’t.
And now he’s here, causing damage to our home.
Nithe and I are both silent as we wait for the guards to finish with the tethers. When they do, they hastily bow to the prince before exiting, leaving us alone.
“Tano, is it?” Nithe asks, crouching down in front of the guard.
“And who are you?” He sneers, sweat beading along his brow.
“I’m the last person you are going to see for a while.” Nithe’s hand snakes into his boot, pulling out a short dagger. He slices it through the air, splitting Tano’s cheek open in a millisecond.
“ Ni ,” I warn, stepping forward. Usually his father, the king, is the one who tortures people.
This isn’t like him. Nithe has always been against torture, against hurting without reason, but right now, right now Nithe isn’t himself and I have a sneaking suspicion it has something to do with Elaenor, and that thought causes confusing emotions to flick through my mind.
“Here is what’s going to happen, Tano. I am going to ask you questions and you are going to answer them.
Every time you don’t, I cut something off.
I’ll be generous and start with your fingers and not something you’ll really miss.
” He lifts his hand and presses the blade against Tano’s thumb, where it is hanging from the wall behind him.
He tries to wrench his hand away, but the tight shackles don’t allow it.
“ Fuck you .” My heart skips a beat and I take a step closer to them, my hands clenching together.
“While I appreciate the offer, Tano, no thank you.” Nithe clears his throat. “Where is Elaenor?”
“At the palace.”He spits, his eyes narrowed.
“Good job. You do listen!” He moves the dagger to Tano’s pointer finger. “Is she alive?”
“Yes. For now.” His voice shakes as he looks down at the blade pressed to his knuckle.
“Where is she being held?” It's there, and I almost miss it, but the edges of Tano’s lips twitch as if he is trying to hold back a smile.
“In the royal chambers where she is shackled and naked, ready for any and all to—” Nithe barely flinches, and the pointer finger is gone. Tano’s screams echo off the stone walls, and I step back, watching the blood steadily drip down his arm. Bile fills my mouth and I swallow it down. Gods .
“That was for being disgusting.” He mutters.
“Why do you want the queen so badly? What is she to you?” Tano asks, begs .
“She is our salvation .” Nithe whispers and my eyes widen. That was the first time he has ever acknowledged Elaenor for what she is. What she could mean. This is about Elaenor. This whole side of him, his change in demeanor. What did I miss? Why now ? “Why are you here Tano?”
“A distraction.” He spits again.
“I got that the first time. What are you distracting us from?” He keeps his mouth shut, and another finger is cleaved off.
I flinch as it falls to the floor with a fleshy smack.
Tano yells out, his face going red from the pain.
I can see sweat beading along his hairline, dropping past his temple.
He’s a weak excuse of a man. I can almost guarantee that Elaenor takes the pain and the torture better than this. “Answer me!”
“He wanted to see how many you had at the palace.”
“Who?”
“The king.” Tano spits out.
“Why?”
“He was trying to find a weakness.” Nithe leans back, the dagger spinning in his fingers.
“Did he find it?” I’m the one who speaks this time. I step closer to Tano, blood steadily dripping off his hand. “Was there another with you?” He hesitantly nods. “What is he going to tell Tobias?” Nithe glances back at me before leaning forward and pressing the blade to another finger.
“Answer him.”
“He’s going to tell him that the palace is weak, unguarded, and that the only ones who even made a move to protect the palace were the prince and princess.”
“Is he going to cross the border?” Nithe presses.
Tano doesn’t answer and another finger is gone.
“Is he going to cross into Rakushia?” He asks again.
Tano nods, and another finger is gone. I flinch as the guard screams, the shrill sound bouncing off the walls.
His hand is left fingerless and pouring blood.
“Just kill me.” He whimpers and Nithe smiles, his amethyst eyes sparkling in the dim light.
“I can’t do that. I have too many questions left to ask you.” Tano’s eyes widen as Nithe’s turn black. A small puff of smoke escapes his nose as he exhales, and I don’t have to look down to know that Tano’s trousers are no longer dry.
“This isn’t you, man.” I shake my head as I take in the blood splattered over every inch of his body.
“Someone has to be in control. Someone has to figure this shit out, and it sure as hell isn’t going to be our fathers.” He pushes past me, and I grab his arm, cringing at the wetness I feel.At the blood soaked into his clothes.
“Do not turn into your father, Nithe. You just murdered a man. Murdered him as if he was nothing.”
“He was nothing!”He growls, leaning in so close I can smell the smoke on his breath.
“No, he was a chance to get into the palace. A chance to learn more, and you took that away from us.”
“Away from you, you mean. Away from you . You don’t actually care who Elaenor is, all you want her for is to be your mate. You are the one who isn’t thinking of the bigger picture. She is more than just a body to potentially warm your bed—”
“Fuck you, Nithe. That is not why I want her safe, and you know it!” He pushes past me, shaking off my grip, and I spin around. “Where are you going?”
“I have to inform the king of what I learned from our prisoner.”
“What you tortured out of him, Nithe. Tortured. Do not go down this path of darkness. Don’t. Because if you become anything like your father, I will make sure Elaenor never even gets close to you.” I threaten. He spins around to face me again.
“I don’t want to marry her! Don’t you get it? She will be tethered to me, forever. She doesn’t deserve that. She doesn’t deserve someone like me.” His voice cracks, the edges of his pupils darkening from the emotion, from the lack of control.
“Do you think Tobias is any better?”
“No! Gods, no. I don’t think she should be married at all . She’s a child. She deserves to be free.” He sputters, his hands coming up to run through his shaggy hair.
“She is the same age as us, Nithe.” I retort.
“That isn’t the point. The point is that I don’t deserve her. She doesn’t deserve me. She should just be left alone.”
“Because you believe that, is why you do deserve her. You care whether or not you want to admit it. You have come to care for her and that terrifies you.”
“It should have always been you who marries her, Enzo. Not me.” He shakes his head, stepping back.
“It was never going to be me. I’m not a royal, I’m nobody.” I snap, my voice growing louder. I don’t even hide the anger and jealousy coating my voice. It was never me and it never will be. She doesn’t belong to me and that is the hardest truth I’ll ever have to swallow.
“Enzo. I can’t do what they are asking of me. I will ruin her. I will be a weakness that she cannot afford.” His eyes grow frantic, searching mine. He’s scared. I have never seen him this way.
“You think she’ll fall for you. That’s what scares you. You’re scared that she will fall in love with you, and you will have to care for someone other than yourself—”
“No!” He takes a slow, deep breath before meeting my gaze. “What scares me is that she won’t .”