33. Scotlind
THIRTY-THREE
SCOTLIND
I wanted to vomit as I forced myself to take another bite. They stopped having soldiers hand feed me after I sank my teeth into them one too many times. Now my hands were chained in front of me—for the duration of my meals only—with only enough slack to allow me to bring my fingers to my lips.
Vallie was chained to the floor from across me, starving, while I was ordered to lick my plate clean after every meal. They’d give her just enough scraps to stay alive, only feeding her every couple of days.
The meat stirred in my stomach and it took everything in me to keep it down. Across the room, Vallie’s stomach growled. Her hips and curves were melting away. I could see her rib cage protruding, her shoulders caving. The King starved her—starved her, tortured her, and abused her in every way possible. Anytime I didn’t cooperate, he took it out on her.
I only kept track of the days by how many meals I was forced to eat and how many Vallie was neglected. Every day was the same endless cycle.
Arcane would find me in the morning to collect samples of my blood for his tests, and occasionally, he’d bring me into his lab if he needed more. I should have liked it when I got to leave. It was my only reprieve, the only little bit of freedom I got, but I hated it.
I felt like I was suffocating within the white walls and pristine floors of his lab. Everything was too clean. Vials of blood lined counter after counter. Every so often, another Advenian would be chained to a chair, moaning in agony. I tried not to focus on the tests being done. I tried even harder not to focus on the state of the Advenians that were strapped down. They were all on the brink of death, and I knew I was destined for the same fate once Arcane succeeded with my own blood serum—once he found a way to reverse my ability.
Did he know that? Did he know his father kept hundreds of people chained below the castle? I couldn’t get a read on the eldest prince. I couldn’t figure out if he was helping or hurting us. But if he knew about the hidden dungeon and was making Alluse serums for the King, there was no way he could be on our side.
I shuddered, thinking about the right side of that room, how all the Advenians were drained, their blood pouring into buckets beneath them. Then I thought of the left side, the side the King drank and stole from every single day. I tried not to, but all I saw were hundreds of cuts marking their bodies and how I’d end up there soon.
After Arcane was finished with me every morning, he’d deposit me back into the King’s antechamber. The dead boy was starting to decay, and the smell was sickening. The blood had seeped and permanently stained the floor, but no servants were allowed to mop it— him —up. It was meant to serve as a reminder that if I didn’t obey, Vallie would join him. It was a delicate balance I was failing at.
They questioned me every day, always asking the same things. Where was Tezya? What was he planning? How did we escape ?
When the vapor finally wore off, my chains were replaced with Vir Alluse ones, but I still couldn’t be compelled.
They had Kole try every day on the off chance whatever was preventing me would magically go away. But I was never forced to obey. The compulsion wouldn’t work. I wondered if Arcane was putting something in my food, some serum that prevented compulsion.
I straightened in my chains as the King walked into the room. The fireplace was on today, but it didn’t emanate any heat like the ones in Tennebris. Unlike the rest of Lux, the King’s rooms were cold.
“Every day you resist me, resist this , it directly affects her,” the King said as he watched me finish the meal I was forced to eat. “I need you alive and healthy, but her,” he gestured to Vallie, “she doesn’t matter.”
I looked over at Vallie. She rose from her fetal position and was sitting with her hands in front of her, trying to block most of her body from view as she glared up at the King. Her chains had more slack than mine, giving enough length to allow her to walk if she wanted. But as I stared at her, I didn’t think she could stand even if she wanted to.
A tear slid down my cheek. I was at a loss for what I could do for her. I didn’t know how to keep her safe anymore and the more days that passed, the more and more I contemplated just giving in and telling the King everything he wanted. They were killing her slowly and forcing me to watch.
“I’m going to show you mercy today.” His gaze flicked over Vallie, drinking her in. “And to prove how generous I can be, I’m going to give this redheaded friend a break.”
I narrowed my eyes, unsure what he meant by that, but I didn’t have to wait long to find out. He grinned down at me as the door burst open. Miles was brought forth in chains by Kole. More guilt riddled me, and I knew it would be the death of me. I forgot about my other friend. I forgot they still had Miles in the dungeons. I was so focused on Vallie that I hadn’t worried about what they’d been doing to him.
Miles lunged, his shackles pulling and straining against his wrists. I couldn’t tell which one of us he was trying to get to before the King’s voice overpowered his screams. “Silence him,” he ordered, growing bored, “or I’ll do it for you.”
“Stand still,” Kole sneered, but Miles didn’t stop, and seeing that, seeing him fight broke me further. Miles was a ranked Tennebrisian, he couldn’t be compelled, but it didn’t matter. Kole overpowered him in every way. He was contained even if he didn’t stop. Kole’s voice lowered to a whisper. It was so quiet that I had no idea how I heard it. “You need to calm down, or he’ll make it worse for her.”
Miles stopped then, falling slack in his menacing grip. Kole’s eyes were on Vallie before he turned to look at me. His gaze narrowed, noticing me staring.
Vallie stirred in her own shackles across the room. I shuddered as Miles’ gaze took in the sight of me, then the dead boy, before finally settling on his twin. Starved, naked, bruised, with dried blood crusted over her delicate skin. The empty plate by my chains felt disgusting as I saw Miles note the way his twin’s body caved in. How her lips were dry and cracked and bleeding. How the skin around her eyes was sullen and sunken in. And me, who was fed, clothed, and didn’t have a speck to show for any maltreatment.
The King assessed me, watching me take in my other friend. “You have caused me a great deal of pain. You, my son, the Dark Prince… It seems there are many civilians who support the three of you. Some have twisted what happened when you and my son left and unfortunately the rumors of the Dark Prince’s escape haven’t been silenced. The rebellion is stirring again, and I plan on using you to stop it.”
A feeling of doom washed over me. The King had an obsessive fascination with Vallie. He kept her in a condition just enough to keep her alive, but he got off on her struggle. I prayed to the Goddesses every day that it was enough to keep her breathing. But Miles… him being here didn’t sit right. I couldn’t gauge the lengths the King would take on him. I scanned Miles from head to toe. He looked thinner than he was before. His red hair grew past his shoulders, and a thick beard peppered his normally clean-shaven jaw. How long had they had my friends imprisoned before I came?
“What do you want?” I forced myself to say, the bite of food I just shoved down felt lodged in my throat.
“We’re planning a broadcast, and I want you to do exactly as I say. If you don’t,” he paused before turning his attention to Miles. The next second Miles was drowning. The King was using water creation, forming a tight bubble around his head. I watched in horror as my friend struggled against Kole’s grip. He was screaming, sucking in endless cycles of water over and over again. Bubbles ebbed around the water, but the King held his stolen ability.
I knew that pain. I knew what Miles was feeling…
“Please, please, stop. I’ll do anything. Just let him go,” I screamed, but I barely heard my words over Vallie’s shrieks. I realized she was begging, pleading for Kole to help, to do something, anything. He was the only one unchained besides the King.
Save him. Help him. Please. Kole! Do something. No. Please. Miles! KOLE! Her screams echoed in my ears, sinking into my bones.
“Shall I demonstrate all my abilities?” The King’s voice was eerily quiet, but somehow I heard him perfectly over the panic in the room. Miles’ body revolted as the King added electricity into the mix. The floor shook as he created vines out of nothing. The mossy branches jutted out and replaced Kole’s hold on Miles, winding up his legs and arms, locking him in place. Kole took a step back as he watched. His gaze flicked to Vallie’s. She was standing now, pulling against her chains, as she screamed for Kole, begging him to help. His hard expression faltered, and he took a single step toward Miles.
The King smiled, releasing the water for a moment, but before I had time to relax, to think it was over, fire replaced where the water had been. An air shield was pocketed over the flames, keeping all the smoke contained around Miles’ face. Terror wrecked me as I watched his body sag into the vines holding him up.
No.
No.
No.
His head was burned off, reduced to nothing but ash. There wasn’t even blood seeping from his neck. It was all charred. The King retracted the vines and his body flopped onto the floor. The thud resounded in my ears, repeating over and over again.
I would never hear his laugh. I would never be able to listen to him talk again. He would never smile. Never be able to speak to his twin. Never read a book with me or study the mortal maps with his sister.
Vallie’s screams were piercing like a dagger stabbing my heart over and over again. It was endless. I was stuck in this moment of terror, unable to escape. Forced on repeat.
Distantly, I heard the King order someone to gag Vallie. Tears pooled down her face as soldiers I hadn’t seen before entered and forced her jaw open. They clamped her mouth down around a gag, but muffled screams still ripped from her. I’d never seen her so feral, so ready to murder each and every being in the room. Kole just stared at her in disbelief. I couldn’t read the expression on his face.
The King turned to me. My gut twisted as he smiled. Smiled. “If you don’t do exactly as you’re told, she’ll be next. When it’s time, you’ll be washed and briefed on exactly what I need from you. But mark my words, if you stray even a hair from what is expected, I’ll make the girl’s death twice as long and twice as painful as the boy’s. Consider this your only warning.”
Then he left us. Left me alone with Vallie, still kicking and screaming through her gag. Her wrists and ankles were bleeding from where she kept pulling her shackles taut, trying relentlessly to break free. I stared at her, then to my headless friend on the ground between us.
Her twin was dead—Miles was dead.