Chapter Ten #2
“Release him,” Maddox said, voice tense. Pained. “Please, Your Highness. This has gone on for long enough. There is no proof he was involved in poisoning the king.”
“No proof?” Cedric flung a hand toward the table. “My father took a drink from his mug, a mug that your sweet little Evan poured for him, and then clutched his throat before collapsing. Now, tell me. Is that not proof enough?”
“No,” Maddox responded without missing a beat. “All it proves is how the king was poisoned but not by whom. Several servants came to and from the table, clearing dishes and bringing out more. Anyone could’ve tampered with that mug.”
“The truth will be revealed in time.” Cedric focused on the two guards still holding me down. “Finish searching him.”
They patted my suit pockets, then my sides. One grabbed my pocket square and tossed it aside. It drifted to the floor, the red fabric a stark contrast against the white marble.
“Your Highness?” the guard beside me said, his voice lifting in a strange way. “He has something else in his pocket.”
Huh? No, I didn’t. Unless a cookie had somehow fallen in.
“Retrieve it,” Cedric ordered.
The guard withdrew a tiny vial of dark liquid that was only about two inches long. I stared at it, confused. What the heck was that and how did it get in my pants pocket?
“Ah.” Cedric’s lips skewed, bringing that malicious gleam back to his eyes. “You asked for proof? There it is. The poison he used on the king.”
“What?” I asked, heart knocking hard in my chest. “I’ve never seen that before! It’s not mine.”
“Yet, it was in your pocket.” Cedric exaggerated a sigh and faced the guests. “All of you have been witnesses this night. You saw the dagger concealed in his inner pocket, as well as the vial of poison now found. You’ve also heard testimony from my guards detailing how he associates with demons.”
“Traitor!” a man yelled.
“He poisoned the king!” another chimed in.
“Could he be one of Lord Onyx’s spies?” a woman asked, which caused a rise in the chatter as others speculated.
Sawyer stared in horror. Did he believe the lie too? I felt sick.
“Evan Clark, given the mountain of evidence against you, I have no choice but to find you guilty of conspiring to murder the king.” Cedric motioned to the guards. “Take him to the dungeon.”
I started crying.
“Evan!” A growl tore through the air, and I glanced back to see Maddox being held back by three guards. “This is a mistake. He’s innocent!”
More tears surged forward. “Stop resisting them, Maddox. It’ll be…” A small cry broke off my next word.
How could I tell him it would be okay when I didn’t believe it myself? Cedric had hated me from the very first time we met, and now he had the reason he needed to lock me up and throw away the key. Or banish me. Whatever cruel thing he wanted to do.
That panic from earlier when I noticed Rowan was gone resurfaced. My lungs seized, and my breath hitched in my throat. Just as my vision began to tunnel, the sweetest scent enveloped me. Like vanilla bean and bread fresh from the oven. A warm embrace from the sun itself.
“I’ve got you, Ev.” Callum turned his face into my hair and kissed everywhere his lips could touch. “We know you didn’t do this.”
The guards tried to pull him away, but he held on tighter. And then, he cried out in pain. They were hitting and kicking him in an attempt to loosen his hold.
“Cal, stop.” My tears stained the front of his uniform. “I’ll go with them, okay? Just let me go.”
“No,” he rasped, cradling the back of my head. “I finally have you. I’ll never let you go. Never.”
Maddox broke free of the guards, only to have Captain Vander step in his way.
“Stand aside, Captain Maddox.” The knight commander tipped his chin up, one hand resting on his sword. “Interfere with Prince Cedric’s orders and you’ll be stripped of your command and thrown into the cell beside your lover.”
I recognized the defiance in Maddox’s eyes—and the determination to save me. He was about to throw away everything he’d worked so hard for, just so he could be there beside me. Callum was prepared to do the same. Like hell I’d let that happen.
I drew Callum in for a kiss… and then shoved him away as hard as I could.
“Ev!” He reached for me. “Wait.”
Guards swarmed me and yanked me to my feet, pinning my arms behind my back. It hurt, but I tried not to show it.
“There’s no need to be so rough with him,” Maddox snapped. His voice shook as he added, “You’re all bigger than he is. Please.”
A set of hands replaced the ones around my wrists. They held me gentler than the others. From my peripheral, I caught sight of a massive armored body.
Ban.
He and the other guards then escorted me from the dais and toward a narrow door to the left of the ballroom. Maddox and Callum called after me, but I didn’t turn around. I couldn’t.
One look at them would shatter me.
***
“It’s not as bad as I thought it’d be.” I scrutinized the dungeon cell. “It’s worse.”
Ban grunted. He stood against the wall in front of the row of bars. After locking me inside, he took position there, staying when the other guards left.
“At least you’re here with me. I can’t imagine being alone.”
He stared at me before averting his eyes to the dirty floor.
And it was very dirty. Guess cleanliness didn’t matter when it came to jailing criminals.
I sighed and glanced around my cell. No windows, but there was a thin bedroll in the corner.
Also, dirty. Stains covered every inch of it.
Some of those stains looked like blood, and my stomach turned.
It was probably infested with lice or something else gross too.
Standing was best. Because nasty bedroll aside, the floor seemed to be moving in one area. Thoughts of Herbert came to mind. No way in hell was I sitting down. Cows slept standing up, right? Why couldn’t muffins?
Not that sleep was in the cards for me anytime soon. My life had turned upside down. Again.
I grabbed the bars in front of me. “Do you think I’m guilty?”
Ban’s gaze lifted. He had removed his helmet after placing me in my cell, allowing me to see his buzzed hair and ears. They jutted out just a tad, which I found kind of cute. Sconces along the wall provided a little light but not much.
“I’d probably think I was guilty too.” My grip tightened on the iron bars, and I slumped forward, resting my forehead against them. “Why would someone frame me? I haven’t done anything to anyone. Makes no sense.”
A hand softly landed on my head.
I froze. Not because I was scared. I just didn’t want to scare him by moving too fast. Something told me he didn’t willingly touch many people. The bars were just far enough apart for him to slide his big hand through.
Slowly, he moved his fingers over my hair. Despite my shitty situation, I smiled at the soft touch. He was comforting me.
“Thank you.” I peered up at him. The tenderness in his expression was all the proof I needed that he didn’t believe the lie. “You’re a good friend, Ban.”
He held my gaze for a heartbeat or two before pulling away. Back against the wall, he stared at his palm before quickly lowering it to his side.
“You spoke to me, didn’t you? After the mercenary attacked us?”
His gray eyes widened.
“I remember you holding me and telling me to wake up.” A dull ache spread through my chest at the memory. “Was that real?”
Ban only stared at me. Didn’t even grunt a response.
It hurt my heart to imagine why he preferred not to talk.
The voice I remembered had held a strong stutter.
If someone had made fun of him for it, I’d hunt them down and kick their mean-spirited ass.
Or give them a cupcake laced with super-strong laxatives and have them shitting themselves for two days straight.
Just needed to get out of prison first.
Footsteps echoed down the stairwell. Multiple sets. More guards? Or knights of the Royal Order coming to haul me to the gallows? Lead dropped into my gut as I waited to learn what fresh hell awaited me next.
Ban turned toward the stairs and rested a hand on his sword. Which made my chin wobble. He was preparing to defend me if necessary. The kicker came from the fact that he’d be defending me against his own comrades.
As the group reached the ground level and stepped into the dungeon, the tension left my body. Three men, all of whom owned a piece of my heart, rushed toward my cell.
“Oh, love.” Briar slid his hand through the bars. “Look at you. Are you all right?”
“Hey, Doc.” Tears sprang to my eyes as I locked our fingers. “Yeah, I’m okay. Ban’s been keeping me company.”
The guard nodded to him.
Maddox joined Briar in front of the bars and cupped my cheek. “If anyone has hurt you, I swear to the gods I’ll drive my sword through their heart.”
“Then you’ll be in the cell right next to mine.”
A pained glint showed in his eyes. “At least we’d be together.”
Callum stood on the other side of Maddox and surveyed the area. His expression soured when spotting the bedroll. “This is unacceptable. You…” His voice cracked. “You deserve better than this, Ev.”
“Eh, it’s still better than the night I spent in the dark wood. Even with Ro with me, it was creepy and—” A sudden wave of panic rose in my chest. He wasn’t with them. “Rowan! He vanished during the ball. Have you seen him?”
“No,” Briar answered. “We’ve not heard from any of the spies as of yet.”
“Do you think he’s okay?”
“I know he is,” Callum said, trying for a reassuring smile. Not sure if it was to reassure me or himself. “The snake loves you too much to let anything keep him away for long.”
Calm down. Don’t jump to conclusions.
“How’s King Eidolon doing?” I asked, feeling shitty for not asking sooner. There was just a lot to process at the moment. “Did he…”
“He lives.” Briar gently squeezed my hand. “But only just. He’s incredibly weak. The poison incapacitated him to the point I fear he may be confined to his bed for quite some time.”
“At least he’s alive.” I expelled a breath. “That’s good news.”