Chapter 7
My mind was racing. The mere sight of those blazing golden eyes sent my body into flight or fight mode. The wounds decorating my back and neck seemed to burn.
Did I accidentally say something that upset him? Were they going to question me about my light magic? About my parents? About Lili?
I felt my heartbeat hammering away in my ears as I stared at him, frozen. Only when the two big guards behind him conjured whips of light did I will my shaky legs to move. I took a step back, grasping the table for support.
“Do my companions have to help you or are you capable of walking on your own?” he asked, still smiling at me like I was his houseguest. Like he hadn’t whipped my body to shreds a month ago.
With shaky legs, I walked towards him, needle and half-finished uniform still clutched tightly in my hand.
“Leave that,” he ordered, turning around on his heel. I dropped the uniform at once, but before I got the chance to move, the guards seized an arm on either side of me.
“Stay alive,” I mouthed to Elvira over my shoulder, watching her eyes tear up as she nodded back at me. It wasn’t abnormal that prisoners disappeared.
We walked through at least a dozen doors before I found myself in a part of the prison that I’d never seen before.
I looked around, taking notice of the difference from my usual surroundings.
Instead of the golden metal interior that occupied most of the prison, this area was decked with wooden furniture and decorative effects.
It was more well-kept, and the temperature was more comfortable.
The air felt fresher every time I inhaled.
Only when we were sitting face to face in his office did Boaz speak again. He leaned in, resting his elbows on the desk between us. His sleeves were rolled up, revealing his tattooed forearms. A faded Defender symbol decorated his right arm.
“I have a very important task for you, Prudence,” he said, tapping his fingertips together mischievously. My eyes darted to his, a mix of fear and hope colliding in my stomach.
“What?” The word flew out before I could stop it, the confusion clear in my quivering voice.
He pulled my bag from a drawer and threw it unceremoniously onto the desk. It looked even scruffier surrounded by the fine things in his office.
“We need you to locate the Rebellion,” he said, and I almost flinched at the word. He paused, pulling yet another thing from the drawer. “And steal this.”
He slid a piece of canvas towards me, and I picked it up with trembling hands. It was a drawing— a magnificent golden crown embedded with huge yellow diamonds, perched on a white silky pillow.
I only realized my mouth was hanging open when it was completely parched. “How am I supposed to do that?” I asked in disbelief.
His cold eyes remained trained on me, an eyebrow slightly raised in challenge. Clearly, he wouldn’t take no for an answer. He expected me to take on this task, and to succeed.
He leaned back in his seat, fixing me with a knowing stare. “We have an estimated location within a forty-mile radius. You just have to find the precise location.”
That sounded about as easy as becoming Queen of Erobred.
“And how would I do that?” I answered, trying to keep my voice steady and free of the disgruntled sneer that was roaring inside my head.
He smiled, tilting his head. “That’s for you to figure out, isn’t it?”
I gulped, turning my gaze to the floor. “I… don’t really know how to control my magic,” I admitted, twisting the bracelet around my wrist.
“I know,” he cooed in a disgustingly gentle voice. “But Kenric, the Defender that took you here, informed me of a certain… ability of yours.”
I scowled at the mention of him, wanting to tell him that I knew who Kenric was, unfortunately. “I suspected he would,” I muttered.
“And I suspect the rebels will find this information valuable as well, only for different reasons,” he continued, ignoring my obvious hatred for his Defender.
His attitude switched from mocking to determined as he straightened his back.
“You’ll figure out how to get in touch with the rebels, and you’ll get me that crown.
” The finality in his voice left no room for discussion.
It could work, if not for the giant flaw in his plan. “How would I have escaped? No one has escaped before.”
“No one like you has ever been imprisoned here. One of the guards left the underground tunnels unwatched. Very unfortunate,” he said, dragging out the words. “When he realized, it was too late. He died in the trap you set for him when he tried to catch you.”
Another flaw. “I don’t know how to do that.”
“You better figure it out then,” he said, turning to grab a book from the shelves behind him, dropping it on the table. The book was so thick it made papers fly to the floor, propelling dust from the surface of the cover.
I grabbed it, stroking the title with my thumb to remove the lingering grime.
The Fundamentals of Moon Magic: A Handbook by Erebos.
I flipped the book to read the description with a surge of interest, but the back was void of words. It dawned on me the value of the leatherbound book in my hands. “Was this really written by Erebos?” I asked.
“How should I know? The man died a hundred years ago,” he shrugged, dismissing me with a wave of his hand. “Take the book and study its content until you find the Rebellion base. Then dispose of it.”
I whipped my head up in horror. “What… You want me to toss one of the only books left about the history of my people?” I gaped at him in disbelief. After the war, the lightcasters had burned almost every book about dark magic and made it illegal for anyone to write about it.
“Preferably,” he said, flashing me another smile. “Unless you wish to get caught in a lie?”
I huffed, returning my attention to the book. The yellowed pages held the information I’d been longing to know for years. Information I wouldn’t have dreamed of possessing yesterday. Now, a new world was patiently waiting at my fingertips.
I desperately wanted to dive into this pool of knowledge, but I knew Boaz’s patience with me was temporary. Instead, I grabbed my bag from the table and peered into it. Lili’s drawing laid on top, three happy faces smiling up at me. My eyes stung as I continued to rummage through my belongings.
The small purse that had been tied to my waist when I was caught had been tossed carelessly in there, coins littering the bottom of the bag.
The only other thing left in there was a beautifully shaped knife that Archie had given me for my twentieth birthday.
We had known each other for almost a decade then.
I remembered the glint in his eyes as I’d unwrapped it, silencing all my protests of spending money on me.
I rarely used it out of fear I’d lose or break it.
He’d told me that the green emerald at the top of the handle had reminded him of my eyes, so he couldn’t resist getting it for me.
“Prudence, are you listening to a word I’m saying?” Boaz’s voice cut through my reminiscence.
“I’m sorry,” I startled, returning my gaze to his.
“Should I find a more alert person for the task?” he asked, annoyed, not taking his eyes off me.
“No, I can do it,” I said, not daring to think of the consequences if I refused. But I’d just thought of something that might make this whole task worth it. “But wouldn’t my story be more believable if I escaped with a few other prisoners?”
His cold laugh shattered every shred of hope I had. “And having to explain why I let more than one prisoner go? Absolutely not.”
“Think about it,” I pleaded, but he shook his head at once.
“I suggest you get going, girl. You have six months. If you fail, I’ll personally drag you from the rebels, and make you watch their downfall, along with the death of everyone you love.”
I gulped, almost amazed at my own audacity, knowing what I was about to say. “If you know where the base is within a forty-mile radius, why not just search that area and attack? It wouldn’t take you more than a few weeks.”
“I’m not keen on discussing war-tactics with a darksome.
But since this might be valuable to you, for this mission, I’ll answer just this one question.
” His voice was still steady, but the look in his eyes told me he was finished with this conversation.
“We have no intel on the size of the rebel base, how many there are… and we also don’t know if they’re actually keeping this there,” he continued, tapping the drawing of the crown.
“If we kill them all before we find out, we might never locate it.”
I nodded, struggling to take in the fact that I was about to go to the place I’d dreamed of for years, only to deceive them.
He checked his watch, then roughly stuffed it back in his pocket. “Get me that crown, Prudence, and in return, I shall grant you your freedom. I will have Kenric watch over your sister and your little friend while you’re gone.”
He stood up, towering over me as he fixed me with a final stare that told me he would be just as happy to see me die as to succeed. “The Rebellion took my son from me, so don’t doubt that I will take everything from them.”
He made to leave but turned once more to look at me. “Do your best. I’ll tell your little prison-mates I’ve had you executed for disobeying me.” He winked, the wrinkles around his eyes mounting deeper. “Though I expect you know what happens if you do defy me?”
I nodded, my cheeks heating with defeat and fury. “You’ll hurt my sister.”
“No,” he answered calmly. “I’ll kill her.”