Chapter 5 – Dain
DAIN
Day three.
I heard them before I opened the door—raised voices, tense and raw, bleeding through the wood.
Inside, the squad was on its feet. Kael and Zephyr were squared off near the window, Reyna between them with her hands up, fire magic flickering at her fingertips.
Lirael was talking fast and low to Thorne, who looked like he was one word away from putting his fist through the wall.
Lyra sat rigid on the sofa, Elias beside her with his hand on her arm, both of them watching the room like it was about to detonate.
And Quinton?—
Quinton stood apart from the others, hands clenched at his sides, shoulders drawn tight. He looked like he hadn't slept or eaten, like he was barely holding himself together.
Every head turned when the door shut behind me. The argument died mid-sentence.
Kael spoke first. “What’s going on, Dain?”
I forced myself to meet his eyes. To stay controlled. “She’s been moved again.”
The room went still.
“Moved where?” Kael’s voice was colder now.
I hesitated for a heartbeat. “The Black Cell.”
Kael exploded. “What?!”
Quinton’s voice cut through the chaos, low and deadly. “What the fuck is a Black Cell?”
I kept my voice flat. Clinical. “Sensory deprivation. Total isolation. No light, no sound, minimal contact. It’s designed to break people.”
Elias’s voice was quiet. “That’s torture.”
“When was she moved?” Reyna demanded.
“Yesterday afternoon.”
The room erupted.
“Nobody should be in there that long?—”
“This is against protocol?—”
“They’re killing her?—”
I raised a hand, but the noise didn’t stop. Fear and fury bled together as everyone talked over each other.
Then I smelled it—copper, sharp and metallic in the air. My eyes cut to Quinton. His magic was slipping. Blood magic crackled faintly around his clenched fists as the pressure built. He took a step toward the door.
“Quinton.” My voice was hard. Final.
He didn’t stop. I moved. Got between him and the door, stepping into his space. Elias was already there too, hand on Quinton’s shoulder, grounding him.
“Don’t,” I said, low and lethal.
Quinton’s eyes were wild and haunted. “I’m getting her out.”
“No, you’re not.”
“I’m not sitting here while she?—”
“You are.” I didn’t raise my voice. “Because she told us to stand down. Because you going rogue makes it worse for her. You want to help her? Trust me. I’m working on it.”
His jaw worked, muscles twitching. The scent of copper was thicker by the second.
Elias’s hand tightened on his shoulder. “Quin. Breathe.”
For a long moment, I thought he’d push past me anyway. Thought I’d have to physically stop him. Then something in him cracked. Not breaking, but bending, barely. His fists were still clenched and his magic was still slipping, but he stepped back.
I turned to face the rest of them. “Lirael’s contacts have been cut off,” I said.
“Councilors are hiding in their manors. None of that matters right now.” I looked at Zephyr, then at Kael.
“I need you out on routine patrols. Gauge what the city’s saying; see if word’s spreading.
Report back by evening. And you do not cause trouble. ”
Zephyr’s jaw worked, but he nodded.
“Stay together,” I said. “Stay controlled. If you want to help her, that’s how you do it.”
The others filed out slowly. Thorne paused at the door, met my eyes briefly, then left without a word. Quinton was the last to leave. He stopped at the threshold, hand on the doorframe.
“Dain.”
I looked up.
“If you don’t get her out soon...” His voice was rough, barely controlled. “I will.”
Then he was gone.
I stood alone in the empty room, fists clenched, the ache in my chest pulsing with each breath. Time to change that.
I found her in the east garden. Alone, just as I’d planned.
She was walking along the stone path between the hedges, moving with the false purpose people adopt when they don’t want to be noticed.
Her hands were clasped in front of her, shoulders tight.
I stepped out of the archway. She froze when she saw me.
“Lady Miren,” I said, keeping my voice calm. Pleasant, even. “A word.”
Her eyes darted past me, searching for an exit. There wasn’t one. Not without walking directly past me. Not without making this obvious.
“Commander Virellan.” Her voice was steady, but her hands trembled slightly. “I’m afraid I have an appointment?—”
“This won’t take long.”
I didn’t move. Didn’t raise my voice. I just stood there, blocking the path. She stopped. Swallowed. She was trapped.
I let the silence stretch. Watched her fidget. Watched the fear creep into her eyes. Then I closed the distance between us, slow and deliberate. “You voted for Captain Sylvenhart’s arrest,” I said quietly. “You, Lord Hallen, Lord Vareck. Your names are on the order.”
“The council voted—” she started, voice shaking.
“The council voted because Hallen hates her and Vareck wants her position.” I tilted my head slightly, studying her. “But you, Lady Miren. You don’t have a grudge. You don’t have ambition. So why did you vote yes?”
She opened her mouth. Closed it. Couldn’t find the words.
I leaned in, close enough that she had to tilt her head back to meet my eyes. “What evidence convinced you she was a traitor?” My voice was soft. Almost kind.
“I... the intelligence?—”
“What intelligence?”
Silence. I let it hang there. Let her feel the weight of it.
“She passed the Truthteller,” I said, quieter now. “Clean. No lies. No deception. So what evidence could possibly override that?”
Her lips trembled. “Lord Hallen said?—”
“Lord Hallen received messages from Torven Kaelor. From Vasirien. Dravareth-influenced territory.” I held her gaze. “And you trusted him.”
She went pale.
“You trusted a man who’s hated Captain Sylvenhart since the day she was appointed,” I continued, voice still calm, still measured. “A man following orders from someone in enemy territory. And you didn’t question it.”
“I didn’t know?—”
“You didn’t want to know.” I stepped back, enough to let her breathe. “You were afraid. Afraid of being on the wrong side. Afraid of standing alone. So you went along.”
Tears welled in her eyes. I watched her. Didn’t blink.
“Do you know where she is right now?” I asked, voice dropping lower.
Miren shook her head, breath hitching.
“The Black Cell,” I said. “Sensory deprivation. No light. No sound. The Truthteller dragging her back every day to ask the same questions she’s already answered. And her mind is fracturing.”
It wasn’t true. Not yet. Azaria was stronger than that, stronger than anyone I’d ever known. But Miren didn’t need to know that. Miren needed to be terrified of what she’d done. Her hand flew to her mouth.
“That’s torture, Lady Miren.” I kept my voice level. “And your name is on the order.”
“I didn’t want that—” she choked out.
“But you voted for it.”
Her shoulders were shaking now, as she was crying. I let the silence do its work. Then, quieter: “When this comes out—and it will—when people learn what you did to a decorated war hero, a captain who bled for this kingdom... how do you think your house will survive?”
She stared at me, horror written across her face. I tilted my head slightly. “Your husband’s been meeting with a Vasirien merchant. Repeatedly. People are going to wonder about your loyalties. About whether you knew what Torven was planning.”
“I didn’t—” she gasped. “I swear?—”
“Then help me.” The words were soft. Almost gentle. She looked up, desperate. “Tell me what really happened,” I said. “Who pushed for this? Who coordinated with Torven?”
She was sobbing now, completely broken. “Hallen,” she whispered.
“Hallen received the first message. Weeks ago. He brought it to Vareck. They said… they said she was becoming too powerful. That the Thornvales proved she couldn’t be trusted.
That Torven had intelligence suggesting Dravareth connections. ”
“Did you see this intelligence?”
She shook her head, tears streaming down her face. “No. Hallen said it was classified. I… I trusted him.”
I let that sit for a moment.
“You trusted a man who’s hated her for years,” I said quietly. “A man following orders from Vasirien. And now she’s in the Black Cell because your name gave them the majority they needed.”
Miren collapsed onto the stone bench beside the path, hands covering her face. I crouched down in front of her. Made her look at me.
“Here’s what’s going to happen,” I said, voice low and certain. “When the vote comes, you’re going to stand with me. You’re going to vote for her release. And I’ll make sure your name stays clean.”
She stared at me, barely breathing.
“But if you don’t...” I let the pause stretch. “I’ll make sure everyone knows. The council. The districts. The other houses. I’ll make sure they know you were part of this. That you helped torture a war hero because you were too afraid to stand alone.”
Her eyes went wide. “What do I do?” she whispered.
“Vote for her release,” I said simply. “When the time comes. That’s all.”
She nodded frantically, tears still streaming. “I will. I promise. I’ll?—”
I stood. Stepped back. “Good.”
I turned to leave, then paused. Looked back at her. “One more thing, Lady Miren.”
She looked up, terrified.
“If you warn Hallen or Vareck about this conversation…” I let my voice drop to barely a whisper. “I’ll know.”
Then I walked away.
Left her sobbing on the bench, broken and terrified and completely under my control.