AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“He’s gone.”
I sit up and immediately rush to grab a knife from the tray. Then, I run over to where Fort is currently hung up. Because of his height, I can’t reach the chains, so I have to pull a stool over. As soon as I’m up higher, I drive the knife into the stone where the chains are attached. Over and over again, I scrape as quickly as I can until it begins to loosen.
“Get back,” Fort orders.
I jump down and step away. He yanks on the chain. Over and over again. Seconds feel like hours, but the thing falls to the ground.
“Okay. Get the other one!” Alysia whispers loudly as she goes to work on Bowman.
The door swings open. I whirl just as a blade is shoved through Alysia’s gut. She stumbles back.
“No!” Lacrae roars, the loudest sound I’ve heard from him since I was brought down here.
I stumble off the stool and turn, horror icing the blood in my veins. A blade sticks out of Alysia’s gut. Her hands grip her abdomen as she stumbles back toward the bars. She hits them and slides to the floor.
Patrick stands where she’d been, a guard directly behind him.
He glares at me, and I hold the knife up, putting myself between Bowman and Fort.
“I give you a chance to speak to them, and this is how you repay me?” He clicks his tongue. “I have to say, Carleah, I am quite disappointed.” He looks down at Alysia. “And you overestimated your worth to me, healer.” His attention shifts to me. “You should have left well enough alone. I never wanted you to see this.”
Tears burn my eyes, but I do not let my gaze sway from Patrick, no matter how badly I want to look at Alysia. Patrick moves in closer.
“Let them go. You can have me,” I plead.
“No, Carleah,” Fort growls from behind me.
“He has me either way,” I say. “But this way, you can live.”
Patrick shakes his head. “There is no way I can let them live, my queen. And you know that. These men will tear apart the realm for you. And although I’ve remedied the dwarven army situation, I—”
“You did what?” Fear, grief, and pain churn my stomach. Bile rises in my throat.
“The Tenebris are intercepting your dwarven friends. I have to say, you once again saved me quite a lot of work by leading them from their caves. I could not figure out how to get through to them.”
I choke on a sob. “No. Leave them alone. Let them go back.”
“I promised the Tenebris revenge. They want dwarven blood to bathe the realm. Who am I to stop them?”
“Please!” I yell, taking a step closer. “We were friends once, were we not? Can you not have mercy for me now?”
“Friends?” He laughs. “I tried to get you to look my way. To see me as your equal. Even after our betrothal, you only had eyes for one person. I would have had to be blind not to see.” He glares at Fort. “With you alive, Carleah will never be mine. Not truly.”
“I will never be yours,” I yell. “But let them live, and I will not argue. I will do whatever you wish. Please.”
Patrick considers then shakes his head. “Not a damned chance. Grab her,” he tells the guard.
He rushes me, and Fort rips me behind him before I even have a chance. He uses his arm to hoist his body up and wraps both legs around the guard’s neck. He twists, and the guard’s neck snaps.
He falls limp to the ground, and Fort growls. “Why don’t you come and try to take her.”
Patrick’s fury is evident on his face. “Do you have any idea how difficult it was to find soldiers who would bind with the obsidian? It killed more than half.” He glares at the lifeless guard. “Get in here!” he calls over his shoulder.
The door opens, and two men I never thought I’d see again walk in. Fort’s brother and father have obsidian sticking out of their throat, their eyes hard and trained directly on Fort.
“No,” I whisper.
“Go ahead and come over here,” Fort growls.
