Navi falls to her knees beside me as I struggle to my feet. I tear my arm away from her, hissing. “Don’t touch me.”
She pulls back, gathering herself. We hear a soft whisper and our gazes turn together towards the Bloodbane that was left behind my Maaz and Sadal. The Bloodbane stares disbelievingly towards the balcony, her eyes wide. “They left,” she whispers to herself.
“Take her to the dungeons,” I command as the door flies open and my soldiers pour in.
Navi leaps to her feet and sheaths her sword. She snatches at the Bloodbane, dragging her from her knees. The soldiers part while Navi forces the Bloodbane out of the room. “Lock the castle down, and get your king a healer,” she barks, disappearing down the halls.
The hustling of the castle in chaos falls away as I stare intently at the balcony. The shadows seem alive, coiling chillingly at the edge of the doorway. I wait, hoping that somehow Verity will melt out of the darkness. But she doesn’t appear, and the pain in my heart doesn’t ease. I bite the inside of my cheek until I draw blood, cursing myself for losing her.
The healers are at my side, asking me questions as they poke and prod me. I ignore them, my gaze never wavering from the doorway. Sadal’s arrogant smirk floats through my mind and my hands clench into fists instinctively.
Verity is gone, the curse looming over my head once more. Worse, Sadal’s army is coming. I’ve lost my heart, and now I’ll lose my people. I bite back the urge to howl and rage, instead snarling softly to myself.
I will get her back, I vow. Come hell and blood and fire, I will find her. And come darkness and shadow and death, I will kill the Dark God. I taste copper as I swallow my own blood. I will kill him slowly.
Chapter 20
Verity
Pain throbs in my temples and behind my eyes. I groan, rolling to my side slowly. The floor is cold and damp, like wet stone. I cradle my head as I lift my torso and head off the floor. I open my eyes, anticipating pain from bright lights, but the light is dim and gray. Fear coils in my gut as cold pricks at my flesh.
I glance down, studying myself with blurry vision. I’m wearing a black, satin gown with a deep neckline that exposes curves of soft cleavage. My brows furrow with confusion and I trace a finger over the material. Last I remember, I wore a simpler, more modest gown. I don’t remember putting this on.
Pain lances through my skull and I inhale sharply, clenching my eyes closed. I bite my lip, suppressing the groans that threaten to escape from my lips. I don’t know where I am. If I’m in Altair’s castle, then somehow, I’ve made my way into an unfamiliar wing. But it doesn’t feel like Altair’s castle. Even the stones ooze a sinister feeling.
I open my eyes again, hissing in pain as I take in my surroundings further. The room is small, half the size of my chamber in Altair’s castle. The walls are the same damp stone as the floor, they shimmer as if water trickles down them. There’s a window inlaid in the wall, a thin slip of sky with no protection from the elements. Cold wind leaks through it, a howling wind that sends chills down my spine. The wind sounds like demons, their shrieks echoing in the mountains. I shudder.
My eyes rake over the bare chamber. It’s empty of everything but bits of stray spread in a corner. My heart quivers as I realize that it reminds me of a cell. I struggle to my feet, holding my head to abate the pressure and pain. I look towards the door, a solid hunk of dark wood, warped and stained. There’s a small window with thick bars in the center. Through it, torch light flickers.
I lean against the wall, breathing heavily from the struggle of rising to my feet. The satin gown clings to my legs, wrapped around my ankles. I shiver as another gust of frigid wind breaks through the window and seeps through the stones. I wrap my arms around myself, lips twisted into an anxious frown. I stare around the empty cell, wishing Altair was here.
Where is he? I think, blinking back frightened tears. The last I remember seeing him was when I saw him flying through the sky, before Dain came to my room. Dain. I freeze, eyes widening as I remember. He brought a woman with him, a woman who looked as if she could have been Maaz’s sister. A woman with my eyes. My blood turns to ice in my veins and I swallow thickly as I remember the woman striding towards me with her cold gaze. And that’s the last thing I remember.
I close my eyes, thinking back to that moment and trying to force my mind to think beyond it. But there’s nothing. Just blank, empty space. I was there, and now I’m here. Not remembering is more frightening than this cell or the howling wind. Anything could have happened, and I wouldn’t know it. I bite my lip, hoping Altair will stride through the door and announce that he’s locked me in a cell to teach me a lesson. At least then I would know where I am.
I peek out the window, standing on the tips of my toes. My eyes barely graze over it. Jagged mountains and snowy peaks stretch across my vision for miles in every direction. The sky is dark, clouded with gray clouds as night falls. Below, shadows writhe in the crags and gullies of the mountains, and the howling of the wind is louder.
I stare at the swirling shadows, squinting to
