“So, why the general, then? It doesn't make sense. He's always been loyal to the crown.”
The prince swallowed and licked his dry lips, his eyes darting back and forth between her and Kella. “He was loyal to your father's crown, yes, but it would seem he wasn't too keen on the idea of taking orders from a woman, and a hoyden at that. Your kingdom has long given women too much freedom to do as they wish. It's preposterous - ” He was cut off as Kella's claws dug into him, causing him to cry out in pain.
Josselyn's face remained impassive as she watched him. “If I find out you've been lying to me... well, let's just say you'll wish I let Kella have at you by the time I'm finished with you.”
“It's true, Your Highness,” he gasped. “All of it, I swear.”
“All right Kella, you can release him. He and I are going to take a little walk down through the capital so that he can open the gate for me. After that, I think we'll find a nice, cozy cell for him and the general to share down in the dungeons. Seeing as they're such good friends and all. But first...”
She stood and hurried over to where Edmund was kneeling beside her aunt. Her stomach twisted at the marks that covered his gaunt face, the deep shadows under his eyes. With shaky hands, she reached behind him to untie the gag that covered his mouth.
“Oh, Edmund, what have they done to you?”
Her hands fluttered down to touch his face, seeking out each bruise, each mark that had been forced upon him. “I'm so sorry,” she whispered. “I should have come sooner.”
He pressed his face into her hand, his voice rough with misuse. “It's not your fault, Joss, you know that. I'm just so relieved to see you here, alive.” He shuddered. “I was so worried.”
Josselyn blinked back tears, focusing instead on the chains that bound his hands behind his back. “Is there a key or something...” She looked around the floor, as if she might just magically find one laying around. She bit her lip in frustration.
“The guard... he should have one on his belt.”
Josselyn looked over at the man doubled over on the floor behind them and winced. Blood streamed down his face, oozing out from between the cracks of his fingers as he clutched his now sightless eyes. Scratches ran down his face, long and deep, the result of Suzaku's sharp talons.
“Hold still, and I promise we'll take care of you as soon as we're able.” The man only groaned in response as Josselyn knelt down to retrieve the ring of keys hanging off of his belt. She moved back to Edmund, noting with relief that Lily had joined them and was busy looking after her aunt, who seemed to be rousing from her faint.
She quickly unlocked his shackles, cringing at the raw, angry looking skin of his wrists. Tossing Lily the key, the other girl followed suit, releasing her aunt from her own restraints. Josselyn's hands shook with anger as she looked at her aunt, a mere shadow of the regal woman she once was. Her gaze slid over to the prince, who cowered on the floor beside Kella.
He did this to them.
And for what? A chance at being king? Was being a prince so terrible that he had to come to her country, murdering and torturing her loved ones?
Searching the room, she sprang to her feet as she spotted a footman hovering near the doorway. “You there, we're going to need help here. Fetch the physician and anyone else who can assist him. And have the other servants bring hot water, bandages, whatever he thinks he'll need. Quickly, now!”
The footman nodded, then disappeared down the hallway. Josselyn turned to speak to Lily, only to feel herself listing to the side as a wave of dizziness washed over her. She thought she might have heard Lily call her name, but it was drowned out by the loud ringing that filled her ears.
And then she was falling.
She braced herself for the smack of hard marble against her head, but it never came. Instead, she found herself wrapped in a cocoon of dark shadows, and she let herself settle into their warmth, eyes fluttering closed as the weight of exhaustion pressed down on her.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Wasn't there something I was supposed to be doing...?
Josselyn groaned, trying to remember what it was amid the pounding in her head.
… the gate! Have to open to the gate...
She shot up, looking around the room with wild eyes.
Wait... this is my room...
She looked down at the bedspread still covering her legs, then over to the side of the room, where someone sat slumped down in a chair, sleeping.
“Ed... Edmund?” Her voice came out raspy, and she licked her lips, wishing she had a glass of water. When he continued to sleep, she grabbed a pillow off the bed and threw it at his head. He sat up with a jerk, looking at the pillow in confusion before he noticed her watching him. A grin spread across his face, and he was at her side in the blink of an eye, propping a hip on the bed beside her.
“She lives!”
His dimples flashed, his eyes dancing with mirth. “I was wondering just how long you were going to make everyone wait for their queen to awaken.”
She reached up to rub her temples. “Exactly how long have I been asleep?”
“Three days, give or take a few hours,” he replied, his shoulders shaking with restrained laughter as her jaw dropped in shock.
“But... what about the prince... the general... everything was so chaotic. How did I end up here?”
“You passed out, leaving me to step in and tie up all the loose ends,” he replied, heaving a dramatic sigh. “I had to shackle the prince and escort him down to the gate at sword point, force the remaining soldiers there to open the gates or see their leader killed, and lead our own army into the capital to take control of things.”
“What about General
