“You murdered the king,” Jasion hisses in my face.
Ice fills my veins at his words. “Are you crazy?” I shove a hand into his chest, but he doesn't move.
“The gem is priceless; you killed him to take it. What was your plan? Sell it and make a small fortune, thinking we'd never find out? That’s why you played the princes, isn’t it?”
I clench my fists, sick and tired of his crap. Fury flares across my chest, spreading through me like an inferno.
“I am not a killer. And if you want the damn thing, take it.” I swing my arm to toss the stone aside, but my hand and ruby slap against the wall.
Crack.
Sharpness digs into my palm, and shards of the shattered ruby fall to the floor as I draw my hand back. Blood spills from the cuts and pieces embedded into my skin.
“Oh shit,” I cry, the pain sudden and sharp, feeling like the world's worst paper cut.
“You whore.” Jasion shoves me to the side, right into the arms of a guard.
My world spins. The guard’s hand is like a shackle on my wrist, and I'm being dragged behind him before I can even respond.
“Let me go,” I bellow, punching his arm with my free hand. But it's useless because he doesn't react. He's walking so fast, he's practically dragging me down the hall.
I scream, needing someone to hear me and call Ahren. But the place is empty. The guard shoves open a door, and I'm wrenched in there with him, then I'm stumbling downstairs.
My heart is pounding in my chest as fear collects inside me. Behind me, footsteps race closer, and I look back to Jasion and another beefy guard built like a barrel.
“I did nothing wrong!” I yell at him over my shoulder. I'm so damn furious that he caught me off guard.
Jasion smirks, staring at me with ill intent.
Next thing I know, I'm shoved through another door, and I stumble into a dimly lit room that smells like socks and the horse stables.
“Where are you taking me?”
But none of them answer. The guard hauls me along the dark corridor, then down another set of steps, and only once we go through another door do I realize where we are.
Prison cells line one side of the room. Brick walls divide the four enclosures, all of them empty.
My stomach drops through my body while panic strangles me. Despite my hand stinging and bleeding, I shove my elbow into the guard’s gut, but he doesn’t react.
“The princes will have your head for doing this,” I threaten as I'm pushed into the open cell. A snap of energy strikes like a severe electric shock the moment I stumble over the threshold. I shudder and coil back around to escape.
“That's where you belong, assassin.” He shuts the barred door with a deafening bang.
I rush forward and grasp a metal bar with one hand, shaking it. I don’t feel the pain in my hand; I can only focus on the terrifying reality of what’s to become of me.
“Let me the fuck out of here. I didn't kill anyone.” My voice echoes around us.
Jasion steps in front of the door, hands folded over his bare chest, looking smug and proud of himself.
The hairs on my arms rise as a trickle of energy dances under my skin. The same kind I experienced back in Ash Court when I fought for my life.
“Let me out before the princes make you pay severely for this.”
He chuckles to himself. “You actually think they'll find you? You'll be long gone before that happens.”
Anger skyrockets through me. I grind my teeth as I call to the power as I had once before, but nothing happens... it doesn’t respond. I fist my hands, my shoulders curling forward, and death plays on my mind... the death of this fucking sonofabitch.
The hatred in his eyes would kill me if they could form daggers. He's a piece of scum.
“You stand in my way, and that's the problem. But not for much longer.”
The prick steps forward, just out of arm's reach, his head cocked to the side. The smugness on his face is infuriating. He tsks and sighs heavily like I'm a nuisance to him. Asshole.
“I'm doing you a favor. Do you know what they do to assassins here? Not even your princes will be able to save you from a brutal, long, and painful death.”
“You’ve got it backward. I’m going to enjoy seeing the princes slice you apart with their swords.”
“Maybe I'll change my mind and feed you to the wolves sooner than I thought. I have pieces of the ruby stone.” He taps his pocket. “All the evidence I need to convict you. Along with a few witnesses. The princes won’t be able to save you.”
He whips away from me and storms down the long corridor, the guards on his heels. Seconds later, a door slams shut, and I'm alone.
Fear chokes me as I stumble back, hugging myself. A torch sitting in a metal bracket on the wall outside my cell is all that lights this place. A putrid, filthy, sorrowful dungeon.
I pace back and forth, screaming for help.
But will anyone hear me? We came down so many flights of steps, and… and I'm going to die here! I fucking hate Jasion, and when I get the chance, I will kill him with my own hands.
I stand in the cell, sick to my stomach wondering how the hell this happened.
When I look down at my bleeding hand, I become even more furious. I can't believe that on top of everything, I also managed to smash the ruby, meaning if I open a portal, I could end up anywhere. I want to cry, but I'm too numb. Instead I return to the
