Chapter 14
"WHAT DID YOU DO?"
Roland's scream echoes behind me, sharp and panicked.
I want to turn. I want to answer.
I can't.
"Oh, I didn't do a thing," Caol says calmly. "You did it for me."
Footsteps approach. Not just one set. Several.
Guards, I realize dimly.
"YOU TOLD ME THIS WOULD REMOVE THE CHARM FROM HER!"
Roland's voice cracks. "YOU SAID THIS WOULD FIX HER!"
Caol laughs.
"Foolish man," he says, almost kindly. "There is no such charm."
A hand pats Roland's shoulder.
"However… Paralysis poison?" Caol continues, amusement dripping from every word. "That is very real. And I'm quite glad you gave it to her."
"YOU—YOU SON OF A—"
The sentence cuts off with the dull sound of impact. A body hits the floor.
"You know," Caol says lightly, "I'm glad you did the dirty work. Now let me reward you."
Fabric shifts.
"Throw him in the dungeon," he orders. "And throw away the key."
"NO!" Roland screams as he's dragged away. "NYRA— NYRA—"
The sound of his voice fades.
I want to cry.
I can't.
I want to scream.
I can't.
Roland… what have you done to me?
Hands grip my face, forcing my head to turn.
"You truly are an astounding woman," Caol murmurs.
He leans in and inhales deeply.
My stomach twists. I want to shiver. I want to recoil. My body refuses.
He lifts me easily and throws me onto the bed.
Pain explodes through me — sharp, total, unbearable — yet I can't react. I can't even gasp.
A buckle clicks.
"Oh, I'm going to enjoy taking my time with you," he says. "I've longed for this."
A cold hand slides along my leg, pushing my dress upward.
"Longed to feel your skin."
His mouth brushes my lips. I want to bite him. I want to tear at him.
"To feel your lips," he whispers as he licks them.
His shirt is gone now.
"And to hear your moans," he continues, almost regretful. "Shame I won't get that."
He straightens.
"Shall we begin?"
No.
God, please— no.
BANG.
The door explodes inward.
Shouts. Crashes. A blur of motion as Caol is hurled across the room, slamming into the far wall with a sickening thud.
Kaelith.
He's already moving. A needle pierces my chest.
Sensation floods back all at once.
I gasp — then retch, leaning over the bed as my body violently rejects everything it just endured.
When I look up, Kaelith is putting the needle away. It's the same liquid he used during the Harvest Festival.
"Stay here," he says quietly. "Just for a moment."
Caol is crawling toward the door.
"GUARDS!" he screams pleading. "HELP ME!"
Kaelith turns.
The air changes.
His presence becomes heavy — murderous. Familiar in the worst way.
The bear.
"Do you remember what I said," Kaelith asks calmly, "about people who touch you, Nyra?"
I see two guards collapse — their heads twisted unnaturally.
My hands tremble.
Who is this man?
Kaelith grabs Caol's arm.
"Break their arm."
Bone snaps. It juts through flesh.
"If they touch you," he says with a growl.
I gag, barely holding myself together.
Footsteps thunder outside. A full platoon floods the doorway, swords drawn.
"Release him," a voice commands, "or die."
Kaelith's aura swells. For a moment, I know — truly know — he could kill them all.
My mind flashes: the bear. The guards. The blood.
"Kaelith," I plead. "Please. Stop."
He looks at me.
Something in him snaps back into place.
He releases Caol and raises his hands.
They seize him immediately, chaining him down.
"THROW HIM IN THE DUNGEON!" Caol screams through tears and pain, his arm limp. "I'LL DEAL WITH HIM MYSELF!"
"Don't worry, Nyra," Kaelith says as he's dragged away. "They can't hold me."
Then he's gone.
My parents round the corner.
"Nyra—Jesus," says my dad.
They rush to me, pulling me into their arms.
I cling to them as everything finally breaks.
I don't know what just happened.
I don't know why it happened.
I don't care.
Right now, I just need my parents to hold me.