Last Stand (The Black Mage #4)(55)

And then they inflicted something worse.

In the end, it hadn’t mattered. I was the victim. Their victim. Some bruised and beaten shade of a girl crippled on the dungeon floor.

How much time had passed? I couldn’t be certain. I lost count when someone took an iron to my skin, this time branding a sigil of the Crown to my wrist. They pressed it so hard and so deep I could still smell the burning flesh.

They said those of us that could pain cast had a higher tolerance than the rest. That we were used to holding onto sanity under conditions where others would break.

They never prepared me for this.

I couldn’t even open my eyes.

They couldn’t break me, but parts of me wished they would. That it was over.

But it had only just begun.

Someone jerked my hair back and my head slammed against the bars of my cell. Someone was saying something, shaking me, and then an iron fist collided with my cheek. They wanted me to look at them.

“Open your eyes, you filth!”

Another blow to the ribs, and then another terrible crack as something snapped.

I opened my eyes, as much as it hurt. I wasn’t sure I could survive another blow.

“There she is. Doesn’t look much like a pretty little mage princess now, does she?”

I recognized the voice before Mira’s face came into focus. My vision was stained with red.

“No. Certainly not.”

A second face came into view and I recoiled, every part of me raging against the movement as my back hit the wall.

A fresh wave of pain tore up my spine, and I couldn’t control the small whimper that fell from my lips.

“You kept your word…” Blayne looked down at me with a smirk. “I believe her mouth is the only thing you didn’t break. She can’t cast?”

The woman clucked her tongue. “All depleted. Every last drop. It will take her days to recover her stamina.”

“And you sent the others away?”

“Yes. Would you like me to wait outside the door?”

“No.” The king’s eyes were locked on my face. “I don’t trust this one. I’d rather you stay.”

Blayne knelt so that our eyes were level through the bars. The head mage went to stand by the wall, ready to strike at her tyrant’s first command.

It hurt to take a breath; I couldn’t even lift my arms.

“So, Ryiah.”

Every part of me stilled.

“I thought I was a good actor, but you…” Blayne clucked his tongue against his teeth. “…you caught me by surprise.”

My pulse hammered against my throat, the air growing thick.

“I hated you at first. Watching my brother fight so damn hard for a lowborn when he never fought that hard for me…” Something like jealousy flashed across the young king’s face. “But after the Pythians, I recognized your worth. You came in second during the Candidacy. You risked your life during the attack on my father… You were exactly what I needed. No one would question a king with the two most powerful mages at his side.” His tone abruptly soured. “Was it your brother? Was that when everything changed?

“I think it was.” Blayne didn’t bother to wait for a reply. “It’s the only explanation. But I still wonder, those things that you said. They were new. Even Derrick failed to mention the Caltothian girl and my role… which leads me to believe you discovered the truth after he was gone.”

My mouth felt like sand; I couldn’t swallow.

“What really interests me is what you were planning.” Blayne rose to his feet and began to circle the room. “You went after the map. It was just a test, something I knew a rebel couldn’t resist, but now I’m curious what you were going to do with it. Were the rebels preparing to take over the desert? Was that what you promised Cassius? A bit more land?”

The king stopped pacing. “The Pythians are predictable, of course. Always ruthless, seeking a better deal.” Blayne let out a bark of laughter. “Won’t Cassius be surprised when you disappear.”

My hand twitched.

“Oh, yes.” Blayne missed nothing. “Your illness. I thought it best that the court not know of their princess’s traitorous crime. In time, I’ll reveal it to the world, but for now I thought it best to sit and wait. I wouldn’t want any of your rebel friends staging an escape, again.”

I refused to reply. I refused to give him any sort of response.

“I suppose you could tell me everything now.” The king gave me a knowing smirk. “But something tells me your answers won’t come without a fight. They haven’t broken you yet.”

“You will never break me.” The words burned my throat. “I’ll die first.”

The young tyrant laughed. He laughed and laughed as he unlocked the cell door and grabbed my face, jerking it up so I was forced to meet his eyes.

“Such a stubborn little girl,” he hissed. “You’ve got spirit. Much more than that friend of yours. What was her name? Ella?”

I spat in his face.

Blayne didn’t flinch. He just held onto my chin, his fingernails biting into my skin, digging new rivulets of hot, coppery blood. “I’ll enjoy watching you die.” His eyes were manic. “Just like your brother.”

I would have given anything for my muscles to obey, but I couldn’t summon the strength to fight.