No, he must be strong. Ezra was the reason he was more determined than ever in his mission. He’d see this through, no matter the outcome.
“The rumors are true.”
Segreti turned to find Vestri standing outside his cell. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to see for myself.” Vestri approached the cell door, his brows drawn together in concern. “Are you really to be tried for treason against the Soldati?”
Segreti scoffed. “Tried for a crime I didn’t commit.”
Vestri glanced toward the end of the corridor to the entrance, where Soldati guards stood at attention. He drew closer, his voice lowered. “You didn’t plot to murder the king of the Soldati?”
Segreti hesitated. “Were I involved in such a plot, I would never have done something so foolish as to confess to it in a letter.”
Vestri studied him. He seemed to give Segreti’s answer considerable thought. “Khalon is your friend.”
“Khalon was my friend, and in name only apparently,” Segreti growled, joining Vestri by his cell door. “A true friend wouldn’t have condemned me so quickly. Pavoni may have been a bastard, but at least he never pretended otherwise.”
“What will you do?”
Segreti cast a glance in the direction of the Soldati guards, his words hushed as he spoke. “Certainly not sit idly by while I get convicted of a wrong I’ve not committed. Blasted floating orb. I should’ve known the healer was trouble the moment I laid my eye on him.”
“You blame the healer?” Vestri appeared surprised. “Word is you took him as your mate.”
“I was a fool, believing he’d come to care for me. He’s the reason I’m in here. The moment I let down my guard, he betrayed me. No warning. Simply called the guards on me.”
“Cowardly.” Vestri grew quiet, and Segreti laid his head against the bars.
“Pavoni was right about the Soldati. Nothing but arrogant, haughty cowards who believe themselves greater than the rest of us.”
“This is a travesty. An absolute insult,” Vestri replied with a growl. “How can Queen Verity stand for this?”
“You forget Khalon made Verity queen. She owes him a debt. My life seems to be the price of that debt.”
“There must be something we can do.”
“I appreciate the sentiment, my friend, but I won’t allow you or any other Orso to risk themselves for me.” Segreti resumed his seat on the cot. “I’ll think of something. I won’t stand for this humiliation.”
Vestri nodded. “I shall pray to the Goddess for you, my friend.” With that, he left Segreti to the stillness of the empty prison. It was clear the cells had not been occupied in a very long time. Segreti couldn’t remember hearing of the last poor creature to end up down here. Only a few more hours and this ordeal would be over. Would Ezra return to him?
The night sky filled with stars, the moonlight growing brighter as the evening continued. Several hours later as the guards changed, Gori arrived. Segreti was surprised to see he wasn’t accompanied by Lazzari.
“Vestri came to me.”
To see him? Why would Vestri report anything to Gori?
“He told me everything.” Gori’s intense gaze told Segreti exactly what Vestri had relayed to him, and suddenly the pieces began to fall into place. Quiet, unassuming Gori, who never seemed to have a thought of his own and followed Lazzari around like a lost cub. A clever ruse.
“It’s all true,” Segreti said, coming to stand at the iron bars beside the cell door. He shook his head, his voice lowered when he spoke. “Khalon will regret this day.”
Gori seemed to consider something before coming to some decision. “Take me hostage.”
“Pardon?”
“My knife.” He dropped his gaze to the knife sheathed in the scabbard at his belt.
“Are you certain?” Segreti asked, voice low.
Gori met his gaze. Gone was the uncertain insipidness, and in its place a darkness filled with machination. “Are you prepared to carry through with your plot?”
“Kill Khalon.”
“Well?” Gori’s gaze never wavered.
Segreti nodded, his gaze hard. “He’s shown his true colors. His deceit will cost him.” He slipped his arm through the bars as if to hug his friend, ignoring the shout of the Soldati guard who took off in their direction. Grabbing Gori’s knife, he spun Gori to face the guards, an arm around his neck and the tip of the knife pressed to his flesh.
“Please, Segreti, no!”
“Open this door!” Segreti glared at the two guards, swords brandished in their hands.
“Release him,” one demanded.
“Throw him the key to the cell or I’ll slice his throat. You’ll have an innocent Orso’s blood on your hands.”
The guards hesitated.
“Fine. Start a war with the Orso. I’m certain the countless deaths will be worth it.” Segreti made to cut Gori’s throat when one of the guards quickly unlatched the key from his belt and threw it at Gori, who caught it. He held it up, and Segreti growled at Gori. “Unlock the door.”
Gori fumbled from his awkward position, but they’d purposefully stood right at the door’s edge.
“No one moves,” Segreti warned as Gori struggled with the lock but finally managed to get it open. Segreti kicked at the cell door, then reached around to move the knife to his other hand and slowly step outside the cell, his gaze never leaving the armed Soldati. “Move,” Segreti ordered Gori. “Slowly.” He kept Gori in front of him as he backed them up toward the exit, the Soldati following him. Segreti had just reached the prison’s doorway when one of the Soldati shifted and roared, sounding the alarm. Blasted hell. Segreti grabbed Gori and dragged him along as he ran out and slammed the prison door closed, locking the guards inside.
“Stop!”
Several guards on either side of the corridor they stood in shouted, and Gori grabbed his arm. “This way.” They darted into a small corridor that appeared to be a dead end.
“Are you mad? We’ll be skewered!”
“Trust me.” Gori threw a hand out, pushing against the wall. To Segreti’s astonishment, a door appeared. “Quickly, before they see us.”
Segreti ran in after Gori, the door swiftly closing behind them.
“How did you know this was here?” Segreti asked, following Gori down the dimly lit passage. It was wide enough for two and seemed to stretch out for miles, with several dark tunnels every few feet on each side.
“We’ve been studying this castle for months.”
We? Segreti followed Gori through a maze of darkened corridors, the only light coming from wall sconces lit by magic that had been placed along the way. Segreti had never heard of there being secret passages inside Soldati Castle, but then he supposed if everyone knew about them, they wouldn’t be secret.
“I don’t understand,” Segreti murmured as they hurried down twists and turns.
“You will.”
Gori turned left into one of the tunnels. A door sat at the end, and Gori opened it for him. Inside was a small stone room with wall sconces, an old table with several maps laid out, and two familiar faces.
“Lazzari? Vestri?” Segreti scanned the small room. “Where’s Fausti?”
“We know you care for the cub, but he’s not one of us and can’t be trusted. He’s too naive and weak-willed.”
“For what?” Though Segreti already knew.
“To kill the Soldati king,” Gori replied, coming to stand at the head of the table. These were the conspirators Khalon had spent months looking for. As they’d suspected, the traitors had been right under everyone’s noses. It didn’t explain how they’d managed to evade capture this long.
“No one can kill the Soldati King,” Segreti grumbled. “Shouldn’t we be finding a way out of the castle?”
“We have time,” Gori assured him. “Few know of these tunnels.”
“How do you know of them?”
Vestri grinned broadly. “The fennec foxling servant.
”
“Sansone.” Segreti shook his head. “How? The foxlings are loyal to Khalon. They’d never betray him, especially after he marched into our realm to rescue one of their own.” Sansone, like all foxling servants of the Soldati, had inherited his position from his father, the honor being passed down from generation to generation. Sansone would never betray the Soldati. Unless…
“We kidnapped his twin and have been holding him hostage for months. Given our allegiance to Pavoni and our king’s reputation with servants, Sansone was quick to give us what we wanted.” Lazzari’s lecherous gaze made Segreti feel sick to his stomach. He knew exactly what Lazzari inferred. Sansone either betrayed his king or these monsters would force themselves on his brother.
“Is the foxling still alive?”
“Of course,” Vestri said with a snort. “No use killing a good servant. Once we’ve killed Khalon, taken the Soldati realm, and dethroned Queen Verity, the foxlings will become our slaves.”
Segreti folded his arms over his chest. “You seem to be forgetting two rather important obstacles in this grand scheme of yours. Even if we somehow manage to kill Khalon, there’s the Saugur and the Eye, which are also the two reasons we won’t be able to get near Khalon.”
“The dark demons will take care of them and leave the Soldati realm to us.”
Segreti’s blood turned to ice, and he stared at Gori. “Dark demons? You’ve made a pact with dark demons?”
A wicked gleam filled Gori’s power-hungry eyes. “The moment we discovered all was not as it seemed with Khalon, we sought them out. They were eager to give us whatever we asked for in exchange for Khalon’s death. With the Soldati king gone, the demons can harvest all the souls from the human world they desire, and we shall live as kings for the rest of our immortal life. Once Sansone informed us the Saugur had a vision of his and Khalon’s death, we knew we’d succeed in our plot. We only had to devise it. And then the healer presented us with the perfect weapon.” Gori motioned to Segreti.
“You know all is not well with Khalon,” Vestri said. “You almost admitted as much the day we arrived. At first, I thought nothing of it. You said the prince was powerful and would protect his king at all costs. I found that strange. You then made sure to quickly add ‘not that Khalon needs protecting.’ In that moment, we knew the king was vulnerable. It didn’t matter how, only that he was.”
“And he is, isn’t he?” Lazzari asked, excitement in his voice.
Segreti nodded.
“Which is why we have a small army of demons surrounding the Soldati Woods, waiting on our word.”
Gori was a fool if he believed he could trust the demons to spare them. Demons were foul creatures. They’d outnumber Gori and his followers, but he’d worry about that later.
“Even if Khalon is vulnerable, how are we going to get to him? There’s an army of Soldati looking for me, and the Saugur, the Eye, and the council are all protecting him. We’ll never get anywhere near him.”
Lazzari nodded his agreement. “Which is why we must bring him to us.”
“How?”
“The healer,” Gori replied, sounding certain.
Segreti scoffed. “You’re mad.”
“We’ll use the healer to draw the prince away from his mate.”
“The Eye will see you coming,” Segreti replied with a shake of his head.
“What the Eye sees, we see,” Gori replied.
Segreti stared at him. “Impossible.”
Gori reached beneath the collar of his tunic and pulled at a black cord to reveal a golden stone with black lines.
“What is it?” Segreti asked, his blood turning to ice, their fears confirmed. Khalon had been right. They’d found it.
“The Soldati Tiger’s Eye.”
“Where did you get it?” The Soldati relic had been gifted to Pavoni’s father by Khalon’s father back during a particularly devastating war against the demons. It was a powerful artifact capable of seeing “echoes” the Soldati Eye pulsed during a vision. It had been gifted to the old Orso king to protect him and his warriors. Segreti hid the rage coursing through him. The relic had been buried with the old Orso king.
“We have an ally in the queen’s court. The artifact had been buried with the old king, but Pavoni had exhumed the body and taken it when he was informed of its power.”
Vestri let out a grunt. “Pavoni foolishly tossed it aside, believing it had lost its power, when in truth, he simply didn’t know how to use it.”
“Thanks to our ally,” Gori said, tucking the stone back into his tunic, “we received letters from the former Soldati King to the old Orso king revealing a hidden clue. The reason it didn’t work for Pavoni was that it only works if it’s near the Eye.”
“That’s how you’ve managed to remain hidden,” Segreti said. “Because you can see what Ezra sees.”
“The healer is in his cottage, mourning your loss,” Gori replied, his words striking Segreti’s heart. “At first we’d intended to rid ourselves of him, but with you joining the fight, you can have him to yourself. If you do this, the demons will allow you to keep him if you wish it. Convince Ezra to join you, kidnap him, hell, drug him for all I care. Think about it. He can be yours. Take him away from here and do what you will with him.”
Segreti pretended to give the matter thought. He leaned his arms on the table, studying the maps that had come from the Soldati’s map room, no doubt retrieved by Sansone. He lifted his gaze to Gori. “What do I need to do?”
“Go to your healer. Get him to the south gardens. Sansone will use the passages to get to the prince and speak privately with him at the same moment your presence in the castle near the king’s chambers is ‘discovered.’ In the commotion, the prince will slip into the secret passage with Sansone.”
“And why would he do that?”
“Because Sansone will inform him that if he doesn’t come, the healer will be killed.”
That made no sense. “Why would Ezra simply not use his powers?”
Gori sighed. “Because you will make certain he doesn’t. Love is a weakness, Segreti. Use his love for you.”
“You honestly think the prince will come?” Segreti asked, sounding uncertain.
“The prince is still very much human and soft-hearted. Unlike his king, he’s not willing to sacrifice anyone, much less someone he cares deeply for, no matter the consequences. He doesn’t know we have the Tiger’s Eye.”
Vestri nodded his agreement. “Once we have the prince where we want him, Sansone will inform Khalon of the danger the prince finds himself in. Khalon will fight for his prince, vulnerable or not. His love for his prince will be his downfall. You will lay them all to waste in the garden.”
“Enough talk,” Gori declared. He met Segreti’s gaze. “Are you with us or not?”
As if Segreti had a choice. It wasn’t as if they would let him walk away. They all knew it. He held out his hand. “I’ll need a sword.”
With an evil grin, Gori held out his sword to Segreti. “Let’s go, then. There’s a passage that leads to an exit a few feet from the healer’s cottage. We’ll be in the gardens, waiting.”
Segreti made to take the sword, only to have Gori pull it back, his darkened gaze on Segreti. “We’re counting on you, General.”
The words didn’t need to be spoken. Should Segreti think of betraying them or not following through, death would be too easy. He was under no illusion what they would do to hurt him most.
“Then let this be done,” Segreti proclaimed, taking the sword from Gori. He motioned toward the door, following Gori, with Lazzari and Vestri on his heels. They headed out into the maze, walking for what seemed like an eternity but could only have been a few minutes. The passage grew cooler, meaning they were getting closer to the exit.
“Ready?” Gori asked, moving aside and making way for him.
“Yes.”
“We’ll meet you in the gardens. Oh, and General, should you change your mind, know we’re listening.”
Heading for the door, Segreti crouched low to the side of it and took hold of the handle. He opened it and slipped inside, then locked it behind him. Ezra gasped and jumped from the love seat, his book falling to one side.
“Segreti? What are you doing here? How did you escape?”
Segreti ran to him and pulled him into an embrace. He inhaled Ezra’s scent. “It’s a long story, and we have no time. The Soldati are looking for me.” Gori had alluded to the fact someone was listening. He had to be careful. “I needed to see you, to see your beautiful face once more and taste your sweet lips. Forgive me for the harsh words I said while in that damnable cell. I thought I’d never see you again.” And he might not after this.
“I’m sorry as well, my love.” Ezra met Segreti’s gaze, his eyes intense. They flashed white before he bowed his head slightly, his eyes never leaving Segreti’s. “This is a dangerous game we play. Know that I forgive your deceit, for I know your heart.”
He knows, and he forgives me.
Segreti replied by kissing Ezra soundly, his heart all but ready to burst. “Come with me away from here.”
Ezra appeared uncertain. “Leave my king and my prince?”
“You will see them again one day. Khalon has his Saugur. You needn’t be tied to your duty. You’re more than the Eye.” He cupped Ezra’s cheek. “We have a chance to be free and happy. I love you.”
“And I love you. Yes. I’ll go with you.”
“Quickly, then.” Segreti took hold of Ezra’s hand and hurried to the door. He opened it and jerked back as the Eye darted past, disappearing through the trees.
The Soldati General (Soldati Hearts Book 3) Page 11