by Karen Lynch
“Do you actually hear yourself?” Anger replaced my fear. How dare he, of all people, preach to me about hate and dishonesty? “The last time the ke’tain was stolen, it hurt both worlds, and I almost lost my family. If anyone wants to keep the ke’tain safe, it’s me.” I held his cold gaze defiantly. “I was human when it was stolen. Maybe you need to look a little closer to home for the real thief.”
For a moment, no one said a word. I had pretty much accused Seelie of stealing the ke’tain, and I braced myself for the fallout.
Bauchan’s eyes took on a predatory gleam right before he turned away from me to look at Korrigan. “This is getting us nowhere. There is only one way to learn what she is hiding from us.”
Faolin stepped forward. “No.”
“It is an acceptable interrogation technique,” Bauchan said casually.
“For enemies,” Faolin argued. He looked at his father. “You cannot permit this.”
My stomach roiled, and I swallowed back the nausea trying to rise. They were talking about torturing me. I took several breaths to ward off the dizziness that threatened.
Korrigan rubbed his jaw. “I do not like it, but it may be our only option. Jesse says she did not intend to steal the ke’tain, but she refuses to tell us why or how she entered the temple. That makes her a potential threat to the ke’tain and to Unseelie.”
Faolin spoke through gritted teeth. “Vaerik will never allow it.”
“I answer to the king,” his father reminded him. “It is my duty to investigate all possible security risks, no matter who is involved.”
Bauchan wore a thin smile. “It is settled then. Let us do this and be done with it.”
A cold sweat broke out all over my body when Korrigan crossed the room to a spot out of my sight. Before I could imagine what kinds of torture devices he was getting, Faolin entered the cell and took my arm to lead me to one of the chairs in the outer room. His grim expression did nothing to ease the fear clawing at my insides.
Korrigan joined us, carrying what looked like medieval manacles made of dark metal. Pea-sized white stones were embedded into the cuffs that were connected by a thick chain. He set them on the table with an ominous clunk. “Do you know what this is?” he asked, taking the chair across from me.
I shook my head, afraid my voice would come out as a squeak.
“This is a dannakin. The metal was forged in drakkan fire and these” – he pointed at the white stones – “are pieces of drakkan bone. It locks around the wrists like shackles, and it forces the wearer to truthfully answer any question they are asked.”
I cleared my throat. “How does it do that?”
Bauchan walked over, one corner of his mouth turned up. “If you lie or refuse to answer the question, the dannakin sends drakkan fire into your body. The longer you hold out, the worse it gets. It doesn’t leave physical damage, but the pain is excruciating. I have seen aged warriors scream and cry while wearing it. Some soiled themselves.”
I felt the blood drain from my face. “That’s barbaric.”
Korrigan nodded. “It is. We have not used the dannakin here in many years.”
“But you’re going to use it on me?” I asked weakly.
“That is up to you.” He laid the device on the table. “I will offer you the same choice I have given others who came before you. Speak the truth willingly, or wear the dannakin.”
He didn’t want to use the device on me, I saw that in his eyes. But he would. I couldn’t stop my body from shaking because there was no getting out of this one.
“I wish I could tell you what you want to know, but I can’t.”
I didn’t realize Faolin’s hand was on my shoulder until his fingers flexed. “Father, don’t do this.”
“It is the only way. You may leave if you do not wish to witness it.”
“I will stay,” Faolin bit out. He released my shoulder and moved around the table to where he could see my face. “Answer as honestly as you can, Jesse.”
I refused to look at Bauchan as Korrigan fitted each cuff of the dannakin around my wrists and locked them in place. My breaths were coming in fast, and I was in danger of hyperventilating by the time he finished.
He sat back in his chair with his hands clasped on the table. “Jesse James, how did you get to the island today?”
I unclenched my teeth. “A drakkan flew me there.”
Nothing happened, and he nodded. Since they already knew about Gus, he must have asked that question to test it.
“How did you cloak yourself when you entered the temple?” Bauchan asked.
“I created a glamour,” I answered honestly as Faolin had instructed.
Korrigan stepped in. “How did you create the glamour?”
“I –” My fear mounted, and every muscle in my body tensed. “I can’t tell you that.”
I squeezed my eyes shut and waited for the fire to consume me, but none came. Cracking open my eyes, I saw Korrigan’s frown, Bauchan’s scowl, and Faolin’s relief.
“Why is it not working?” Bauchan demanded.
“It is working,” Faolin told him. “She said she can’t tell us how she did it, not that she won’t.”
Korrigan eyed me closely. “Why can’t you tell us?”
I shook my head helplessly.
Bauchan cut in. “Did you go to the temple to steal the ke’tain?”
“No,” I said easily because it was the truth.
His look of surprise when the dannakin didn’t react was followed by a glower. “Then why did you go to the temple?”
“I can’t tell you that either.”
He slapped a hand on the table, making me jump. “This interrogation is a farce. That dannakin does not work.”
“We can test it on you if you’d like,” Faolin said dryly.
Ignoring him, Bauchan fixed me with a calculating look that sent a cold shiver down my spine. “How did you survive the conversion?”
“What does that have to do with this line of questions?” Faolin asked.
“It has everything to do with it,” Bauchan said, not taking his eyes from mine. “No human her age has ever survived the process, and I am not the only one who has wondered what makes her unique. I believe whatever she used in the conversion is helping her now.”
Faolin looked at me, and I could see his mind working as he started to fit the pieces together.
I opened my mouth and knew immediately that Aedhna had not blocked me from talking about my conversion or my goddess stone. There was no way I could tell Queen Anwyn’s head of security about it. If Queen Anwyn learned of my goddess stone, she’d try to take it or use me to get what she wanted.
I closed my mouth and tried to steel myself for the pain, but nothing could have prepared me for what came next.
My fingers twitched as a painful prickling sensation began. It intensified and grew hotter until I had to grit my teeth against the searing pain.
“Answer the question, and it will stop,” Korrigan said.
I shook my head and tried to stand, but I was paralyzed. I could do nothing as the heat raced up my arms and spread through my body, setting my bones on fire. I screamed.
“Answer me,” Bauchan shouted.
There was no end to the agony as the fire filled my chest and threatened to burn my heart to a blackened lump. It consumed my lungs until I couldn’t breathe, and darkness crowded my vision.
Please, make it stop, I begged to the only one who could help me now.
Something light pressed against my chest, and blessed cold poured into me. It wasn’t enough to douse the flames, but it lessened their intensity and let me breathe again. I remembered Aedhna’s touch doing the same during my conversion, and I opened my eyes, expecting to see her there. The only sign of her presence was the weight of her cool hand on me.
I let my head fall forward. Thank you.
“That is enough.” Faolin’s angry voice echoed off the walls.
“It is not enough until she tells us what we want
to know,” Bauchan shot back.
Dimly, I was aware of someone touching the manacles. There was a click, and then the fire receded from my body, leaving me a hollow burned-out husk.
“If she has not spoken by now, she won’t,” Korrigan said. Was that a note of admiration in his voice?
I lifted my head to look at him, but he wore the same serious expression as before. My gaze moved to Faolin, who looked as furious as I’d ever seen him.
“Are you okay?” Faolin asked me.
I tried to shrug, but my body from the neck down did not want to move for me. “Ask me in an hour,” I slurred.
The room started to tilt, and Faolin caught me as I fell sideways off the chair. He picked me up and carried me into the cell where he laid me on the sleeping pallet. I heard Bauchan and Korrigan arguing, but it sounded like a long way off.
“You never cease to amaze me,” Faolin said in a low voice.
I gave him a crooked smile. “I knew you liked me.”
He huffed a laugh. “Rest. I will be outside.”
The door clicked shut. I tried to concentrate on the conversation in the other room, but my head felt like it was full of cotton. I guess that happened when you were cooked from the inside out by drakkan fire.
I hadn’t lain there long when the din of voices on the other side of the door rose suddenly, and a very pissed-off Lukas demanded, “Where is she?”
The door to the cell flew open. There was no time to worry about how angry he was before he was standing over me, his furious eyes taking me in.
“Lukas,” I rasped.
He sat beside me and brushed away the damp hair plastered to my face. “I’m so sorry, Jesse. What they did to you was unforgiveable.”
“She was caught committing a crime against Faerie and refuses to confess. She deserves much worse than what she received,” Bauchan said from somewhere behind him.
“Get him out of here,” Lukas barked over his shoulder.
“I will leave, but I will be back,” Bauchan said coldly. “Seelie will demand justice even if you do not.”
Lukas turned back to me. “Do you trust me, Jesse?”
“With my life,” I whispered.
His thumb stroked my jaw. “Then you have to tell me what you were doing out there so I can defend you against these false charges.”
“They’re not all false,” I said hoarsely. “I did use a glamour to hide myself, but I swear on my life that I did nothing wrong. I would never do anything to hurt you or Faerie.”
“I believe you, but my father and Queen Anwyn won’t be satisfied with your word,” he warned. “She is already demanding that you be banished.”
I tried to get up, but he pressed me back gently. “I will never let that happen.”
Faolin appeared behind Lukas. “Father and Bauchan have gone to speak with the king and queen. There are guards posted in the hallway, but we are alone in here for now.”
“By alone, he means all of us,” Conlan called from the outer room.
“They will return soon,” Faolin told us. His meaning was clear. We didn’t have long to talk.
“Can I sit up?” I asked Lukas, whose hand was still on my chest.
He stood and helped me to a sitting position. I was still weak from the dannakin, but it felt better to be upright. The first thing I saw was Conlan, Faris, Kerr, and Iian standing outside the cell, looking as serious as I’d ever seen them. I didn’t need any of them to tell me how much trouble I was in.
“It’s the goddess stone,” Faolin said, drawing all eyes to him. “You used it to cloak yourself in the temple. It’s why you refused to answer Bauchan’s last question.”
I folded my hands in my lap. “Yes.”
“Is the stone preventing you from telling us why you were there?” he asked.
I started to say no and stopped. Until that moment, I’d assumed Aedhna had put some kind of glamour on me, but she didn’t need one. I had a vague recollection of her touching the stone in my hair the first time we met in the temple.
“Jesse?” Lukas pressed.
“Yes, it is.” I met his confused eyes. “I never wanted to keep this a secret from you, but I couldn’t say anything. Please, believe me.”
He took my hand in his. “I do.”
I let out a breath as a weight lifted from my chest. As long as I had his trust, I could get through this.
“Faolin said Gus flew you to the island. How did that happen?” Lukas asked. “Does it have anything to do with the first time he did it?”
“Yes.”
Faolin moved closer. “How many times have you flown with the drakkan?”
I avoided his sharp gaze. “A few.”
Conlan whistled. “From bounty hunter to drakkan rider.”
“Let’s discuss the drakkan later.” Lukas tugged on my hand to make me look at him. “My father and Queen Anwyn will demand answers from you. Can you tell us anything we can use in your defense?”
“Nothing that will satisfy them,” I replied.
He sighed. “Then there is only one thing for us to do. We have to tell my father about the goddess stone. He’ll understand your reluctance to share such a secret with Seelie, and he will believe you meant no harm to Faerie. Aedhna would not bestow her blessing on someone unworthy of it.
“I agree,” Faolin said. “You are the first goddess-blessed faerie. The king will never banish you.”
I looked between him and Lukas. “What about Queen Anwyn? She won’t let this go.”
Lukas squeezed my hand. “Let us worry about her.”
A loud rap sounded on the outer door, and Kerr went to answer it. He came back frowning. “Vaerik, your father has requested you join them. Bauchan and the queen are demanding that “the prisoner” not get special treatment.” He looked at me. “Sorry, Jesse.”
“She is in a cell, and they used the dannakin on her,” Faris growled, sounding angrier than I’d ever heard him. “How is that special treatment?”
Kerr shook his head. “The king has ordered us all to leave the cells. The guards will remain outside.”
Dread coiled in my stomach at the thought of being alone in a cell below ground. The king might not banish me, but he could keep me locked up down here for days or weeks.
Lukas wrapped me in his arms. “I’ll be back after I speak to my father. It may take a few hours to get him alone if he’s with the queen.”
I nodded against his chest, not trusting myself to speak.
He tilted my face up to his and kissed me so sweetly it made my chest ache. Without words he told me he loved me and promised that everything would be okay. I didn’t want to let him go, but I dropped my arms to my sides when he stood. The sooner he left, the sooner he could return.
Faolin shut the cell door behind them, and the click of the lock replayed in my head for several minutes after they’d gone. It wasn’t until it stopped that I remembered the vital piece of information I’d forgotten to tell them. I had to let the king know what I’d seen and overheard at the temple. Seelie was going to try to steal the ke’tain again, and I was the only one who knew about it.
I ran to the cell door and shouted through the window. If the guards posted in the hallway heard me, they ignored my calls. I finally gave up and lay on the pallet to wait for Lukas’s return. When the oppressive silence of the room pressed down on me, I sang the lyrics of some of my favorite songs to keep it at bay.
At least two hours had passed before the outside door opened. I rolled off the pallet and ran to the window, but my gut tightened at the sight of a smiling Rashari on the other side.
“What do you want?” I looked from her to the guard who stood near the outer door, averting his eyes from us. It didn’t surprise me that she could bribe or coerce her way in here.
Her smile widened. “I came to personally thank you for getting rid of all the pesky obstacles in my way. You have outdone yourself.”
I crossed my arms. “What are you talking about?”
“Let
’s see.” She started counting on her fingers. “First, you took Delphine out of the running for consort, although she was never much competition. Then you had Dariyah banished from court. That was quite the feat.” Her eyes gleamed with satisfaction. “And now, you have removed the last person between me and my future as consort. You.”
I let out a peal of laughter. “Happy to burst your bubble. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Aren’t you? No one is saying what crime you committed, but it must be grievous indeed for them to stop the meetings and lock Vaerik’s little plaything in a cell. I heard Queen Anwyn is demanding you be banished and that King Oseron is going to agree to it. What do you say to that?”
“I say you shouldn’t believe everything you hear.” I smiled secretively, knowing it would aggravate her more than anything I could say.
She sneered. “If you think Vaerik will protect you, think again. He might be fond of you, but he will want nothing to do with you after this.”
I could have told her Lukas had already come to see me, and he might be, at this very moment, giving the king proof of my innocence. I chose to let her crow over her false victory. She’d learn the truth soon enough.
Rashari’s expression soured at my lack of reaction. “I have always been the king’s favorite to be Vaerik’s consort, and now it will happen just as I planned.” She flicked her long hair over her shoulder. “If somehow you manage to avoid banishment, you’ll never go near Vaerik again. I will see you married off to a male in a distant city, and you will be forbidden to show your face at court.”
“You might want to put those plans on hold.” I gave her a bored look. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to go back to my nap.”
She gnashed her teeth. “You should know I always get what I want in the end. I have ways of making things work out in my favor.”
Whirling away from me, she stalked to the outer door and flung it open. The guard followed her, and I called to him.
“I need to speak to Prince Vaerik. It’s urgent.”
He didn’t stop. “The prince is with the king and not to be disturbed.”