A Lady of Embers: Fires of the Fae series: Book One by Erin O'Kane

Author:Erin O'Kane [O'Kane, Erin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-06-10T16:00:00+00:00

I don’t bother to plead with him. We both know the magic that binds him to the master is forcing his actions. No amount of crying or begging would change the outcome, it would only make it worse for both of us. As the door to the dungeon opens, the apanthe guard grinning cruelly at me, I start to withdraw. As they lead me to my cell, I block out all sounds around me, letting it become unidentifiable background noise. Keeping my head down, I allow a curtain of my long brown hair to separate me from the rest of the dungeon, focusing only on putting one foot before the other.

One of the things I learned from my captivity and torture under the elf queen was that the anticipation of pain is almost worse than the actual act itself. In the early days, they would place a clock in my cell, telling me the exact time they’d be coming for me. I’d spend hours watching that clock, my mind getting more and more worked up with each tick of the second hand.

Stepping into my cell, I stare at the back wall, aware of all the eyes on me. There’s one set of eyes in particular that I can feel like a physical touch—Elijah’s. I sense his concern for me, his fear and hatred for this entire damn castle. A thought briefly flickers through my mind that I shouldn’t be able to know how he’s feeling, not in this much detail, but I push it away, keeping my mind blank.

I don’t know how long I stand there. There’s movement in the cells around me, and I’m aware of the exact moment Elijah left the dungeon, but it’s been a while now, and my body is shivering from the cold as it seeps into my bones. I’m still wearing the dress from earlier, but we’re below ground level, and the air is frigid and damp.

“Annalise!”

The whisper-shout breaks through my haze, and I tilt my head to the side. My neck protests the small movement and my body is stiff, which tells me I’ve been standing and staring longer than I thought.

“Thank the gods,” the voice mutters, although I think he’s speaking more to himself than me. A shuffling noise sounds, and from the corner of my eye, I see movement. “What happened to you?”

Turning around, I finally connect the voice to Alric. He’s kneeling by the bars that separate our cells, his rich blue eyes flashing with anger as he takes in my blank face.

“If that bastard Ajax laid a finger on you…” He trails off, a low growl rumbling in his chest. We both know there’s nothing he can do about the master, not while he’s locked up down here and his magic is blocked. Even if he could, Alric is one of the oldest fae I’ve ever met, so what could he do against someone like Ajax? Alric wouldn’t get anywhere near him, not with an army of beasts at Ajax’s disposal.

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