Briar Rose by Jana Oliver

Author:Jana Oliver
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Romance, Fantasy, Retellings, young adult, Fairy Tales
ISBN: 9781447241362
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Published: 2013-09-12T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

As they were marched out of the rear of the castle, Joshua kept shooting glances at Briar. The blood had dried on her cheek, but her eyes told him she was still frightened. He wanted to take her hand, even though they were both bound, but he dared not. The curse might pass back to him, and all those years of distrust and hostility between their families would finally come to fruition.

But what if the curse did revert to him? If Briar were free, maybe she’d wake up in Bliss, all safe and sound. Then Reena could get the rest of them home.

And on his sixteenth birthday . . .

I’ll be dead. That was the one flaw in his plan.

‘Better uses for a wench than the pit,’ one of the guards muttered.

‘You saw her magic. You touch her and you know how it’ll end,’ another said.

‘It’d be fun for a while,’ the man jested.

The leader kept them moving along until they reached an open stretch of ground near the rear wall of the fortress. Unlocking a metal gate they entered an area that supported no plant life, not even a weed. Its only feature was a gaping hole.

The pit.

As they walked closer, Joshua did a quick survey: he calculated about thirty feet from the edge of the pit to the wall behind them, where a lone man stood guard. Was he there all the time, or did he walk along the wall at regular intervals?

When Joshua was inches away from the hole, his boot sent a small cloud of soil over the edge. He peered downward, figuring there’d be a tiger or a bear prowling around at the bottom. Instead there was a pile of dirty rags, but nothing else.

A crude rope ladder was dropped over the edge, shaking loose some of the shale. After Joshua’s bonds were cut, the poke of a sword in his back encouraged him to make the journey deep into the earth.

He didn’t dare leave Briar alone with these guys. ‘Ladies first,’ he said.

‘Go on, lad,’ the leering guard replied. ‘She’ll be down soon enough.’

Briar’s eyes widened as if she’d suddenly realized there was more danger here than just the pit. When she stepped towards the ladder, the man grabbed her arm. ‘No reason to hurry. I’ll keep you company.’

‘She goes first,’ Joshua repeated. ‘Or someone is going to get hurt.’

That only earned him laughter, but to his relief the senior guard interceded. He sliced Briar’s bonds and pointed. ‘In with you, girl. Make it quick.’

She descended with considerable haste, which set the guards laughing.

‘Look at her. She won’t be coming back up that fast.’

‘So what happens here?’ Joshua asked. ‘Do we starve to death or what?’

The leader shook his head. ‘Nothing that painless, boy,’ he said solemnly. ‘Go see to your girl. It’ll be dark soon.’

‘And then?’

The man’s eyes betrayed unexpected pity. ‘Then the metal will reign.’

His teeth clenched, Joshua climbed down the twisty ladder. The moment he touched the earth floor the ladder was pulled back up.

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