A Dawn of Onyx (The Sacred Stones Book 1) by Kate Golden

Author:Kate Golden [Golden, Kate]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Publisher: The Daisy Press
Published: 2022-12-14T18:30:00+00:00

FIFTEEN

Without thinking I moved toward him, hands outstretched.

No, no, no, no—

Griffin grabbed me by the arm, yanking me backward.

“What do you think you’re doing?” he whispered.

I felt frantic. The tent was far too hot, the candles suffocating.

“I know him!” I whispered back. “He’s a friend, there has to be some kind of mistake.”

I couldn’t believe he was alive. And here in Onyx. And imprisoned. And—

Griffin’s hold on my arm tightened. “You have to get out of here, now.” He stepped in front of me, shielding me behind him, but it was too late.

“Arwen?” croaked Halden. His hair was a dirty mop on his head, painted red with blood. His nose was swollen, his cheek bruised—but his brown eyes looked just as they had the day he left for battle. Round, sincere, and pained.

“Shut up.” The soldier behind him smacked him across the back of his head.

“Stop that!” I couldn’t stand to see Halden like this. I lunged forward again.

Kane whirled to me. “You know this boy?”

Before I could speak, Halden answered. “She was going to be my wife.”

I went still.

The entire tent did.

Halden, you Stones-damned idiot.

Kane looked positively livid, and even Griffin had gone pale.

“No, that’s not…It’s not exactly—” Words were not coming to my brain in time.

Kane didn’t even wait for me to finish. He stalked over to Halden, eerily calm. “You love this woman?”

Halden looked right at me with fervor. “More than anything.”

Bleeding. Stones.

Kane nodded curtly. “Good.” Then he looked to the soldiers behind Halden, “Kill him.”

“No!” I shouted.

Did anyone else hear that ringing in their ears? What was happening right now?

“Are you out of your mind?” I pleaded.

But Kane had stopped looking at me. He sauntered over to his leather chair and picked up a glass of dark liquid, sipping slowly. Leisurely, as I struggled.

The soldiers began to drag Halden and the other two young men away.

“Stop!” I raged. “Right now!”

But Griffin’s hold on my arm was like a metal cuff. He wasn’t even straining to keep me in place.

Kane studied my face, cold and unfeeling as tears brimmed in my eyes. The boy to Halden’s right began to plead and the one on his left loosed urine down his leg as he shook. Kane said nothing as I wailed in earnest.

No, no, no. Please, no—

Finally, Griffin interjected. “My King. May I suggest we discuss the benefits of keeping even one of these rodents alive? They may have some information of value. Shall we let them rot in the dungeon while we confer?”

Kane rolled his eyes and tensed his jaw, taking another sip of his drink, but eventually he nodded to the lieutenant. “As the commander wishes. Take them to the dungeons for now.”

All three prisoners let out tandem exhales. Halden’s eyes never left mine. He mouthed something to me before being pulled out of the tent, but I couldn’t see through the blur of saltwater in my eyes. Kane seemed to catch whatever it was though and sneered in disgust.

“Everyone out,” Kane said with a snarl.

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