If Only by Carol B Allen

Author:Carol B Allen [Allen, Carol B.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: YA adventure, sci fi, YA fiction, fantasy, climate change, environment, YA romance
Publisher: Carol B Allen
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

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BURIED ALIVE. PARKER’S BODY prickled with pain. Her raw, blistered skin sparked at every touch. Her temperature raged, swinging between hot and clammy to chilled and frozen. She worried infection would set in if her burns weren’t treated soon.

She pushed past the agony and chipped away chunks of the rocky floor. When footsteps approached, Parker rolled onto her back, concealing her tunnel. From outside her cell, soft, subdued voices bantered, but she couldn’t distinguish the words. She stopped digging. She hadn’t heard voices since the Empress had disappeared. Could she be in shock and imagining things?

Words Parker didn’t understand interrupted the heavy silence. Then a loud snapping. Curling and snarling sounds came from the Labyrinth path or maybe from another cell next to hers. Lashings? The snapping paced consistently as if measured by a metronome. No moaning or groaning followed the cracking.

“Ready to admit the truth yet? You scumbag. You try to live among us, and you stab us in the back and show no respect. I, for one, never believed you! Bring on the truth before you die,” the Scavenger said. His voice remained unforgettable.

Who was he talking to? Could it be Cole? She prayed not.

“Try as you like. You can’t hurt me, Captain.”

Cole! His voice weak. Almost unrecognizable.

Could they have discovered Cole’s connection to the Upperworld? After all these years had he been exposed now?

The staccato clip of heels pounding on the stone penetrated Parker’s cell. The unmistakable voice of the Empress. “Enough Captain! Leave him to me.”

“So, it is true. I didn’t believe the Scavenger. You have dishonored me, Cole, by ignoring my call for mourning. Of all my soldiers, I would not have thought this of you. You disgrace the memories of my family. How dare you? Not just Pantione—but Kendrick’s offspring—my heirs to the crown. My entire Kingdom.” Her voice drifted. “I regret honoring you with the lieutenancy. I granted you this recognition, despite all my captains having little liking for you. They think you are still one of them. But Pantione and I… Well, we believed in you.”

“I did nothing, Your Highness, except serve you with respect,” Cole said. “I went to the Upperworld for a reason. I needed to see what I could learn for you. To find out if the poisonings in the Grotto were retribution for the attack on the Citadel and the water poisonings in the Upperworld. And, I have news you will want to hear.”

“I want nothing from the Upperworld! Not even the intelligence you gathered from spying on your estranged Sky King. I don’t need confirmation—I am certain! Have you forgotten where you reside, which side you are now on?”

Parker listened closely.

“I am your ruler now! Your commands come from me! Who sent you on this mission to the Upperworld? How dare you plan your own strategy? Especially while we mourn. Now is the time to honor my beloved family. Later we will get to the bottom of this. And then will I deal with you.”

The metal door slammed with a bang.

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