Royal by K.T. Holder

Author:K.T. Holder [Holder, K.T.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9798988766209
Publisher: Smug Pom
Published: 2023-10-23T16:00:00+00:00

18

Lily woke, her head fuzzy, and she instantly regretted drinking too much. Though in her defence, she hadn’t thought that she had that much. Alcohol must be stronger here. She felt something cold and hard under her cheek. Different from how her plush pillows usually felt. She blinked her eyes open and stared at the dirty concrete floor she was currently lying on.

Suddenly remembering a hood being pulled over her head, Lily tried to sit up, only to find her hands were tied behind her back, and she flopped back down, jarring her shoulder.

“Try using the wall,” Ava suggested, startling Lily. She rolled over onto her stomach to see Ava sitting propped against the wall, her arms behind her back and legs bound at her ankles.

“Where are we?” Lily asked.

“A dark, dingy basement, it would appear,” said Ava, scrunching her nose in distaste. “Such an overused stereotype. Speaks to a lack of imagination.”

“I’m sorry our kidnappers’ lack of ingenuity upsets you,” huffed Lily as she inched her way to the wall, much like a worm. “Personally, I think I prefer my kidnappers to be lacking in imagination. And stupid. And maybe incompetent.”

“Tied these ropes well enough,” complained Ava, pulling at her arms.

With a great effort, Lily swung herself up until she was mirroring Ava’s position. She blew her hair out of her eyes and looked around. It was a small room, like a dungeon cell big enough for two prisoners if they each had a bed. The room did not, however, have any beds. It didn’t have anything except dirt, dust, debris, and a suspicious-smelling puddle in a corner.

“Any ideas about—”

“Shhh.” Ava hushed Lily urgently, straining her head towards the door, listening. A few seconds later, Lily heard the men walking outside talking in low voices. She turned her head, trying to make out what they were saying, but she couldn’t pick up a single word. She looked at Ava questioningly, but Ava shook her head, telling Lily not to talk.

The voices were getting louder, and Lily strained again to hear.

“… a week or so. She’ll either miss the confirmation or it’ll mess up her preparation, so…”

Lily kept straining, but the men moved out of hearing range again. Ava kept concentrating for a beat and then relaxed slightly.

“What did you hear?” Lily asked.

“Nothing useful. They snatched you to mess with the confirmation hearing.”

Lily felt that Ava might have heard a little more than that, but she didn’t push her on it. She watched Ava pull at her bonds again, and tentatively tried her own. Lily struggled and pulled and twisted, but to no avail. She cast around the room, looking for a nail or a jagged rock, but nothing vaguely sharp caught her eye.

Both women eventually gave up, and a depressed silence engulfed them before Ava broke it. “So I’ve been meaning to ask, how’s it going finding yourself suddenly being the heir to the throne of Highacre?”

Lily laughed at the irony of the question, and Ava joined in. For

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