to be cautious.
“No, there is not much we can plan.” Farrendel flexed his fingers to relieve some of the urge to move. With Melantha’s magic keeping away the pain of the stone, he was only mildly uncomfortable due to being unable to move and lying on rock. By the time he was rescued, his muscles would be weak from lack of use.
“How do you have so much patience when you are the one...” Melantha gestured at him. “All I can think about is getting out of here.”
“I have had practice with this sort of thing.” Farrendel took his own restlessness, squashed it, and locked it behind one of the iron doors in his mind containing the things he did not think about. Pain was locked behind one. Previous torture behind another. “It is best not to think too much and simply exist.”
Melantha rested her chin on her knees and studied him for a long moment. “I understand that, now. Better than I would have before. I am sorry that I am the reason we are here, but I am glad we have had this time.”
Farrendel opened his mouth, but he could not formulate a reply. He was glad of this time, yes. But the emotions Essie had stirred toward Melantha last night had reminded him once again of the reason he needed to be wary. Melantha had experienced a change of heart, but only because she had ended up a prisoner as well. If the trolls had treated her as a princess, giving her a luxurious room where she would not have seen Farrendel’s suffering, she would have put him from her mind and never had a twinge of guilt over what she had done.
Something tugged at his senses, and he stilled, glancing past Melantha toward the door. “Prince Rharreth is returning and...” His stomach sank. “King Charvod is with him.”
“What?” Melantha’s eyes widened as she glanced from Farrendel to the door, then down at herself. She leapt to her feet and tugged on the shackle as if she could rip it from the stone.
She needed to get out of there. If King Charvod found her in here, found the blankets, and figured out how much Prince Rharreth had helped them, then Farrendel was likely going to be punished for it.
“I will break the chain.” Farrendel gathered his magic. He had not intended to use it now. If King Charvod or Prince Rharreth sensed him using his magic, then they would bind him even tighter in stone.
But they would do that anyway if King Charvod discovered Melantha here.
“Wait.” Melantha knelt again and pressed both hands to his shoulders. Her magic flooded into him, almost painful with its intensity as it coated every bit of stone and troll magic holding him down.
Farrendel choked in a breath, forcing himself to reach for his magic even through the blast of her magic. He twisted his hand and directed a bolt at the chain holding Melantha to the floor.
The chain snapped near the floor.
Melantha snatched both of the blankets, then glanced around, probably to check that she had not left anything else lying around Farrendel’s cell.
After dashing across the cell, she stood on her tiptoes, stuck her arm through the barred window, and stretched.
Lying on the floor, Farrendel could not see how close she was to reaching the locking bar. He would help with his magic, but the trolls would notice if the dungeon door were blown off its hinges.
With a soft scream of frustration, Melantha lunged. The locking bar thunked, and she stumbled as the door swung open. She raced out.
It was not soon enough. Farrendel squeezed his eyes shut, sensing King Charvod and Prince Rharreth in the corridor. Melantha gave a short cry. King Charvod’s voice thundered outside Farrendel’s cell.
Farrendel gathered as much of his magic as he could and flung it into the heart bond. Thanks to Essie using his magic, he was certain all this magic in the heart bond would not hurt her.
Somewhere far away, he sensed her mentally starting. A sense of confusion and fear flooded back from Essie, but he did not try to decipher more as he walled away all emotion.
The door flung open, slamming into the wall. King Charvod strode inside, gripping Melantha’s upper arm. He tossed her inside, and she stumbled, falling to her knees beside Farrendel.
Farrendel clenched his fists. He must not react. Otherwise, he would give away that he had access to his magic, and it was not yet time to act.
Though,