her.”
“Yes, allow him,” Sergius said from the door. He stomped into the room. His hulking form stopped just behind me. He put the axe at the back of my head. “I will take care of him if he misbehaves.”
“Of course.” Septimus laughed. I held my breath as he reached to take off his necklace. He drew out a small green crystal, the bane of my existence, the key to my cage. I yearned to reach for it and yank it from his slimy fingers. I must have betrayed myself because Septimus’s mouth curled up. He let the necklace fall back on his chest with a dark grin. Blue eyes met mine. They glinted with the knowledge of the power he dangled over me. They gloated. He said slyly, “No, it would be too easy. I have yet to see anyone withstand Silvertongue for more than a few seconds.”
I wanted to put my fist into his smug face. I wanted to beat it into the ground until nothing remained but torn flesh and bone. I took a sharp breath. He smiled as if he knew what I was thinking. He probably did. The bastard would probably enjoy it. The morning sun rose higher in the sky. It stained the sky red, a reflection of the battlefield it oversaw. However, the true aftermath of the battle happened in places like these dark, dank little rooms that muffled the screams of horror from within. I stared at Septimus. “What do you want me to do?”
Septimus’s eyes glittered. “Ask her nicely.”
Don’t damage anything that could be seen. I drew out a knife from my belt. I walked to the bed. My hands, already dirty with the crimes of the day, were about to become dirtier. Reaching the bed, I put a knee on it. The terrified woman scooted back, trying to get as far from me as possible. Shiny brown hair, bountiful and flowing, curtained most of her face. Eager to get a good view, Sergius moved to stand just below the foot of the bed. I grabbed her ankle. She resisted. Despite my thin frame, she was no match for me. I pulled her forward easily. With the knife, I sliced through the thin membrane of her gag.
Huge eyes locked on me. She didn’t make a sound.
If my fingers trembled, I ignored them. With Septimus in my mind, I calculated a dizzying number of scenarios, but none would work where I had no magic. Anger coursed through me and I asked silently for help. Any help. With my eyes on the woman, I gave her ankle a sharp twist. Bones crunched. She screamed.
The boy on the floor jumped up. He held a shaky knife in his hand. Before he could lunge at me, Sergius caught him by the scruff. He laughed. “I think I might take this one, if you don’t mind, Commander.”
I dropped the lady’s fractured ankle and lunged at Sergius, knocking the boy aside. I kicked Sergius as hard as I could in the groin. Letting out a howl of pain, Sergius doubled over. The next thing I knew, I was flying across the room. My back hit the wall hard. Without touching me, Septimus yanked me along the rough stone floor until I landed somewhere near his feet. On the floor on my side, my body curled into a ball and shook with pain. Septimus gripped the green crystal—my chain. It glowed with cruel power.
He walked closer and shoved me with a sandaled foot, flipping me over on my back. “I am disappointed, Vane. You forget to whom you belong to.”
My body was shuddering under the pressure of a thousand nails digging into my skin, but I managed to crawl to his sandaled foot. I clutched it. “F-forgive m-me.”
Septimus’s lips curled into a satisfied smile.
Behind the wall, next to the spot I slammed against, I heard a muffled sound.
Septimus heard it too. He let go of the necklace and turned on his heel. The green crystal dulled and so did my pain. I sighed with relief.
Septimus said, “There’s something behind this wall.”
Only one adornment, a bright red tapestry covered the length of the wall. It depicted a woman, possibly a deity, with a lion’s head. The lady wore a bow across her chest and held a cup in one hand. On the lion’s forehead a white crescent moon was stitched.
I pushed myself up and forced myself to walk without stumbling until I reached the tapestry. I ripped it from the