Capture the Crown (Gargoyle Queen #1) -Jennifer Estep Page 0,51

all glanced back and forth between Conley and me.

I stared at the foreman. Despite my weakened condition and the lethargy creeping through my body, I could still clearly hear the silent pleas running through his mind.

Please say no, please say no, please, please, please . . .

I wondered if Penelope had begged for her life before he’d tossed her into the chasm. Or Clarissa, the forewoman he’d killed. Anger stormed through me, drowning out his silent cries for mercy.

“Yes. Conley lured me down into the shaft. Then he and those other six men attacked me. Conley shoved me off the edge of the chasm and left me for dead.”

More shocked gasps sounded, although they were quickly swallowed up by low, angry mutters. Working in the mine was dangerous enough without people sabotaging each other.

All the miners seemed truly stunned—except for Reiko. The dragon morph looked more thoughtful than surprised.

“You bitch!” Conley hissed, his hands clenching into fists. “Why couldn’t you just die along with the other one?”

More anger roared through me. “Her name was Penelope, you greedy bastard.”

Conley opened his mouth, probably to curse me some more, but Reiko stepped up and plowed her fist into his gut. The foreman’s face turned tomato-red, and he sagged back against the wall, gasping for breath.

Leonidas turned back to me. “Why did Conley push you into the chasm?”

“Because he was stealing tearstone from the mine.”

More low, angry mutters rang out, growing in strength and number, and the miners hefted the pickaxes in their hands. The six men dropped their heads and hunkered down on their knees, trying to make themselves as small as possible, but Conley remained standing, his face growing even redder with rage.

“Conley also killed Clarissa, another mine forewoman, a few weeks ago,” I said. “She must have found out about the stolen tearstone and tried to report it.”

She had reported it, but the miners didn’t need to know that.

Leonidas drew the sword from the scabbard on his belt. The soft rasp of the weapon sliding free cut through the mutters, and a tense, expectant hush fell over the cavern. No one moved or spoke, and the only sound was Leonidas’s soft footsteps as he stalked over to Conley.

The foreman gave the prince a petulant look. He opened his mouth, probably to deny my accusations, but Leonidas snapped up his sword and surged forward. My breath caught in my throat. He was going to run Conley through with the blade—

Leonidas stopped just short, although the tip of his sword nicked the foreman’s neck, drawing a bit of blood.

Conley’s eyes bulged even wider than before, and his silent, frantic cries filled my mind again. Please don’t, please don’t, please, please, please . . .

More anger sizzled through me. The bastard didn’t deserve any sympathy, and he certainly hadn’t earned the mercy of a quick death.

Leonidas glanced over at me, as if sensing my anger with his magic. He studied me for a moment, that cold, unreadable expression still on his face, then looked at Conley again.

“If we were in Morta, I would gut you like the spineless coward you are.” Leonidas lowered his sword. “But lucky for you, we are not in Morta. I will let the Andvarian royal guards deal with you and your men.” He glanced around at the other miners. “If that is agreeable?”

Leonidas might be tacitly asking for their approval, but he was still clearly in control. The miners’ mouths were gaping in shock, but they all bobbed their heads. Even Reiko joined in with the gesture, although she still looked more thoughtful than surprised.

The prince stepped back and sheathed his sword.

Conley sucked down a breath, wet his lips, and sidled forward. “Let me go, my lord. I can give you more tearstone. Gold, jewels, anything you want from the mine. Just let me go—”

Leonidas flicked his fingers. He could pull on those invisible strings of energy just like I could, and a wave of magic picked up Conley and slammed him back into the wall. The foreman dropped to the ground without a sound, knocked unconscious.

Snap-snap-snap-snap-snap-snap.

In quick succession, Leonidas used his magic to lift the other six men up off their feet, toss them back into the wall, and render them all unconscious as well. The other miners froze again, shocked by the violent display, but Leonidas ignored them and dropped to one knee in front of me.

I stared into his dark amethyst eyes, and he gazed right back at me, his face still ice-cold. I expected