Endure - Sara B. Larson Page 0,38

over my bicep, trying to pull me back, but I ignored him.

“I’m Alexa Hollen, guard to King Damian.”

“No!” Eljin shouted, pushing me behind him. But it was too late; I’d already seen the gleam of teeth beneath the shadow of the hood.

“Your offer is accepted.” The man closed his fist and the fire disappeared. A shiver of terror sliced through me as he strode toward us.

Eljin turned to me, his eyes wide and frantic. “How could you do this?”

“We would have both died. Go to Damian. Help him win this war.” It was all I was able to say before the man reached us and snaked a hand out to snatch my arm; his grip was iron tight. The edges of the metal glove bit into my skin.

“You will come willingly or he dies.”

Fear pounding through me, I looked up into the man’s face. “What will you do with me?”

Without answering, he yanked me to stand in front of him, just in time to see the other two men close the distance between us and roughly grab Eljin as well — each man taking one of his arms.

“What are they doing? Let him go — it’s me you want!” I struggled to turn back, to see what they were doing to Eljin, but to no avail. The black sorcerer’s grip tightened on my arm as he shoved me forward, toward the gate and Dansii.

“He comes,” the black sorcerer growled, “to ensure your cooperation.”

Dread coalesced in my limbs, making my feet leaden as the man shoved his fist — the one encased in a glove made of sharp metal and hard jewels — into my spine, forcing me forward, away from Eljin and the other two hooded men. I arched my back away from the pain, trying to twist out of his grip, but he was ruthless, only holding on tighter. I could have pulled out my sword with my free hand, but I didn’t dare risk it. Not with Eljin very likely being held by two more black sorcerers.

The black sorcerer marched me through the gate, with the others right behind us. In the darkness I could see the outline of buildings; another city.

Once we were all through, the hinges on the grate screeched, and then, with a resounding clang, it ground shut.

I glanced over my shoulder to see Eljin standing between the other two sorcerers, his face devoid of emotion.

We were trapped in Dansii, surrounded by black sorcerers.

Every minute my chances of returning to Damian were growing more improbable. My only hope now was to somehow find Rylan, to negotiate for his life in return for mine.

The sorcerers quickly removed our weapons, tossing them on the ground behind us. I had to bite down my teeth as hard as I could to force the tears back when I saw the beautiful bow and arrows Damian had given me lying on the dirt.

“This way,” the black sorcerer growled, jerking me toward a darkened alley between two homes, leaving our weapons behind. We walked for a few minutes, and then he turned us toward a smaller, sand-colored building. The windows were dark, but two more men dressed similarly to him stood guard in front of the door, though their hoods were pulled down to reveal their faces.

Their heads lifted simultaneously as we approached. One man was as pale as Asher, but he had dark brown hair and a full beard; the other was sunburned, his cheeks even redder than his hair. The redhead’s eyes widened when he saw me.

He asked something in Dansiian as the black sorcerer pushed me toward the door.

The black sorcerer snapped back at him, and the redhead’s gaze immediately dropped to the ground as he turned and shoved a key into the lock. The door swung open silently.

“After you,” the sorcerer whispered near my ear. I forced my chin up, suppressing a shiver of fear, and marched forward to whatever fate awaited me.

The sorcerer yanked me toward a dimly lit hallway, two small gas lamps offering a meager glow to illuminate the barren interior of the building. There was no furniture, no decoration of any kind. We passed room after empty, windowless room. My skin began to crawl the farther in we went, a strange foreboding rushing over me.

At the end of the hallway was a staircase that plunged steeply down into a pit of impenetrable darkness. The man’s fingers tightened cruelly on my bicep as he shoved me forward, into the unknown. Down, down, down; the