chest.
“I love you,” he whispers, pressing a long, gentle kiss against my lips, which I return with a breathy moan.
I allow myself those few moments of happiness as we taste each other, just the two of us, and pretend we are just two people in love. Ignoring the others in the carriage with us, our other responsibilities and the rapidly upcoming ball with the king, we steal those precious minutes.
Unfortunately, that’s all we get. Pulling away from his lips, I smile at the heat in his eyes, wishing we had time to take things further. I look at the others in the carriage, who have been trying not to watch us, all except Tor, who’s viewing me with a smile and raised eyebrow.
“We are so much stronger together,” I announce, waiting for Naril and Eldrin to look over. “All of us.” Placing my hand over my breastbone, I rub at it gently where my bonds sit, hoping Grayson is able to feel the sentiment. If we’re going to make it out of this, we have to work together.
The elves nod, everyone oddly silent now, their attention drawn to something out the windows. The fact that Naril’s quiet makes me uneasy, and even Tor seems grim faced now, his attention outside. Shifting my position on Vaeril’s lap, I lean to see out the window and notice we’re at the city walls.
The city is built on a hill, and the entire area is surrounded by towering black stone fortifications. It’s intimidating and makes me feel nauseous just to look at it, remembering how it felt to break the spell that was on the wall when Vaeril and I escaped. It felt like it was going to kill me, and I can’t stop my shudder as we pass through the gates. Part of me expects to feel something, some residual magic or pain, but we cross without any issues. Vaeril rubs my back, and I release the breath I hadn’t realised I was holding.
Now that we’re inside the city, I feel a strange sense of curiosity overtake me. This is the place where I’ve lived for a huge part of my life, but the only time I’ve ever seen any of it was as I escaped. Staying seated on Vaeril’s lap, I take it all in.
It’s fairly obvious that the lower, poorer classes live at the bottom of the city, all of the buildings inadequately maintained and tightly cramped together. We pass several brothels. The young ladies waiting outside in their skimpy clothing have dull eyes, and I notice slave marks on some of their wrists. One of the only ways out of slavery is to bear a child for a lord’s barren wife. Once the babe is born, the slave is sold to serve in the king’s brothels. Looking at the dull, lifeless eyes, the bruises on their pale skin, and the watchful gaze of the minder by the door, I would say they’ve only gone from one form of slavery to another.
The only buildings that seem to be well maintained are the churches on every other street corner. The huge structures are domineering and oppressive, making me shudder as we pass. As the main road winds its way up, we reach the marketplace with a large, communal well. A line of young women wait by the well, many of whom are balancing a baby on one hip and a bucket on the other, before trudging back down the hill with the full pail.
In the castle, they have full plumbing with magically heated water at a moment’s notice. I shouldn’t be so surprised that the king kept that luxury to himself, yet I find myself disgusted at how some of his citizens are forced to live. It’s barely better than my life as a slave, and that was a punishment. What have these people done to deserve this life, other than be born in the wrong part of the city? My ever-present anger rises, and I wonder if there is any way I could ever ally myself with such a corrupt human as the king.
Tor makes a noise of discontent, and when I look up, I see he’s shaking his head as he stares out the window. Feeling my gaze on him, he glances at me, and I notice a fire burning in his eyes. He feels the same way as me, he always has. Tor might not have experienced slavery or captivity here like Vaeril and I did, but one thing