The world came in and out of sight. I blinked and couldn't hold back a moan. My entire body was broken from the past few months.

We were in a different room. It was a stone room, no light, and chains on the wall. I soon noticed that I was chained against the wall. Next to me, Ashe was standing there, completely emotionless.

"You said you had a plan!" I yelled at him. "What's happening? What's going to happen, Ashe?" I yanked at the chains around my wrists. "Get me out of here! Kace, I swear, if you don't get me out I'm going to—"

"Don't bother. I've tried screaming for days," Ashe muttered.

"What do you mean days?"

"Two days."

"Where's Nylas?" I looked around, then spotted him laying on the ground, also chained against the wall. "Has he woken up?"

"Yes. He went back to sleep." Ashe sat on the ground, his face dirtier than I'd ever seen before. There was stains on his cheeks—a trail of missing dirt. He had cried.

"We need to get out." I tried pulling on the chains more, but nothing happened. Typical, of course.

The room was dead quiet. I sank to the ground, unable to process anything. I was in a dark room. Ashe was, too. Nylas was there. Henneh was probably executed for getting caught. Kace. Kace did this.

"Kace! Please!" I screamed out his name, and then I screamed nothing. I just screamed. This wasn't a dungeon, or else there would've been other prisoners. We were in a separate building. "Kace, please! We can talk this through! What are you doing, Kace?"

I stayed yelling for hours.

*~⚜️~*

The door of the room opened.

Kace and his guards came in. Some stayed outside, but only five came in with him.

"Kace, what's happening?" I yanked on the chains. "Look at me, Kace! What is this?"

Kace rolled his eyes and stepped away from the doorway. Three guards walked in, each of them carrying a woman on their shoulder. "Chain them up," Kace instructed.

As I looked closer at the woman, I saw my sisters.

"Kace, no! Please!" I stomped my leg down, trying to get some sort of attention, but the guards proceeded to chain them up. Diana had an extra clasp around her neck. I watched her sink to the ground, drugged just like we were.

"Now, where were we?" Kace began. The guards all exited the room and stayed on outside, and Kace was alone in the room. "Valarya, darling. How do chains feel like?"

"What is this—"

"I asked a question, dear. Answer me." Kace grabbed my chin and pulled me up from the ground. "Or are you too busy with Ashe's brigade of thieves to care?"

I spat in his face and knocked his head with mine.

Kace stumbled back, his hand on his bleeding forehead. "Seems like Knightley taught you a trick or two, bitch."

I yanked at the chains, trying to break free from them. No use.

"My father always said to not lay a hand on a woman—"

"I think we're past that," I bit back. "Let us out, Kace. I'll marry you—"

"This isn't about the wedding, Valarya. This is about Kandose."

"What about Kandose?"

Kace laughed and pulled out a necklace from his pockets. The Amulet of Torth. "Guess what I have?" He dangled it in the air, a grin playing on his face. "I don't care if I marry you or not. I just want my magic. And I don't care who I have to cut down. Clearly, your father was stupid. Too stupid to know how to capture Ashe Knightley."

"I can't believe you're talking right now."

"I am, Valarya. Look at me!" Kace brought the Amulet closer to me, taunting me. "Look at how close I am. You really think Diana would agree to a birthday ball after you went missing?"

"The ball was a trap, wasn't it?" Ashe said. "Clever."

Kace went up to him and kneeled down. "Good evening, Knightley. You're scarier like this." Kace looked back at his guards and pointed at Ashe. "Dogs that need to be help back with chains are the scariest kinds."

A man walked in, then pulled down his cloak.

"Rysdan!" I nearly laughed with relief, but then it dawned on me—

Why wasn't he in chains?

Why could he just stand there?

"Rysdan, thank you for your service." Kace patted Rysdan on the back.

"You traitor!" I lurched toward him. "You fucking traitor! How could you?" The chains held me back well. Too well. I spat in his direction, but missed. "You fucking coward! You worthless piece of shit!"

"Calm down, Princess. I had to do what I needed to do to survive." Rysdan smiled and stepped toward me, helping me off the ground. "Surely you'd do the same."

"Fuck you!" I lifted my knee into the apex of his thighs. I watched him double over, yelling and cursing as I lifted my legs and stomped and kicked him. Kace dragged Rysdan away from me.

"Watch your legs, Valarya, or you won't have them anymore," Kace warned.

"Ashe, do you see him?" I looked at Ashe, who was just staring at Rysdan.

"Sorry, Ashey-boy. It was nice joking with you for a while, but... things change. I still love you, though."

Ashe stayed deathly quiet.

I couldn't feel my bones—my body.

*~⚜️~*

Kace, Rysdan, and the guards all left the room. I was starting to understand why murder was illegal.

My sisters woke up. One by one, they rose their confused heads and asked the same questions I had.

"Irene, I'm so sorry," Nylas whispered.

Irene didn't look at anyone. She cradled herself and sat against the wall in chains.

"Please, talk to me." Nylas tried to kick a rock in her direction, but he missed. "Irene—"

"Can you just... just choke!" Irene quipped. "I can't believe you'd do this to me." I watched her slowly look at me. "And you. You're such an amazing sister."

"Irene, I didn't mean for this to happen—"

She interrupted me. "You didn't intend to come home, either. I'll tell you what you intended to do, though." Irene turned and face her body at mine. "You intended to stick with Ashe and his puppets. You intended to maybe lead a rebellion against your own family. You were willing to throw us all into chaos, just so you could feel like you were doing something right in your life. Well, look at you now, Valarya! You messed up again, and here we are. Your family and Ashe Knightley, living through the consequences of our actions."

I tried to look her in her eyes, but I caught tears pooling. Looking away, I glanced at Diana, who was sunk against the wall.

"Diana, please—"

"I defiled our father to defend your honor, Valarya. I canceled everything. I went out every day to find you. I ordered hundreds of thousands of men to search for you. Little did I know that you were willingly staying with Knightley. I feel like an idiot." Diana wiped her tear with her knee. "I got myself locked up for two weeks for you. I hate you, bitch. Turn around and don't talk to us."

"This isn't Valarya's fault," Nylas added. "I convinced her to stay. I told her that her father would harm you if she didn't. I threatened her to stay. She was held hostage with us. Hate me, but this isn't her fault. All of it is mine."

"Then she should've fought harder," Diana threw back.

The room went silent.

I couldn't hold back anything. The tears came like uncontrollable wildfire. That was what it felt like internally, and, Saints, I really messed up. I was wrong. I was so, so wrong to think Ashe Knightley was capable of caring about my family.

Kace walked back in, this time with a man dressed in all black, even his face covered. "All right. Let's begin interrogation, shall we?"