Page 132 of The Crown of the Dark Prince
“Take them to the dungeons,” he ordered over his shoulder. “She can witness their fate when she is well.”
“No!” I cried, thrashing weakly as the guards moved to seize my friends.
“Get her a healer,” Hyrax barked at Caldrius, ignoring my pleas. “Now.”
Caldrius didn’t hesitate. He turned sharply, carrying me out of the room as I screamed for my friends.
Clay’s voice tore through the air, raw and desperate. “Thea!” he shouted, his voice echoing after us even as the heavy doors slammed shut.
I cried harder, my sobs breaking me apart as Caldrius carried me farther and farther away.
Chapter Thirty Seven
Ialmost didn’t recognize my suites in the castle when I finally blinked my eyes open. The soft orange glow of evening light slipped through the cracks in the drawn curtains, casting the room in muted shadows. The fire crackled softly in the hearth, but its warmth felt distant, meaningless. I was alone.
My throat ached, raw from screaming, and my stomach twisted painfully with hunger. When I tried to sit up, my body betrayed me—every muscle protested, a deep ache spreading through my bones. A terrible dryness burned my mouth, and my fingers trembled as they brushed over the silk nightgown someone had dressed me in.
The room felt suffocating, eerily quiet. My gaze darted across familiar furniture that now seemed foreign, as though it belonged to someone else. I couldn’t shake the sense that I didn’t belong here anymore.
Then, like a dam breaking, the memories surged back.
Pasnia was dead.
Hyrax was here.
And Clay…
My chest seized, a silent gasp choking me. The ache in my body evaporated, replaced by a desperate, clawing urgency. I threw off the blankets,stumbling to my feet. My legs wobbled, but I forced them to move, sprinting through the bedroom and parlor to fling open the door to my suite. My thoughts spiraled. I didn’t know where my friends were—I just knew I had to find them. I had to save them.
“Whoa!” Caldrius stepped into my path, and I collided with his chest. His hands steadied me, but the contact made my skin crawl. “Slow down.”
“Where are they?” My voice was a hoarse growl, laced with desperation. I shoved him away, needing answers, needing action.
“Why don’t we go sit down and talk?” he suggested, his tone patient but strained. His gesture toward the parlor felt more like an order than a request.
That’s when I saw them—the guards stationed at the end of the hallway. Their eyes locked on me, their stances casual but unyielding, hands resting on the hilts of their swords. Their armor was all wrong. Black plate glinted ominously, scarlet capes draped across their shoulders.
It hit me like a punch to the gut. Hyrax had already claimed the castle. His soldiers stood where the Athenian ones once had, their loyalty stripped away like everything else.
I swayed on my feet, disoriented. “How long have I been asleep?” I muttered, more to myself than to him.
Caldrius touched my elbow, guiding me back into the room. “Bring her bread and water,” he barked to someone over his shoulder.
I ripped my arm free, spinning on him. “Don’t touch me.”
His jaw tightened, but he didn’t push back. Instead, he followed me inside, shutting the door with a quiet click. “Still angry, then?”
I ignored him, my thoughts spiraling into chaos.
“Sit,” he ordered, his tone clipped. “You’ve been asleep for a week.”
My head snapped toward him. “A week?”
He nodded. “You woke occasionally—enough to eat and drink. You don’t remember?”
I shook my head, frustration tightening in my chest. Everything felt hazy, like I was trying to grasp memories through a fog.
“Where are my friends?” I demanded, my voice trembling under the weight of the question.
