Page 93 of A Thief to Die For

‘That Commander is a slimy one,’ mutters a deep voice from the far corner.

I turn to the huddled form and chuckle darkly, unsure what I did to be this cursed.

‘What happened?’ Rufus asks, shifting, rattling his own chains.

I examine the shackle on my ankle. ‘I believe you happened. You sold me out to Atlas. Did you sell the location of my people too?’

‘No. I told him I couldn’t remember, because it wasn’t about that. Crazy as it sounds, I was actually trying to help you. You think I couldn’t have told him about Kingsland long ago? I’m not heartless. I’d never sell out the homeland of my kid.’

I raise a brow. ‘So you waited until I was here to do it?’

‘I never told him the location – are you listening? I was trying to do something nice for you. Make up for … a lot. You said you still had to ask your girl’s father for her hand in marriage, and once I realised it was the Commander, I knew I could help. The man isn’t the type to let you run off with her … not without an incentive. That’s what I gave him – a nugget of information that doesn’t hurt anyone so you two could be together. How was I to know he’d make you marry the other girl?’

I don’t think I can trust a word he says. I scan the room for something to pick the lock, but find only a leaky bucket to piss in. On the far wall, there’s a concerning rack of weapons and tools. The whip there looks curiously like Marian’s. Everything’s too far to reach.

‘Ryland, you have to know I didn’t mean for –’

‘Let me ask you a question,’ I say, cutting him off. ‘What’d you get out of it? For the nugget of information?’

He looks away.

‘Yeah, that’s what I thought. You don’t have an honourable bone in your body. It’s a miracle we share any genetics.’ I try pushing against a board in the wall, then another. Nothing gives. I resort to kicking it until it’s clear that won’t work either.

‘I agree,’ Rufus says. ‘We are different. But you’re a good kid. A good man. A father would be very –’

‘Please,’ I beg. ‘Unless you have a way out of here, I don’t want to hear it.’

He nods and bows his head.

Hours pass before someone comes again. I jump to my feet as the front door creaks open.

‘You going to whip me again?’ a woman spits.

Marian.

‘Only if you give me a reason,’ Soren says. Then she’s shoved into the room, collapsing to her knees. Her hands are tied together.

I launch forward and the chain snaps tight around my ankle. ‘Stop! Don’t touch her!’

Marian’s hair has fallen into her face. She pants like she’s in an incredible amount of pain. She looks … injured. Broken.

You broke her too, just in a different way.

Suddenly, Marian kicks out and cracks her boot into Soren’s shin. He yelps, and his eyes darken dangerously as he grabs a scrambling Marian by the hair and drags her forward. She cries out, clawing his hands.

‘Stop,’ I shout, straining to rip my chain from the floor.

He throws her into the wall, and the whole room shakes. Her arms shield her head as she crumples to the floor. He points at me. ‘That one was for you.’ Then he dives for her.

‘The lantern!’ Rufus calls.

‘Get off her,’ I roar, as Soren tries to chain her ankle with another rusty cuff.

Marian comes alive, shoving him hard. She climbs on top of his back, then rains down some vicious elbows to his head. With a loud grunt, he bucks and spins, but she’s faster and uses her tied hands like a noose around his neck, strangling him.

‘That’s it,’ I encourage, my heart beating out of my chest. ‘You’ve got him.’

Panic spreads across Soren’s face. His skin goes from red to something darker.