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10. Shadows of Betrayal

“You’ll stay in his quarters.”

Zumir leads me down the hallway, twisting through the corners and up the stairs. My stomach flips and a shudder of familiarity passes through me. A rush of goosebumps weaves across my skin and I ignore the voices that whisper in my head.

We round one last corner and he pushes open a door. The handles are golden, with small intricate details etched into the wood. A storm of uncertainty stirs within me and I inhale slowly, watching Zumir as he looks over his shoulder at me and pulls on the rope one last time.

I don’t budge.

He only shakes his head and wraps his hand around my arm to pull me in front of him and push me into the room. My hesitant steps freeze. I cannot seem to process my surroundings.

The mountains are a formidable sight. I can see the cloudy sky from between the columns that stand at the edge of the room. There is only one wall, the one that stands behind us now. Everything else is open, no rails to protect from the drop off. Nothing to stop the weather or nature from entering the room.

“Do you have to go to the bathroom?”

I shake my head, not even bothering to look at him.

He grabs my arm again and pulls me to the large bed. He pulls the edge of the rope through the headboard. I watch him as he twists and folds the rope, hope rising withing my chest in a sour wave.

I can get out. I can run.

“I’ll be back tomorrow morning.”

He walks back to the door and does not even offer me a second look as it slams shut behind him. I flinch, forcing myself to still so I can listen for his footsteps until they disappear.

As soon as they cease to echo, I work on the knot. My fingers turn white, then red from the sheer force as I attempt to dismantle the knot. I step back to look at it in a wider perspective and breathe out a steady stream of air, frustrated.

I loosen part of the knot but even as I tug on the rope; it remains stubbornly attached to the wooden headboard.

I sit on the edge of the bed and press my face into the palms of my hands. All at once, fatigue covers me like a heavy blanket and the reality of my situation hits me like a bag of bricks. My arms turn to noodles and my eyes sting from the crying.

My head aches and my chest burns as I struggle for breath. My lips tremble as I think of all I have lost and wonder what could be waiting for me in the future.

They say the King has been looking for me, but what does that mean?

Mother said he could save me, but what does that mean?

They call me Raven, but what does that mean?

They say I am not of this world, but what does that mean?

The only thing I know for certain is that Mother and Father are dead.

A sob shakes through my core. Where will I even go if I escape? Home is non-existent now. I know no one. No one aside from James and Zumir, but would James go against his own king?

I’m an idiot, clinging to a man that hardly knows me. To a man that played a part in my parents death. It’s almost pathetic. My loneliness hits me like a bag of rocks and it wrecks me through.

The door shifts and I jerk to a stand, wiping my tear soaked hands on my cloak. The room is slowly turning darker as the sun is setting and it is now a mess of shadows. It is so quiet that I can hear the handle of the door shift easily. I wrap my hands around the rope and attempt one last desperate tug.

But it does not break free.

With an echoing thunk, the door creaks open and Remi’s curly head pops through the doorway. My heart drops to the pit of my stomach and I step back, pressing my back to the wall, hoping to camouflage with the dark.

His eyes scan the room, his brows heavy with a frown until he spots me.

“Hello there,” he whispers, stepping fully into the room and letting the door click close behind him.

I watch him carefully with wide eyes and a heart beating so forcefully; I swear he can hear it. I inch away from him as he steps nearer, but when I realize that all that stands behind me is the drop off of the cliff, I freeze.

The curiosity in his eyes isn’t enough to hide the fear in his wide gaze, and I feel that something is horribly wrong.

He eyes the view of the mountains, a whisper of fast words leaving his lips before his cruel eyes lock on me. He smiles wide and I inhale, a sour type of panic rising in my body. The look in his eyes shoots fear up my spine and a shiver causes me to step further away from him.

He tilts his head. “Are you afraid of me?”

I press my lips together, and my body freezes when he moves quickly to stand before me. I pull on the rope, wincing when it tugs painfully on my skin.

His eyes shoot to my wrists and he frowns. “That looks like it hurts.”

His lips purse like a child’s when they attempt to think through something and I take that and run with it.

“It does. Terribly,” I whisper.

“I could help you, but Zumir says I can’t.”

“I won’t tell him. I promise.”

He hums as if he is thinking about it and shakes his head. “But then, what will we do?”

“You can show me the city.”

His eyes widen with amusement, and a smile spreads across his lips.

“And tell me more about the King.”

He frowns, “The king?”

“Dastan.”

“I can do that!”

“Okay.”

He steps to me and I have to press my lips together to stop the scream in my throat and to stop myself from flinching.

He undoes the knot on the headboard and wraps it around his hand.

I lift my hands. “Can you untie the rope from my wrists?”

He smiles and shakes his head.

My heart jolts and I plead, “Remi.”

He pulls me behind him as he takes off in a sprint and I struggle to keep up with his pace.

“Remi, please, slow down.” I whisper after him.

He giggles as he continues to run through the dark hallway until we enter the throne room once again. He only slows down when we reach the bottom of the steps.

He spins to look at me. “This is Dastan’s throne. This is where he decides.”

I look at the enormous throne and swallow the dryness in my throat. He pulls the rope in a quick jerk, strong enough to make me trip over myself. I grunt as my knees hit the ground.

“So delicate.” He whispers, tilting his head.

I shudder a breath, looking up at him, “Remi, remember what Zumir said. I’m important.”

His eyes widen as if he just remembered those words and nods furiously.

“Do you know why he says that?”

His eyes narrow and he points to my hood. “Your hair.”

“My hair? What about it?”

He stares at me for a moment too long and ignores my question, pulling me behind him until we step out of the throne room and to the bridge. He runs until we are halfway across and he stops, stepping slowly to the edge of the bridge.

I watch his back, fear grappling my throat, when I notice his shoulders still and drop, like he's a completely different person.

In a quick movement, he stands in front of me, hand around my neck and his finger curling around my jaw. I strain against him, hopelessness eating away at my throat, stopping the scream that wants to so desperately escape the confines of my chest.

I wince at the pain shooting in my cheeks, and he presses his body against mine. I shut my eyes, focusing instead on the calming thought flittering through my mind.

If he kills me, this would all be over.

But the idea falls too short, becuase even throught it all, I do not want to die.

“Afraid of Remi?” His thick voice cuts through my thoughts.

His hot breath fans across my face and I shriek, trying to turn my face away from him.

“Can you imagine Dastan’s reaction when he finds you gone?” He presses his lips to my cheek and giggles like a child.

When I shriek, he presses a finger to his lips and tightens his hold on my jaw.

“Shhh. He doesn’t know. Doesn’t understand. The King of Blood is the true King. Not him. Your sacrifice will be how I prove myself.”

He presses his nose to my throat and chuckles, continuing to shush me.

“Please, please let me go.”

He pulls back, watching me with narrow eyes and swipes his tongue across his lips. He keeps his hand on my neck and leans back, pulling a knife from his coat. He flips it between his fingers and presses the tip to my cheek. “Not a peep.”

My vision blurs with tears as he jerks the knife and I hiss at the slight stinging pain across my cheek. With a fluid movement, he rips the hood off of my head and presses the knife to my neck.

“What are you doing?”

“I am taking you far away. Somewhere he won’t be able to find you.”

I shake my head. “No!”

I pull on the rope, twisting my body so that I can free myself from his hold.

But with a grunt, he tightens his arm around my waist and pulls me in front of him, lifting me until my feet no longer touch the ground.

Panic flutters through me when I realize he is carrying me to the edge of the bridge. “No! Stop! No!”

I reach back, trying to hit him in the face, in the ribs, anywhere. I kick my feet hoping to hit his shins, but I make no contact. I look down, screaming when all I can see is the darkness of the valleys, the floor no longer under me.

My attempts at hurting him quickly turn into attempts at holding onto him.

He not only wants to take me far from the King.

He wants to kill me.

His hold around me disappears and air leaves my lungs.

I reach everywhere and my hands latch onto the marble edge, my leg slamming against the rock. A broken scream leaves me and pain erupts in my shoulders, my wrists and my shins.

I groan deep in my throat, whispering to myself that I cannot die.

That I need to hold on.

Remi’s body disappears from its spot and the sound of punches and grunts reaches me as I hold on for my life. My lips tremble with a soft scream as my fingers slide from the edge of the marble.

My throat splits in two as I scream. Gravity takes its win and my hold fails me. My heart latches itself in my throat and my eyes widen.

But just as I deem myself dead, a warm hand wraps around my wrists.

“I’ve got you.”

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