Sara Larson - Defy

Iker’s dark gaze in the light of the flames from the torch sent ice through my body, and I had to fight not to shudder. Without another word, he turned and left, slamming the door shut and locking me into the eternal darkness and heat. I was completely alone in the very cell in which I’d come to see Tanoori almost two months ago. The same chair she’d been tied to still sat in the corner.

I slid to the ground and dropped my head into my hands. My eyes burned and I had to grit my teeth to keep from crying. They were all going to die. General Tinso, Eljin, the Insurgi … Rylan.

Damian.

There was nothing I could do to warn them or stop the massacre that was sure to happen, if I was locked up down here in the depths of hell.

Minutes, then hours passed, interminably slow. It was impossible to tell how long I’d been imprisoned. I was unable to sleep at all, even though I was exhausted. Jaerom brought me food, but I could barely bring myself to eat the disgusting slop. It was not fit for hogs. Instead, I paced and when my legs grew too tired to keep it up, I slid down against the wall, and sat on the stone floor, staring into the darkness.

I’d always joked about the inmates going insane down here, but now I was one of them, and I already felt like I was losing my mind.

After staring into the darkness blindly for hours since the last time Jaerom had brought me a meal, a key rattled in the door. I scrambled to my feet and backed up to the wall. When I saw Deron standing in the doorway, holding a torch and a sword, I was simultaneously overcome with relief and fear.

“Get out here, and hurry,” he whispered harshly, gesturing at me. I cautiously stepped toward him, afraid it was a trap.

“What are you doing?” I asked, my voice hoarse from disuse.

“Something’s wrong. The king has ordered every able-bodied man and boy to arm himself and assemble in the courtyard. He’s made every army battalion in Tubatse come inside the palace walls. He’s even forcing women to arm themselves and prepare to fight. The rumor is that the entire Blevonese army is marching on the palace.”

I stared at Deron in the flickering light of the torch.

“Is it true? Are they coming?”

I nodded. “But it isn’t what you think,” I added when I saw the flash of fear in his eyes. “Deron, do you trust me?”

He gave me a sharp look. “What are you talking about?”

“Do you trust me?”

“Of course I do.”

“Good.” I glanced down the hallway, but it was empty. “Where is the rest of the guard?”

The skin around Deron’s mouth tightened and he closed his eyes briefly before answering, sending my heart pounding in dread. “Kai and Antonio are dead; the king had them killed for failing to save the prince. The rest of us were punished — even those who were sleeping — but at least we’re alive.”

I stared at the scar on his face, realizing what it meant. “Jude, too?”

Deron nodded. “Scarred, but alive.”

I couldn’t believe Kai and Antonio were gone, but there was no time to dwell on it. “Where are they?”

“Gathering their weapons and preparing to fight. I told them I was going to find more men, but Iker will notice I’m not there soon if we don’t hurry.”

My heart began to pound as I thought of a plan — a very risky plan.

“I need you to find me a mask,” I said.

“A mask?”

“Then I need you or someone else in the guard to help me get next to Iker when the Blevonese army arrives.”

Deron’s eyes widened. “Next to Iker? Why?”

“Because if we are to have any hope of surviving this day, and saving the prince and Antion, I have to kill him.”

Deron’s mouth dropped open.

“We have a great deal to talk about,” I said.

Deron recovered himself, and nodded. “Yes … yes, I think we do.”

THERE WERE SO many people packed inside the palace walls that there was hardly room to walk, let alone fight. If the Blevonese soldiers were able to breach the wall, we’d be slaughtered just as badly as they would be. If I wasn’t able to stop Iker, the king was almost assured his victory — but at what cost? Did he intend to be the king of a graveyard?

I stood near Deron and Jude. The other members of the guard were spread out around the grounds in strategic locations, helping me watch for Iker’s location. He couldn’t hide inside the palace and fight. He’d have to be out here somewhere, most likely somewhere with a good vantage point over the fighting, but not within range of archers. Not that a little arrow was anything he’d have to worry about, I realized.

Jude’s face, which had always been so similar to his brother’s, was now distinctly different. He had a long scar snaking down the length of one side of it, just like Deron did. I understood now why Damian had decided to do what he did, the necessity of the abduction. But it had come at a great cost to these men whom I cared for — loved.

Even Jerrod seemed relieved to see me alive. For all of his animosity, he didn’t want me to die any more than I wished such a fate on him.

The oppressive heat of the jungle swelled in the burning rays of the afternoon sun. The air was heavy with humidity and I was already sweating beneath the mask Deron had found for me. I felt like Eljin, with a scrap of black fabric covering my nose and mouth. Deron had also found me different clothes, an old uniform from someone in the army. I had a sword strapped to my waist as we searched the crowd for my target. If I had any hope of inching my way next to Iker in time, we had to find him soon. If all went according to plan, General Tinso and his army had left an hour after my captors and me. They would travel a bit slower than my guards and I had, but they planned on arriving only a day or two behind me. The Insurgi would also be with them.

Finally, Mateo flashed a tiny mirror to signal us that he’d spotted Iker. Mateo was standing near the stairs that went up to the top of the wall, where the archers would be waiting to shoot down the Blevonese soldiers before they got close enough to pull out their swords.

“There he is.” Deron pointed and I nodded, my heart sinking. Iker was walking up the stairs to stand atop of the wall. How would I ever make it up there without him growing suspicious and cutting me down? A member of the army wearing a mask in this mass of people wasn’t too noticeable right now. But one running up the stairs after him? Not good.

“How are you going to get up there without him recognizing you — even with the mask?” Jude asked, echoing my own thoughts.

“I don’t know.” I sighed heavily. Why did everything that could go wrong keep going wrong?

“We’ve got to get over there, though, so I guess I’ll think about it on the way.”

Deron took the lead, using his bigger body and strength to push through the mass of soldiers and palace workers. I followed in his wake, with Jude right on my heels. If there hadn’t been so many people in the way, I could have crossed the grounds to where Mateo stood in less than a minute. Instead, it took us much longer — too long. Before we made it there, Iker stood over us on the wall walk.

“People of Antion!” he shouted, his voice echoing over the noise of thousands. A hush spread over the assembled men and women. I was dismayed to see so many girls and women, in their threadbare skirts, clutching weapons uncomfortably, fear written plainly on their faces. Most of them were painfully thin, and they jumped away from the men around them with looks of terror. They had to be women from the breeding house. My stomach turned and I looked up at Iker with hatred burning in me stronger than anything I’d ever felt in my life.