Page 96 of Kingdom of Locks

But she understood why. It was the same reason she’d thrown Mama Imelda out the window of the tower. Tears fell freely from Aurelia’s eyes, but she knew that this time they wouldn’t be enough to save anyone. Why they’d made Amell able to see her again, she didn’t understand. But none of that mattered. She’d infinitely prefer him to never see her again than for him to die.

She pressed her hand to his chest, afraid of what she’d find. His heart was beating, but it felt weak to her. And his face was unnaturally pale, even in the yellow glare of the soldiers’ lanterns.

“Up you get.” One of the soldiers had approached her, his weapon raised and his voice grim. “The prince said you wouldn’t resist. If you want to show we’ve made a mistake about you, you’ll do as he said you would.”

Drying her tears, Aurelia pushed herself to her feet. She’d almost forgotten her own weakness in the terror of Amell’s injury, but it came rushing back, making her sway.

“No tricks now,” said one of the soldiers warily. He approached her the way Mama Imelda inched toward particularly large spiders. “Hold out your hands.”

No fight left in her, Aurelia did as she was bid.

“And gag her,” one of the other soldiers prompted. “Bind the hands and stop the tongue. They usually use one or both of those in their magic.”

“I don’t have—” Aurelia started, but she stopped abruptly when the soldiers all raised their weapons.

Satisfied that she wasn’t going to speak, one of them—a man older than Mama Imelda, who so far hadn’t spoken—put a simple gag around her mouth.

“If we’re mistaken, miss, you’ll have our apologies,” he said calmly. “But we won’t take any chances.”

Shivering from some combination of shock, fear, and genuine cold, Aurelia allowed herself to be led back to the road. She was lifted onto one of the soldier’s horses, and the man urged his beast toward the capital, two others flanking him.

Aurelia caught sight of another soldier wrapping a length of fabric around Amell’s injured shoulder, but the prince was soon cut off from her sight. Terror for Amell engulfed her, driving out every consideration. How much blood could he afford to lose? The physician’s guide she’d read had claimed that bleeding could kill a person, if it went on for long enough.

The trio of horses moved slowly, but another of the soldiers shot past them before long, riding hard for the capital. They were obviously closer to Fernford than Aurelia had guessed, because it wasn’t long before an empty carriage trundled past, led by the same soldier. Hopefully Amell would make it back to the city without doing his shoulder further injury. Aurelia was glad he wouldn’t have to travel on horseback. She never would have guessed that riding a horse would be so uncomfortable.

Aurelia knew the carriage would travel even more slowly than her own group, however, and she wasn’t surprised that the equipage was nowhere to be seen when they passed a large sign announcing the proximity of Fernford. They’d just emerged from the grove, and Aurelia strained her eyes for her first look at a city. It was disappointing. She could make out very little in the darkness, and she soon gave up trying, too racked by grief and fear.

The weariness was so heavy on her now, it was all she could do to keep her eyes open as the horses clopped their way over cobblestoned streets. A day ago, it would all have been a source of such fascination to her. But now, she wanted nothing more than to sleep.

She did rouse herself enough to look up at the castle when they drew close. The enormous building looked imposing and threatening in the darkness, its turrets uncomfortably reminiscent of her tower. She thought the soldiers would take her in through the grand entrance, but instead they turned their horses toward a nearby building, which seemed to be attached to the castle, but had its own door.

A shout went up from a man at the entrance, dressed in the same uniform as the soldiers in Aurelia’s group.

“You’ve caught another one!” His eyes lingered on Aurelia’s head.

“Yep,” said the soldier on the same horse as her. “But the prince ordered us not to touch her. He said to bring her to the castle.”

“Who’s blood is that on her hands?” the soldier asked skeptically.

“The prince’s,” said Aurelia’s rider in a grim voice.

The other man’s eyes widened in horror. “Why didn’t you follow the order?”

The mounted soldier grunted. “The prince was clear. He said anyone who hurts her will answer to him. Now, is the special holding cell empty? We’ve got to go back to help escort the prince to the castle. He’ll need a physician, and fast.”

“Bring her through,” said the soldier on the door, stepping aside.

The three riders dismounted, pulling Aurelia after them. She was marched into the building, straight across a small entry space, and toward a winding stair. They’d followed two twists before she grasped what was happening.

“No!” she gasped, but her gag muffled the word. She began to flail wildly, an illogical terror rising up in her. They were taking her up one of those turrets—they were going to lock her in a tower!

"Easy now!” shouted the soldier who’d offered a conditional apology. “Don’t give us reason to harm you, lass.”

Aurelia’s muffled screams only rose in volume. She kicked out with her legs and twisted her arms, trying to elbow the closest soldier in the stomach. She’d been a baby last time she’d been locked up, unable to resist. But this time she wasn’t going to go without a fight.

“Dragon’s flame, she’s a live one!” exclaimed one of the men. “Good thing we bound her properly.”

Aurelia began to weep, hot, angry tears of despair. Amell had asked her to trust him, but he was far away, his lifeblood draining out of him, and the men he’d told her not to resist were proving to be exactly like Cyfrin.

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