Page 8 of Captive of the Stolen Empire

I looked at him sideways but didn’t reply. I’d never met Elin Glaus of Ourelas, one of the northernmost city-states, but there were worse people he could have assigned me to share a room with. She was another woman after all, one only a few cycles younger than me, and rumor held that she was pleasant as Warren described.

We turned a corner down another long hallway. My breath caught. I skidded to a halt. A familiar face stared back.

“Lady Ilya.” Gabriel Laril, the heir of Trale, gave me a sad smile. “The rumors are true then. Sorrena has fallen.”

More grey colored his sandy hair than I remembered, but there was no mistaking the kind man who had periodically traveled to Sorrena to negotiate trade agreements on his brother’s behalf. He’d been my companion, a sort of temporary uncle, when I’d visited Trale with Mother cycles ago. The stories he told made me laugh, and he’d included me in conversation where most overlooked me for my youth.

“Your room will be the first on the left. Your trunks will be delivered soon if not already,” Warren said. “I’ll leave you.”

We weren’t truly alone. Guards wandered the halls in silent patrol. Another two stood at the end of the corridor. Of course, we’d be watched at all times.

“It’s true,” I said once Warren rounded the bend, out of sight.

The fall of Gabriel’s city-state was a terrible blow. If we’d helped them then… I grimaced at the thought. We’d have only lost sooner. We weren’t outfitted for war. Defending sea-fearing vessels from rogue pirates was the best we could muster, and truthfully, we were not as successful at that as we ought to have been.

“I’m so sorry, Ilya.”

We met in a friendly embrace, sharing the sorrow of my news. But we couldn’t linger on that. Not for long. We had work to do.

“I bring other news,” I whispered in his ear. “Rebels rise, and we can help them.”

Chapter4

Ilya

Ireclined in the grass under the thick boughs of a tree, savoring the fresh air and the breeze across my skin. It almost felt like a dream, but it wasn’t. For the first time in the few weeks since I’d been brought to Zhine, they let us outside. Not just in the inner courtyard garden that we were often allowed to wander, but truly outside, beyond the castle walls.

It was a risk on their part, I knew, but also part of their clever ruse. After all, if we looked like honored guests instead of prisoners, some people might just start to believe it. Sneaking off would be impossible with how many guards were around. Even some of the captains lingered near, but still, it was a pleasant change. If only we could have used the opportunity to pass off information to the rebels somehow—maybe left a note in a tree or something. With the emperor holding us captive, he tied the hands of our respective families, our people. But not us.

“There’s a workroom where a scribe copies letters,” Lord Fernand Reis of Nassia whispered when we had a moment where the guards moved out of earshot.

The young man had hidden his pregnant wife in a temple to the Goddess of Dawn when his city had been invaded, keeping her out of sight from Ryszard’s men. Even they respected the sanctity of The Four. The ruse had worked, ensuring her safety, but now the two were separated, and he’d missed the birth of his first child.

One more emotional burden. One more separated family. All the more reason he was eager to work with Gabriel and I to smuggle information to the rebellion somehow.

“Locked, I’m sure.” Gabriel stretched his arms over his head before reclining back on the soft patch of grass, pretending to relax.

“Not always, from what I overheard,” Fernand replied. “And it’s not far from the dining hall. We just have to get through the guarded door.”

“Oh, that’s all,” I said, letting the sarcasm drip from my words. The clang of metal rang out as nearby soldiers shifted in their drills and began sparring. I’d hoped that watching the drills might give us some insight into the emperor’s plans for his armies, but the drills were basic enough that they told us nothing.

“Maybe we need a distraction?” Gabriel suggested.

A man slipped in his drills and fell to the ground, groaning a curse that carried over to us. “Or we wait for them to slip up.” I gestured to the man for emphasis. Green as some of them were, it was possible.

“You could use your feminine wiles on them.” Fernand smirked, his eyes hooded with mischief.

I fought the urge to roll my eyes. “Or perhaps you should charm them.” With his dark hair, chiseled jaw, flawless golden skin, and confident air, the man certainly had the ability to turn heads with little effort.

“My charms are better used elsewhere,” he replied.

Elsewhere?I fought the urge to prod for more information as another set of guards wandered in our direction. Their feigned casual approach wasn’t fooling anyone, probably just as our relaxed and casual nature might not either, but it was a careful dance we all played.

Despite the sour note Fernand’s suggestion elicited, upon further thought, he did have a decent point. I’d caught a fair share of guards looking my way, like this pair now. I stretched out my legs, baring a little more skin to the light. As expected, one of the guardsmen adjusted his focus ever so slightly. Perhaps it was worth a try.

Elin wandered up, the book she’d been reading clasped tightly in front of her, and sat on the ground next me, spreading the skirts of her dress out around her like a proper young lady. She sat straight-backed and tall with posture even my mother would have praised…unlike my reclined and casual position.

Though only a few cycles my junior, she’d retained an innocent disposition more like my sister’s than my own. Perhaps that was part of what made us easy friends. That and sharing a room together. Though I’d been hesitant of the arrangement at first, Elin’s presence had become a welcome comfort in this prison of a castle. Much as I was loathe to admit that a captain was right, Captain Warren had been correct that I would like her, though none of my courage seemed to have worn off on her, at least not yet.

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