Page 66 of Of Skulls Of Shackles

My heart raced all the way down, and I took more care than ever not to destroy more contracts. How close I had come to ending everything. A near miss, and a reminder of the cunning of whom I sought to conquer.

My feet settled on stone, and I stood in the never-ending hallway from my memories.

Princess Raise’s shrieks could be heard, and the king’s lower reassurances hummed through the hall too. I recalled how doors had appeared for Prince Sign long ago. None appeared for me, but I kept walking to wherever King Raise wished to lead me.

He had a trap in mind, no doubt, or I would not be able to hear him and the princess.

A door appeared. Clearly a dungeon.

I entered, and the door slammed shut behind me.

I looked around with interest. “A torture room of princes, I see.”

There were any number of wooden and metal apparatus. Any number of instruments and devices intended to pull a king back to purpose.

“Protocol ten,” ordered a cool voice. King Raise appeared through a sudden doorway, and his princess lurked behind him, her stance equally as threatening.

The door disappeared after they entered.

“Is ten the worst?” I asked.

“Naturally. I have never been above seven myself,” he said, a grin in his voice.

Princess Raise gripped his arm, and he faced her. The Raises had a silent form of communication, but I had grown ancient enough to make sense of it apparently.

My love,she was saying,you have experienced protocol eight too.

Protocol eight. The shadows of his face showed his disbelief.No, my only love. I have experienced no such thing. I would know.

She released his arm.My mistake, my love.

They turned to me.

“I doubt my pawns shall help you with protocol ten against their queen,” I said to the king.

He unbuttoned his cuffs, then rolled his sleeves. “I shall do it myself.”

The princess turned him back to face her.My husband, my king, protocol ten. Are you sure?

He replied silently,She comes to conquer me.

A king had to be sure he had given everything in the fight for his kingdom. I was heartened by her concern, though. I would not expect to be more important to her than her husband, but Princess Raisedidfeel some level of care for me.

I walked to a table covered in all manner of straps. “Do I lie here?”

“If you would,” he said simply.

I assessed the contraptions by the table, some long, some thin, some barbed. “You will use these against me?”

“Just so, and the machine behind the table too. The machine tears at your being apart. When a monster becomes more than their purpose, this snaps them back to a malleable level.”

Good to know.

I cast out a stitch to wrap around the throat of Princess Raise. “Be still, King Raise.”

He froze with his oily hands a mere whisper from my throat. Goodness, he was fast.

“Release her,” he gasped.

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