Page 57 of Betraying Korth

“I know I lied,” I said in a rush, “but it was the only way. Odette and her father are tyrants, and?—”

“Guards?” Odette snapped, her haughty voice cutting through the air with authority. “Take that imposter away and lock her up.”

Both guards hesitated, looking at Korth for confirmation.

“Korth, please. I can explain,” I begged.

“Didn’t you hear me?” Odette squawked at the guards. “Take her to the dungeon! She was planning to overthrow the true royal Eborian family—me and my father!”

“Your Highness?” the bearded guard asked hesitantly.

Korth refused to look at me. “Take her away,” he breathed. “Take them all away.”

“But I didn’t do anything! I’m the victim here!” Odette screeched. “Get your hands off me!”

Curdy let out similar shouts of protest, but he was no match for the guards who hauled us away.

My last, fleeting glimpse of Korth was of him sitting on the trunk at the foot of his bed again, elbows on his knees while one hand clutched at his hair and the other dropped the thin wedding band he’d intended to give me to the floor.

It seemed that, despite his previous assertions, his love did have conditions after all.

CHAPTER 25

The dark dungeon cell I was thrown into reeked of mildew, creating a pressing atmosphere of despair and isolation. Even though it was better maintained than the dungeons back in Ebora, it was still a dungeon nonetheless. Mice scurried through the thin layer of straw littering the floor and only by drawing my feet up onto the wooden planks that served as a rudimentary bunk was I able to prevent them touching me.

Had I just made the worst mistake of my life? Korth valued honesty and integrity above all else, and now that he knew what I’d done, he would undoubtedly call back the troops he’d deployed. How long would it take for his missive to reach Ebora? Would the rebellion have already been carried out? Would a new regiment of soldiers be deployed to reinstate Raquel, or had he perished in the attack and now Odette would be queen? What would that mean if Korth had locked Ebora’s princess or queen in the dungeon? How long would it be before we were all questioned?

Questions chased themselves around in my head, but soon, not even my clamoring thoughts could drown out Odette’s shrieks. I threw a disgusted look across the walkway to whereOdette’s cell was located directly opposite of mine. She hadn’t ceased her verbal tirade since being dragged away from Korth, an impressive feat considering the hours we’d been down here alone. In the first ten minutes, I’d found myself envying Korth’s Deaf cousin, Treva.

Curdy sat moodily in a cell beside Odette, hands clamped over his ears and staring at Odette in the same way I imagined a viper would look at its prey moments before striking. I jammed my fingers into my ears as I frantically paced inside my cell, beating a circular track into the hardened dirt that coated the stone floor after the straw was pushed out of the way. I was imprisoned…but so were Odette and Curdy. What would the others in the rebellion do once word reached Ebora? Would they try to rescue me? Flee? Bear testimony when I was put on trial? Surely they had proven their loyalty to me, but I’d thought that before.

I threw a dirty look at Curdy. He had been part of the rebellion too, the traitor. He sat with his hands still clamped over his ears in his cell, glaring back at me any time our eyes met. Not long after we had been imprisoned, Garrik had been escorted past us to another cell around the corner even though there was an empty cell next to me. As he passed, Garrik merely shrugged and smiled as he chuckled, “Well, we tried our best.”

For hours, Odette continued to shout. “This is unacceptable! I insist on speaking with the captain of the guard at once! Bring Prince Korth immediately! I’ve been wrongfully imprisoned; I’ve done nothing wrong!”

Whatwouldhappen once someone with authority came? Korth would want to see justice served; his integrity would allow for nothing else, but that was where doubt entered my mind. While I didn’t have reservations that he would want to do what was right, I did have misgivings about what he would consider toberight. If he’d overseen Peter Pan’s trial, the boy wouldhave been executed. I ran a hand across my throat, imagining a scratchy noose tightening around it.

True, I had led a mutiny against royalty. But it had only been on behalf of the people who were too oppressed to fight for themselves. Korth would see that, wouldn’t he? I held out hope. Just because there was a setback didn’t mean that the game was over yet. I could still salvage this, even though Curdy had sold me out and switched sides. If I could just talk to Korth…we would be able to work it out.

Odette’s voice finally started to die. Her shouts had gone unnoticed by the guards, wherever they were, and it seemed that she finally fizzled out and sat, pouting with her head leaned back against the wall.

Curdy took advantage of her dwindling voice and leaned against the cell bars, watching me closely. “You were never going to go through with the plan, were you?”

“My plan was always to help the people of Ebora,” I snapped at him. “Shecertainly won’t.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

“Ididgo through with the plan, nitwit! Did you miss where I got two regiments deployed?”

“Yeah, I did, because you assigned me to watch the real princess while you were off swapping spit with Prince Stuffed Shirt.”

I shook my head and wished I were close enough to slap Curdy again. I should have recognized the danger in Curdy’s flirtations earlier instead of dismissing them. No matter how many times I tried to distract myself with thoughts of the rebellion, the tormented expression on Korth’s face continued to fill my mind’s eye. Bathing in acid would be preferable to enduring the horrific guilt that plagued me. Korth had trusted me, loved me even, and I had intentionally exploited him for my own gains. All of the raw shame I felt would be nothingcompared to the shock and betrayal Korth was experiencing…all because of me.

The elusive dreams of happiness that had danced just out of reach would never come to be, and I couldn’t blame anyone but myself. Korth never should have endured any of this, but I was the villainess who had forced it upon him. I deserved whatever punishment came my way.

“Dahlia!” Odette’s voice croaked, barely audible through my stupor.

“Forget her. She’s too busy pining over the prince she’s in love with,” Curdy spat bitterly.

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