Page 93 of Hidden Kingdoms

There wasn’t even surveillance here like there was in the Palace Incendo in Firenze. King Conleth hadn’t wanted to disrupt the ambience of the ancient stones.

Whatever the fuck that meant.

I would find out why this happened, who was responsible for hurting my girl. I would do that for her, it was why I was here after all. To get the answers that people didn’t like giving up, to bend and break them until their bodies were nothing but twisted husks, and I could sit back in delight at my work. That was my skill set.

The doors to the dungeon stood in front of me, and the guards flanking it opened them without me needing to break my stride.

It did come in handy being a prince sometimes. Although I knew most of them were scared of me. So they should be. Though not as scared as they were of the Commander, which I had to admit, was fair enough.

If I couldn’t make them piss themselves, you’d better believe he could.

My footsteps slowed as I came upon the uniform rows of bars that stretched out before me. The stench of shit and sweat and stale bodies assaulted my nose, but I didn’t care. I’d smelt worse.

Letting magik flow through my fingers, I sent it curling through the air, slipping its way into every cell. There wasn’tmuch that could keep the dark part of me out—the part that I used for exactly this type of thing—and the magik of the dungeons wasn’t one of them. The rush that coursed through me at letting my power out to play had a cruel smile pulling at my lips.

I hadn’t been born like this; this darkness had been forced upon me, pushed into me in the hopes I would become an evil, twisted thing. I had come close, so fucking close, to becoming just that. I still felt that delicious tug to fall deeper at times.

I could hear them as they tried to shuffle away from my magik, and with every flinch and pitiful whimper my smile grew. They couldn’t evade me, but it was amusing that they would try.

Most prisoners held nothing of worth, nothing I was interested in. There were a few who intrigued me, who might hold some answers. The guards knew better than to stand in my way and with a nod, they moved away from the first cell I approached—handing me the key as they did.

That they had been stationed outside told me I had been right about the flavour of this one.

A sunken figure sat against the back wall, head down as the clang of the lock opening echoed through the room. I pushed my sleeves up as I felt that euphoric build of power gathering inside of me, chasing away the tiredness that had clung to me so thickly lately.

It always got a little messy, not that I minded.

Stepping inside the dank space, a guard shut the door behind me, but it didn’t matter. I was the only one who would be leaving. I took in the filthy creature in front of me, his soiled robes a far cry from the pristine material he must have been wearing when he was hauled in here. He kept his head down even as the sound of my boots carried through the cell.

So, I sent my magik to him. Invisible hands yanked his head back by his hair, giving him no choice but to look at me.

I enjoyed that, seeing their eyes. Watching how hard they would try to fight against me and how that fight would break under my hand.

I’d been trained too well for it to go any other way.

I hadn’t brought this one in myself; that had been Blair, she had an uncanny talent of finding the ones with the evilest of souls.

My tormentor had liked to collect rare things as much as he liked to create his own, and Blair was about as unique as you could get. He knew I had her now, but I would give my life to keep her out of his hands and the fight wouldn’t be worth it on his end.

Not now. Not anymore.

I shoved at the memories as they resurfaced, the stain of my time with him threatening to pull me under. On instinct I reached for the pendant that now sat around Elodie’s pretty neck. It fucked with me not wearing it, but it didn’t matter if it meant she no longer woke up screaming.

As my memories scattered to dust, I knew Blair was here even though she walked around quieter than anything of flesh and bone ought to be. We were connected by bonds formed from our time in that hell, ones that could never be broken.

“She’s pretty,” her high voice trilled, and a smile tugged at my lips as the man in front of me winced at the sound.

“She is.”

“I didn’t see, Kaius.”

“I know.”

“You believe me, don’t you?” Her eyes creased slightly in concern as I looked down at her. Not even locked cells could keep her out.

It was creepy as fuck, but I loved it.

“I’ll always believe you.” She nodded slightly, shoulders relaxing a fraction before she turned her attention to the wretch in front of us.

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