Page 56 of A Dagger of Ice and Intrigue
Chapter
Eleven
ALLIE
The moment the Commander closed the door, I felt more entombed in this room than I had in the coffin.
The silence reminded me too much of the middle of the maze.
The blood, the dagger, my father’s face.
My knees wobbled, all the fight and adrenaline leaving my body.
My legs begged to cave under me.
The bottle slipped from my hand–and with it, the illusion that I’d been keeping myself together. Both shattered into a million pieces at my feet.
Yet I refused to fall to my knees.
What if these massive antler trophies adorning the walls had eyes behind them?
I made my way to the closest window and leaned my hands against it, pretending to assess my location.
In reality, I stared at myself.
Stars above, I’d never look worse.
Dark hair a frizzy, tattered mess, cheeks sunken in, chaffed lips, and the veins on my neck sticking out.
But my eyes…they frightened me.
They didn’t hold the storm my father used to see in them.
The fire was gone, replaced with a sickly sheen and the stinging redness of unshed tears.
No spark.
No luster.
Only defeat.
Someone had truly stolen me and left a shadow in my place.
A stranger.
I’d never looked or felt so crushed. I’d never allowed myself to.
Even now, I pretended to scout my surroundings, like a good First Daughter, not dying inside. Just in case anyone was looking.
I needed to be strong.
I needed to endure.
I couldn’t.
Not right now.
My head caved between my shoulders, hair cascading around me and concealing my face.
