Page 92 of Reign of Light
“Stop her right there.” Brynne steps toward me, closing the distance and towering over me like she always has. Never before have I felt uncomfortable when she did it, but now, after all of her revelations, after the sneer on her face and the hatred in her voice, I don’t want her this close to me.
Their hands fall away from my arms as Brynne narrows her eyes. “Where is it?” she snaps.
My jaw works as I glare at her. “Where is what?” There is only one thing she can be talking about, but I won’t give it up freely. I won’t let her know I still have it. The guards took Weston’s weapons, so there’s a chance she will think I’m unarmed too.
“Don’t play stupid with me. You aren’t in charge here anymore. Tell me where the fuck it is.”
I hold her glare. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
My head snaps to the side as her palm strikes my cheek. The sting of the slap bites into my skin, but the shock and pain was exactly what I needed.
This woman lied to me. She manipulated me, just as Dane did. She was one of the few I trusted, who I thought cared about me, more than just in her role as my guard.
But I was wrong.
And now she is taking over my castle, my kingdom. She’s hurting the man I love, and helping the one I hate, the one who stole my mother and my life from me. I will not let her get away with this. I will fight back, because I know that no matter her skills and training, or her belief that she ruined me, I’m smarter than her, and now, I have more to lose.
Dawnlin gave me that.
“Don’t fucking touch her!” Weston thunders, his yell followed by more commotion behind Brynne. Bodies crash together, followed by the sounds of fabric ripping and blows landing. It only adds to my anger, knowing they are hurting him all at her command.
“Get him under control!” Brynne screams. She looks over her shoulder at the group of guards, and I shift just enough to see past her, the sight making bile burn the back of my throat.
Blood drips from a gash on Weston’s forehead, the skin on his face red and swollen from the blows of the guards. I take in the ripped seams of his uniform, the fabric hanging open with the rest disheveled, and hishands still bound before him as he shoves the men that try to hold him. I swallow down my emotions when my eyes rise again and land on his, unflinching and only focused on me, as if the beating he’s been taking hasn’t bothered him at all.
I shake my head subtly, and he stills. His jaw remains clenched, his muscles still bulging against the restraint of the guards and the cold iron manacles, but he stops fighting. This isn’t the place to fight. We can’t get away from them bound and outnumbered as we are, not until the right time, and the more of a beating he takes, the harder it will be for him to fight when he needs to.
“Fucking finally,” Brynne groans before spinning back toward me, her face pinching in frustration. “Trust me, Lennox, you don’t want to do this the hard way.” Without warning, she reaches out, her movements rough as she searches my body for weapons. While Sig treated me, a complete stranger, with respect and dignity as she searched me all that time ago, Brynne shows absolutely no familiarity as she wrenches my body around, tugging at my clothes and searching for my dagger.
My eyes flutter closed the moment she finds it, and regret surges through me. I should have hidden it in my boot. I should have given it to Weston, although he probably wouldn’t have taken it. I should have done anything to keep her from finding it, but instead, I was too relieved to see the guard I thought would help us, not the one who would further harm us.
Opening my eyes once again, I find fury lacing her features. She rips my dagger from the back of my waistband, holding it in front of me, and the gold and jewels glitter in the dim light.
“Which one of you idiots didn’t search them?Bothof them?” Brynne yells. The guards fall silent, and the ones beside me awkwardly shift their weight on their feet.
“You thought you could hide this from me?” Brynne says, her eyebrow rising over the steely glare. She points the tip of the blade at me, and I set my jaw, glaring back at her, trying not to give away theplan forming in my mind. “Did you really think I wouldn’t remember you have it? I was the one who told you to keep it, to bring it with you. I guess you really did listen to anything I said. Always the little girl that can’t think for herself, aren’t you?”
If I do nothing, I might lose our only opportunity to keep a weapon. I once questioned if I could kill someone in cold blood, back when I thought Weston was the one threatening my life. But now I know I will fight for him, kill for him if I have to, because I know he would do the same for me.
Without taking my eyes off her, I shove my bound hands forward and grab her wrist, wrenching it down and stealing the dagger from her grasp. The manacles make it difficult, but the element of surprise is on my side. I flip the blade in my hand, turning it back on her, and step forward to strike at the break in her armor that I know is there from years of training.
All before my legs are swept out from under me, and my back slams into the ground, forcing every breath from my chest.
The commotion down the hall is barely a hum, overpowered by the wheezing from my throat as I suck air into my burning chest. Spots mar my vision, peppering Brynne’s face as she stands over me, a smug look spreading over her face.
She reaches down and plucks the dagger from my tense grip before sheathing it at her side.
“Well that was a neat new trick,” she says, her voice dripping with disdain. “I guess I wasn’t the only one who learned some things during the time away.” She glances back to Weston, before turning back to me, her lips pulling into a snide grin. “Did your little lover teach you that move? Too bad it still isn’t enough. You’re outnumbered here, princess.” She spits the last word at me, then gestures to the guards at my sides. “Get her up. Let’s move.”
Park and another man I don’t know hook their arms under mine and haul me to my feet. Guthrie hovers near the group, a maniacal grinon his face as he watches the guards shove their shoulders into Weston, the points of their swords trained on him as they force him forward, back toward the door to the rest of the castle.
I work to keep up with them, my breath still not fully recovered, but my anger and worry for Weston keeps me on my feet. Brynne charges forward before us, storming through the dungeon and snapping more orders at the guards controlling Weston.
A hint of fear settles in my stomach, as I watch Weston walk ahead of me, but it slowly dissipates as I realize we are following the same path. They aren’t separating us. Wherever we are headed, we are going together.
We climb the steps, slinking farther into the castle and winding through dim corridors. An enormous set of stone stairs lies ahead, and a guard opens a thick wooden door at the top, letting light pours into the space.
Weston disappears through the doorway, along with the horde of guards around him, and the rest of us trail closely behind. I recognize where we are the moment I step into the main hall, and scan the area quickly, hoping someone, anyone, will walk through the halls and can get help.
