Page 179 of Prize for the King
Magnar clears his throat. “Yes. I’d wait with the soldiers for the brothel to close and start then.”
“Guilt makes you stupid,” I say with a sigh. “Wait at least an hour. Start at five. And send a few soldiers in as clients tonight. Make them spread the word so the women are ready.They’ll help you and make less noise if they know what’s happening.Now, how did you want to get them out of the Citadel?”
“Kill the guards manning the gate,” he mutters.
“Ah, yes, and be chased down the main road. Good one. There’s a path down the cliffs. It’s dangerous but not well-known. It will lead them out of the city and into a forest, where they can hide. My father drew a map in one of his journals. I’ll show you.”
“Thank you. Will you stay behind if I do all that?”
I snort. “No, I will not. My best advice is still towait.But if you can’t, I’ll give you every advantage I can, and then I’ll follow you. Right now, you intend to sacrifice yourself. I need you to know that if you fall, I’ll fall with you. I need you to focus harder on surviving.”
Arvi whistles softly. “Damn, you’re callous. Just look at her. So cunning, and only half-dressed. I think I fell in love again.”
Magnar’s eyes are flinty with a challenge. “Fine. But you’ll stay hidden in the abandoned tavern opposite. You won’t come with. All three knights will stay with you. Khay, I mean it.”
“Only if you’ll vow that you’ll do everything in your might to survive this,” I counter. “Whatever it takes. You’ll live.”
He watches me for a moment, finally heaving a sigh of surrender. “I swear it.”
I examine his eyes, his face, the set of his mouth, and finally nod. “Good. Then I’ll hide.”
The knights make preparations, and I wait, watching Magnar like a hawk in case he decides to leave me behind at the last moment. But my husband is dependable, so when we ride out together in a hired carriage, I sit among them, squeezed tightly from both sides.
We settle in the tavern opposite the brothel. The knights have made holes in the planks boarding up the windows earlier, and we watch what happens on the other side of the street. It’s busy here, just as they said.
The sign above the door depicts a bare-breasted Agnidari woman. My stomach turns every time I catch sight of it.
“Your Highness!” One of Magnar’s soldiers comes in, saluting. Water drips onto the floor from the edge of his coat. It’s raining. “Everything is set. We’ve hired carts to move them quickly. The women will come out through the back door. They are going to put sleeping draught into the guards’ drinks.”
“Why didn’t they do it years ago?” Khay asks, hitting the wooden wall with his fist. “My sisters are fighters. They would have tried to get out.”
I shake my head. “And where would they hide after dousing their guards? They are Agnidari, Khay, and the city gates lock for the night. They would have been caught and punished.”
We wait. It rains harder and harder, water drumming on the floor upstairs. The roof is horribly leaky, explaining why the tavern was abandoned. Khay can’t stay still. Everyone is on edge. My hands are icy, my heart in my throat, and it doesn’t help when Raduna, then Arvi, hold me and try to breathe some warmth into my chilly palms.
Magnar doesn’t touch me and barely looks my way. I think he resents me.
When the last customers come out and the doors are locked, lights extinguished, I can’t handle the strain anymore. I turn to Arvi, who’s watched the brothel the longest.
“Are the children… exploited?”
His mouth twists in loathing, and he spits on the floor. “Yes. Even those as young as five.”
“Oh gods.”
“Monsters,” Khay growls. “Fucking beasts. We should slaughter them all.”
Magnar releases a long, controlled breath. “This isn’t Roharra. Exploiting children is not unlawful in the Eleven.”
“Well, it should be! It’s fucking common sense. Children are sacred.”
They fall silent, and I let my thoughts swallow me, unable to hold them back. It takes so much attention to control my behavior, I can’t contain my internal turmoil anymore. Raduna rubs my arms, his movements even and unthinking. Arvi presses his face to the boards, looking out on the dark street. Magnar steps from foot to foot, turning his wrists, stretching his fingers as he gets ready to fight.
I wish I asked about this earlier. Maybe I would have had some peace of mind sooner than this. At the same time, I know I wasunableto ask before today. My monsters were too terrifying back then, my fear all consuming.
My terror still gnaws at me with horrible teeth. But at least now, I see it. And out in the light, it’s only half as scary as when I refused to face it.
“So…” I begin, but have to clear my throat because my voice is so hoarse. “There’s… a law… against this? In Roharra?”
