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  "Altor women." I clipped out, trying not to shudder or do anything rash as he continued to observe me meticulously, as though he could figure out all my secrets by staring at me long enough.

  "Galax is not the first pure blood to take an interest in an opposing race." Xania stated, reminding me of how Xen had kidnapped Ivy, even if he'd already had wife and heir. "Won't you sit and eat?" This is why he was more dangerous than Digitalis or Sage. He wanted me to feel comfortable so that when he needed it, he could pull the rug out from beneath my feet. Xania was smart, and I had to be careful.

  "Fine." I allowed, making my way over to the long, rectangular dining table that carried a luxurious amount of food. I didn't flinch when he pulled a chair out for me and I didn't snap when his fingers touched my shoulders after I'd seated myself. But I couldn't help the small sigh of relief when he decided to sit on the opposite end of the table, placing a great amount of distance between us.

  "You are his. Even I, a pure blood Regius, know it would be wrong to take you from him." He unfolded a napkin, tucking the tip of it into his collar before proceeding with the dinner on his plate.

  I wasn't going to touch mine. "What do you want with me?" I ground out as he eyed me in amusement. "Galax isn't going to come after me. You won't be able to use me for blackmail." I was confident as I declared this.

  "Are you saying this is all a waste?" Not liking the look that had appeared on his face, I edged out the following.

  "Yes."

  "So," He murmured, putting down his silverware and dabbing at his mouth with the napkin. "You are saying that I can kill you and it won't matter?"

  "I suppose in your mind, I am saying that. Just believe me when I say Galax isn't going to give up the happiness of the Civilians and Palliums to get me back." I tensed in my chair, grabbing the tablecloth so I could fist something. "Even your enemy understands the concept of collateral damage."

  "You believe he doesn't love you?" He sounded confused.

  I shook my head. "He does, but that isn't the issue. Giving up everything everyone has worked on for so long, and the things the Palliums and Altors have achieved? They aren't going to give all that up just so I can stay alive." They were smarter than that. "I may be important to the Regius because I am Acacia's niece, the one who killed Xen." I let his name fall from my lips easily and I smiled discretely as Xania faltered for just a second. "And I may be sleeping with the Regius heir, but unlike you, Galax won't risk millions of lives just for mine."

  "Galax is not Pallium," Xania began, my teeth gritting at his words. "He may have been brought up by them, but he still has our blood running through his veins. We are known for our determination, our cruelty; it is what makes us great Leaders. Not even Galax can ignore the rush that will flow through him when something important has been taken from him." He paused. "Especially since you are his light. And because we are putting his light in danger, threatening to kill it, the blood that is blue within him will not tolerate this. The determination will kick in; he will not be able to stop himself from coming to find you." He laughed softly. "He can keep trying to convince himself to be Pallium, but a Regius he will remain forevermore."

  "No!" I shouted, standing up forcefully and disturbing the dinnerware. "He doesn't have your cruelty." I kept my voice raised, feeling the need to scream it out. "He is not like you. He may have blue blood and he may be a pure blood, but he won't use what you Regius consider to be a gift to do harm. He loves. He knows how to love!" My words echoed through the ballroom. "He is too smart to risk the balance between the Altors and the Regius for me."

  "How can you be so certain?"

  "Because he knows that I would lose respect for him were he to give in to his cruelty." I was startled when Xania suddenly laughed.

  "So it does revolve around you. It isn't because he loves his people. It's because he's afraid he might lose your love."

  I closed my eyes, jaw locking. "Do not twist my words." He was wrong, I was right. I had to believe this.

  "Very well," Xania drawled out. "Let me get straight to the point." I remained silent, waiting for him to continue. "I need information and you are going to give it to me."

  "I cannot see like your Seer can." Was that his second reason for kidnapping me? Did he think I had the curse of foresight?

  "I have long since given up on receiving aid of that kind. Your Seer blood doesn't matter to me." He didn't give me time to respond. "Tell me where I may find Lupinus." I swallowed the surprise at hearing my guardian, my uncle's, name. I had no idea where Lupinus was. But...

  "I'm not telling you." He didn't need to know that I didn't know.

  "How does one destroy a Keeper of the Dead?" A what? I kept my expression neutral.

  "I'm not telling you."

  "Where are the boarding houses?" I only knew the exact location of the one in Lithium Village and was aware there was another in Cobalt City. I had no idea if there were more, let alone where they could be.

  When I didn't answer he continued with another question. "Have the Palliums found a lead on our location?"

  "You will get nothing from me, you hear?!" I shouted at him. Xania sighed heavily, shaking his head at me in what seemed to be curious wonderment.

  "I have not been confronted with Altors on many occasions, but the very few times I have, I come to learn time and again that you are stubborn." He stood, gesturing with one finger for me to follow him down from the balcony. "Maya will show you your quarters. We shall try again tomorrow." When we reached the bottom of the stairs, Maya appeared in the ballroom, bowing down when Xania made his way past her and left me staring after his retreating figure.

  Another Regius I’d met and I was once again left confused more than terrified. Had he truly just wanted to have a conversation with me? This was it? This was all I was to expect? He was going to talk to me again and again until I spilled the answers to his questions?

  "Come with me." Maya murmured, stepping out of the ballroom and taking a left, ignoring the stairs we'd come down from earlier. The passage she was taking me through was sloped downwards with stairs sporadically placed; we were going further and further underground. I had silently hoped I would have been able to return to the conservatory, speak more with Mallow and take advantage of the comfort Seers gave one another, but it didn’t look like it.

  As we continued on our way, I noticed a change in scenery. Everything became darker, the blue tones vanishing with each step down the passage. Pale bricks turned dreary and there was a draft coming from the small gaps between them that smelled terrible. When we reached the end, Maya unlocked a rotten wooden door and then nudged me inside. I wrinkled my nose at the horrid smell assaulting me, blinking my eyes at the darkness. Turning around quickly, I eyed Maya.

  "Take this." She handed me a flashlight. "And this." A bottle of water. My stomach fluttered in warning and my Altor Vision came violently to life. "I bid you luck." She added before swinging the wooden door shut, not leaving me time to actually process anything or try to make my way out. Staring for a split second, my heartbeat picked up in speed and I slammed one of my fists against the wood as hard as I could.

  "Wait!" I shouted. "What's going on?!" There was no answer though. "Let me out!" I screamed.

  Leaving my fist where it was, I dropped my forehead against the door, sighing heavily before taking a step back and knowing full well nobody was going to let me out. I turned the flashlight over in my other hand, trying to locate the switch with my fingers. Once it was on, I turned around to see what my surroundings were. This was a dungeon. The stench came from the stream of water running in between a small gap that centered in the ground. It was just large enough to get my foot stuck were I to misstep. There were no windows here but there was a breeze flowing through the stone corridors. One I appreciated as it offered some freshness, making the bad smell hanging around in this place less horrid. There was the occasional stone arch opening, though some were closed with bars.

  I didn't walk too far, want
ing to know where the only exit known to me was and remember it. I walked back the small distance I'd gone, digging out some chalk from one of the many pockets Galax had sewn onto my pants. Thankfully, they hadn't forced me to change my clothes or stripped me from all the things I had. Although I carried no weapons, a screwdriver could do damage.

  As I drew a cross on the door to mark it, momentarily thinking of tying a rope to the doorknob but realizing it would be too short, I was interrupted by a low growl coming from the far right. Turning towards the sound, my Altor vision allowed me to detect two red glows. I couldn't tell what they were though.

  I pointed the light in that direction, my eyes widened and I fell back against the door in fear as I saw two large dogs crouching down threateningly, showing me their teeth as they continued to growl. They were still quite far away but there was nothing that blocked their coming to get me if they wanted. And boy, did they want too.

  "You're going to want to run now." A voice said, coming from somewhere above the door. Looking up, I pointed the flashlight. A loud speaker. "It's called technology." He sounded utterly bored.

  Gulping, I looked back at the two angry hounds, realizing they were slowly making their way towards me. I knew they would start running when I would. My movements would set them off.

  One of them was getting impatient, jumping forward, forcing me to abandon the door and stumble backwards into the corridor in the opposite direction of the dogs. Snapping its jaw violently, I yelped in fear and decided to just run, run like my ass was on fire, run like I'd never run before.

  The flashlight was bouncing up and down with my movements. The stones beneath my feet were humid, my shoes clattering noisily on top with each step I took. My breathing echoed through the corridors, as did the dogs’ barks and growls running right behind me. I had a head start on them, luckily, but they were gaining on me.

  "You'll want to turn right at the next arch opening." I nearly slipped in surprise as the voice resonated through the dungeon again, but managed to stabilize myself, picking up speed, not bothering trying to locate the loud speaker.

  "My right?!" I shouted breathlessly. I was in the Regius' hound guarded dungeon. Was it wise to trust the voice? I didn't have time to ponder the matter.

  "Sic."

  Pallium?! What the hell was going on?! My eyes fixed on the arch opening he'd been talking about and I grabbed the side of it, flinging myself through so I wouldn't lose too much speed. My heart nearly stopped.

  "Dead end?!"

  "There's a ledge. You're a jumper, right?" The voice said calmly. He was right, there was a ledge. Not thinking twice about it, I made for the wall, pushing myself off the ground, jumping high so I could grab onto the ledge with one of my hands. I yelped as I dangled there, the hounds having finally caught up with me. They were jumping upwards, teeth trying to latch onto my feet but I managed to pull my knees up to my chest and grasp the ledge with my other hand, the flashlight nearly being crushed in the process.

  "Now what?!"

  "If my memory serves me right, there should be an opening at the top of the wall leading to the right wing of the dungeon."

  "Thank you." I grumbled.

  "Welcome."

  Rolling my eyes at the situation, I cringed as I felt wind shooting along one of my legs, the dogs still relentless. Pulling my weight up, I placed my forearm onto the narrow stone that stuck out of the wall, looking up to see that, yes, there was indeed an opening at the top. The ledge offered enough space to crouch. With one hand flat against the wall to keep me steady, I used the other with the flashlight to point it up. The short alley wasn't very wide and the opening was large enough to get through if I wormed my way in on my belly.

  Shakily, I stood up on my legs, trying to balance on the narrow ledge. I'd need the flashlight to see, but I would also need both hands. Leaning myself against the wall, I stuck the flashlight beneath my chin and chest and then patted my back pockets to find the one that contained the rope.

  "If you have duct tape I would use that. The last time someone used rope they ended up blind. You know, since the rope slipped and the flashlight died on impact." The voice was back. I wasn't sure if I was grateful. "I have to be honest and tell you that after that it wasn't much of a success." Frowning for a moment, I nodded, then began patting my pants to find the one with tape. Once I had the tape, I ripped off two pieces and stuck them against the flashlight and then onto my forehead. I'd kill for a miner helmet right about now.

  "I really can't wait to see how you'll pull this one off."

  If I ever got my hands on that voice...

  "You weren't sure I could actually do this before sending me here?" I felt frustration. Pure frustration.

  "You could be more thankful, I could have just turned the cameras off and let you fend for yourself."

  I huffed. "Right, I'm very thankful to have been forced down here." I tried to calculate the distance between the ledge and the opening. Pursing my lips, I nodded to myself, bending through my knees as I mentally prepared to jump.

  "Do you have a hook?" The voice suddenly asked, startling me and I shrieked as I'd nearly tumbled down the ledge straight into the dogs mouths.

  "What is your problem?!" I shouted. "Save me and then kill me?!"

  "I'm just curious, that's all." I'd offended him, I could hear it in his voice.

  "I don't have a hook." I replied more calmly.

  "Then how-" Groaning, I cut him off.

  "Just watch, okay?" I waited for a moment after having said that and then nodded in satisfaction, as he remained silent.

  Bending through my knees again, I tensed my posture, preparing myself as I took a deep breath. I wondered why I was so determined to stay alive. They obviously wanted me dead. Why would that guy be helping me though?

  Shaking my head, I assumed I was just not ready to stop breathing yet. With that in mind, I pushed hard off my feet, jumping for the wall on my right. The barking below me stopped, most likely having been surprised at my sudden move. Once my feet touched the wall, I pressed off it again as quickly as I could manage, flinging myself to the left, much higher up. Once my left foot and left hand connected with the bricks, I pushed up and then hoped that my hands would reach the edge of the opening.

  While I was dangling in the air again with my right hand firmly closed around the opening’s edge, I breathed in deeply, letting my forehead and nose touch the cold stone as I took a moment before beginning the process of worming my way through.

  "You did it!" The voice announced in awe. "It was like a video game!"

  Not sharing his excitement and overall happiness, I pulled myself up so I could stick my head through the opening. It would be a tight fit, but manageable. I was glad for my lack of curves now.

  Peeking my head out on the other side, I looked around this new area. It was small, still part of the dungeon, with a ledge in the middle of the wall, exactly like the other side, just that bars here blocked the arch opening.

  "Another dead end?" I didn't even have the energy to shout and wasn't even all that surprised. I was so not in LV anymore.

  "True, but you didn't get eaten by dogs, did you?" The voice said.

  Grunting back at him, I pushed myself through, feeling fear prickle through me as I was forced to let myself drop. It was deep enough to give me time to flip over so I could land with my feet on the ledge. Looking at the ground below, I made sure there were no dogs before dropping down.

  "I didn't." I answered him. "But now I'll starve or die of boredom."

  "Well," He began, the warning flutter returning to my stomach. "Not exactly. That was just the first part. If you defy the Steward again tomorrow, you'll have to go through the second part." He paused. "And repeat that until you die or answer."

  I sagged against the wall behind me.

  "Xania is trying to break me?" My muscles unlocked and I let myself sit. "This isn't exactly your general method of torture."

  "Torture it is, no less." He pointed out.

/>   "So," I started, not sure I could process everything that had happened to me up until this very moment. "You're what? My guide? A loud map to make sure I don't die in here?" I knew I sounded snappy.

  "Sort of. Think of me as the player and you the character inside the game."

  I winced. "That's what you meant with video game." He hummed in agreement, sounding cheerful at the idea of our future adventures together.

  I cleared my throat. "Person who holds the fate of my life in their hands; how many of your 'game characters' died in the first part because you didn't push the button on your keyboard fast enough?" The concerning silence that followed scared me down to my bones, more so when the sound of an audible click reached my ears informing me that I was now truly alone in this small space.

  Letting my head fall back against the stone wall, I closed my eyes, trying to find a comfortable position to sleep in. I reached up with one hand, turning off the flashlight and thinking it best to keep as much battery as possible if this was to keep on…Well, for however long it would take me to break.

  * * * *

  Chapter 9

  Calycanthus Esquivel

  "I will distract the others so your presence remains unknown for the moment." Datura said, his red eyes worried as he looked at a broken Galax. "But when I get back we need to go over everything and see if it wouldn't be wiser at least to include Ilex and Caltha. Neither you nor I and especially not Cali, have any experience with a situation quite like this." The Prince didn't move an inch, his face still pressed in his hands as he sat on the armchair.

  "I will be right back." I smiled up at Datura from where I was sitting, closing my eyes when he pressed a kiss against my temple. At least with him and me sorted, I didn't have to worry about that anymore. "We'll find her." He promised and I could only nod rather helplessly. Sighing, I watched him exit the room, waiting for the door to close before looking back at Galax. When my eyes landed on him, I saw he had moved, his gaze fixed on me.