The air I breathed as I lay on somethingdecadentlysoft carried the scent of vanilla and…and lilac—stale lilac.
I was no longer on the ship, and I feared I knew exactly where I was.
My eyes felt glued shut, much as they had when I awoke from my brief stasis, but it took far greater effort to pry them open this time. And that was yet another concern to add to the already overflowing list of them. Many were for me, but also Ash…the others.
Had Attes honored his vow and stopped the attacks? Were…our peoplesafe? Orphine and Rhain? Rhahar and the others. Was Ash? I knew he would survive the dakkais, the Cimmerian, and anything else thrown his way, but hehadbeen wounded. Maybe even enough to need to feed—something he’d likely resist doing. He’d be weakened. And look what had happened to Veses. She’d gone into stasis. The same could happen to Ash.
I stopped myself before I began spiraling and lost whatever calm I had left—which wasn’t much. I needed to find a way back to Ash. He needed to take the embers, and I…
I needed to see him one last time. To say goodbye. To tell him that I…that I loved him. I’d been wrong to not tell him before, out of fear it would cause him guilt. My chest squeezed. I didn’t think that now. He needed to know. I needed him to know.
And I had to get out of here. Which meant I couldn’t loseit. I had to keep my senses sharp because my time was limited. I felt that in my bones. So, I forced my eyes open.
And saw nothing.
Only deep, dark utter nothingness. Pressure rose to settle on my chest. I swallowed to take a deep breath—
Something tightened around mythroat.
Icy fear punched into my chest as I lifted a shaking hand to my neck. My fingers met a thin, cool metal band at the base of my throat, below my pulse. I dragged my fingers across it, finding a thick hook in the center, and….
Achain.
Panic exploded as I gripped the chain, jerking up so fast my heart seemed to whoosh and then stutter. Dizziness swept through me. Hands trembling, I pulled weakly on the chain, jumping at the loud rattle it made against what sounded to be stone floors. The length was long, and no matter how much I pulled, the chain met no resistance, but that didn’t fill me with any sort of relief.
Because there was a godsdamn shackle around my neck.
The pressure continued tightening around my chest as I struggled to control my breathing and not let the panic take complete hold. But I was chained, and—
Lights flooded the space, sharp and bright.
Blinded, I threw up a hand to shield my stinging eyes, dropping the chain. It clanged off the floor, hurting my ears.
“You’re awake.”
The voice.
It wasn’t Attes or Kolis, but it was familiar.
“You’ve been out for two days,” the male added.
My chest seized.Two days?Had I gone into another stasis and somehow survived?
“We were beginning to worry,” he said with a laugh. “Attes wasn’t supposed to hit youthathard, but he’s…as some would say—and thatsomebeing me—all looks and little thought.”
Slowly, I lowered my hand and blinked open watering eyes. The first thing I saw was the golden, shimmery swirls on my right hand. Theimprint. The comfort that brought vanished as I lifted my gaze.
I went cold inside.
Numb at what I saw.
Gold bars spaced about half a foot apart. A cage. A gildedcage. Horror clawed its way through me, leaving me frozen, hand still half-raised.
“He should’ve been more careful. After all, you are technically just a mortal. Isn’t that correct?” he continued. “Not a god on the verge of their Culling. Not even a godling. But a mortal with embers of life inside them.”
A tremor started deep in my chest, where the embers remained unnervingly quiet. I turned, my gaze flickering over chests of varying sizes, a round table, a chair, a gold-toned divan, and a thick rug of fur. All items in the cage with me.
Then I saw him.