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I spun to face the brute, my heart pounding. So much for our daring escape. I forced a haughty smile, channeling every ounce of noble disdain I could muster.

“Leaving? My, my, now why would you imply that? The party is just starting. Not that you lowlives would understand,” I purred, praying that my blabbering was enough to buy us some time.

The brute’s meaty hand tightened on my shoulder. “Nice try. Now shut up. You’re not going anywhere.”

Behind him, Red and Gareth emerged from the passage, flanked by a handful of members. Gareth’s face was twisted in fury, a nasty bruise already blooming where the chair had struck him.

Well, at least I got one good hit in before everything went to hell.

“You bitch!” Gareth snarled, lunging forward.

Red held him back with a raised hand, his cold eyes never leaving my face. “Now, now, Gareth. That’s no way to treat our… guest.”

The way he said “guest” sent chills down my spine. I glanced at Tommy, seeing the same terror I felt mirrored in his wide eyes. No, I had to save him at least.

“Run,” I whispered, praying he’d hear me.

Tommy bolted, ducking under the arm of a surprised thug. I took advantage of the momentary distraction, driving my elbow into the brute’s solar plexus. He wheezed, his grip loosening just enough for me to slip free.

I spun, my hand flying to the dagger Anderic had given me. The weight of it was reassuring as I drew it, its blade glinting in the dim light.

“Tommy, go!” I shouted, slashing at the nearest thug. “Find Laurel!”

Red’s voice boomed behind me. “After the boy! Don’t let him escape!”

I heard footsteps pounding down the alley as some of the gang members gave chase. I prayed Tommy was faster.

The remaining thugs closed in, forming a semicircle around me. I backed up, my dagger held before me like a talisman.

“Come on, then,” I snarled, baring my teeth in a feral grin. “Who wants to go first?”

If only I could back up my swagger. But I would damn well try.

One of the men lunged forward, and I barely managed to dodge his grasp. I slashed wildly— no technique, just pure rage and luck — feeling a surge of satisfaction as my blade connected with flesh. He howled in pain, stumbling back.

“Huh! So much for big bad men.”

But there were too many of them. For every blow I landed, two more came at me. My arms ached, my lungs burned, and sweat stung my eyes. For all the rage I carried inside me, I wasn’t a warrior like Rosalind.

I can’t keep this up much longer.

A fist caught me in the ribs, driving the air from my lungs. I stumbled, my vision blurring. Strong hands seized my arms, pinning them behind my back. I thrashed and kicked, but it was useless.

Red’s face swam into view, his lips curled in a sneer. “I must say, you put up quite a fight. But did you really think you could take me?”

His hand cracked across my face, the pain exploding like fireworks behind my eyes. I tasted blood, my head lolling to the side.

I spat my blood on his face. “I only needed to stall a little.” For Tommy.

I watched with my blurry vision as Red wiped my spit. “No one’s gonna come to save you, little lady. Take her!”

As my vision began to fade, something caught my eye. The tattoo on Red’s forearm - red arrows crossing inside a circle. I remembered where I had seen it. The same symbol I’d seen on the arrows during the assassination attempt. The symbol I didn’t see in my past life.

How did they get involved?

The world spun, darkness creeping in at the edges of my vision. As consciousness slipped away, one final, desperate thought flashed through my mind.

Anderic, where are you?

* * *

I groaned as consciousness returned, my head throbbing like an overripe melon ready to burst. The stone floor beneath me was cold and damp, seeping chill into my bones. As awareness slowly trickled back, I cracked open one eye, wincing at even the dim light filtering through the bars.

I gently prodded my temple and winced immediately.

Nothing like waking up in a dank cell to really start the day off right.

At least Tommy wasn’t here. That was one small mercy in this god forsaken mess. The boy had escaped - I hoped. How long had I been out? Hours? Days? The gnawing ache in my stomach suggested it had been a while since I’d last eaten.

I pushed myself up on shaky arms, fighting a wave of nausea. Come on, Ilyana. You’ve had worse hangovers than this. Pull yourself together.

The sound of footsteps echoed down the hall, growing louder. I steeled myself, forcing my face into a neutral mask as keys jangled and the cell door creaked open.

“Well, well. Look who’s finally awake.”

Gareth. Of course, it would be him. I bit back a groan.

“Gareth. Last I remember, I warned you if you ever return here, I’ll have your body cut into pieces and thrown into Lake Calista,” I drawled, my voice raspy from disuse and anger.

He sneered, grabbing my arm and hauling me to my feet. I stumbled, my legs as weak as a newborn colt’s.

“Shut up,” he growled. “You think you can do anything now. That’s a lot of talk for someone who’s about to die.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Bold of you to assume I’d die here.” I wasn’t so sure about that myself.

His face twisted in rage. “You. You insufferable, spoiled little brat. Do you have any idea how annoying you were? Always prancing about, demanding this and that, thinking you were so clever.”

I blinked, acting surprised. “My, Gareth. I had no idea you cared so much.”

He shoved me against the wall, his face inches from mine.

“I hated every second working for your idiot father. But I played my part, biding my time. And now look at you - the mighty Lady Ilyana, brought so low. I never thought you’d fall for your downfall yourself. I didn’t even have to lift a finger.”

Well, this is interesting. I filed away every word, every detail. Gareth was revealing far more than he realized in his anger.

“If you hated it so much, why stay?” I asked, keeping my tone light and curious. “Surely there were other positions available for a man of your… talents.”

He laughed, a harsh, bitter sound. “You really are as stupid as your father, aren’t you? I was never loyal to Elyas. I had a greater purpose.”

Uh-huh. “And what purpose might that be?”

Gareth’s eyes gleamed with a fanatical light. “Do you really think I’m stupid enough to tell you?”

“Why not? You said, I’ll die here anyway.”

He moved away a bit, giving me some space, and started pacing, looking proud of his shenanigans.

That idiot! “That’s true. You will die here.

Red won’t let you go. You know way too much.

I was only there to use your stupid father for our cause.

In all honesty, you or your father weren’t even our target.

If everything had gone well, Elyas wouldn’t even have noticed anything different.

” Gareth suddenly turned around and looked at me menacingly.

“But he had to go ahead and be a thorn in our side. I was wondering how stupid Elyas suddenly became so… perspective all of a sudden. Now I’m starting to realize it was all someone else’s work. ”

My blood ran cold. “It was you. The gold bars— no, everything was a setup all along. My father was nothing but a puppet all along.”

I stared at Gareth, the pieces finally clicking into place. The smug bastard laughed, his eyes glittering with malice.

“Now you understand,” he sneered. “And do you know who gave him this brilliant idea?”

The realization hit me like a punch to the gut. I felt the blood drain from my face as Gareth’s grin widened.

“It was me, of course,” he crowed. “That stupid father of yours couldn’t come up with such a clever idea even if his life depended on it.”

I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly dry. “Who was behind all this?” I managed to croak out. “Who has a grudge against Magnus?”

Gareth’s expression darkened. “Enough of this chitchat,” he snapped. “Now I’ll be the one asking questions, and you will only answer. How much do you know about the gold smuggling?”

I clamped my mouth shut, refusing to give him the satisfaction. Gareth’s eyes narrowed dangerously.

“Who else knows about it? The prince?” He pressed.

Still, I said nothing. The cell was oppressively silent, save for the distant drip of water and my ragged breathing.

“Ah, so we’re playing mute, are we?” Gareth’s hand lashed out, striking me across the face with enough force to snap my head to the side. I tasted copper, my lip split and bleeding.

I spat a glob of blood at his feet, cursing my poor aim as it splattered on the dirty stone floor instead of his polished boots. I fixed him with the iciest glare I could muster.

“Go. To. Hell,” I snarled, enunciating each word with venom.

Gareth’s hand shot out, grabbing a fistful of my hair and yanking my head back painfully. I bit back a cry, refusing to give him the satisfaction.

“Red’s given me full freedom to deal with you as I like,” he hissed, his foul breath hot against my face. “So don’t think I’ll go easy on you.”

I summoned every ounce of bravado I had left. “What will you do?” I challenged. “Kill me? Torture me? Go ahead. I’m not afraid.”

For a moment, I saw uncertainty flicker in Gareth’s eyes. He released my hair, shoving me back against the wall. I stumbled but managed to keep my feet under me, glaring defiantly.

But my victory was short-lived as a cruel smirk spread across Gareth’s face, his eyes gleaming with a sadistic light that made my blood run cold. What now?

Gareth’s eyes glinted with malice as a new thought seemed to strike him. “Oh, speaking of accomplices… maybe I should find that little street rat who was with you.”

My heart seized. “No!” I lunged forward, but he was already out of the cell, my fingers grasping at empty air.

He smirked, clearly relishing my distress. “Or perhaps I should hunt down that pretty little maid of yours. What was her name again? Laurel?”

“Don’t you dare touch them!” I snarled, hurling myself against the bars. “Get back here, you bastard!”