Page 48 of Journey to the Elderoak (Daughter of the Earth #2)

They reached the stairwell. Dark stone steps spiraled into the depths of the mountain lit by torches along the damp walls.

Descending further, the floor evened out and they walked through the corridors of empty cells, currently devoid of prisoners aside from the daemon soldier.

The damp smell of earth and a faint tinge of iron hung in the air, growing stronger as they reached their destination.

Quinn’s voice carried down the hallway, speaking to the prisoner who was refusing to tell her anything.

Casimir approached the cell and Quinn asked, “Is she alright?”

“She’s still asleep but she’ll live.”

She breathed a sigh of relief as she opened the cell. “Have at it.”

Casimir stalked in, flipping a dagger in his hand. He stared icily at the man—the daemon soldier—sitting on the floor with his arms chained above him against the wall. Dark hair hung in greasy strands, brushing his bare shoulders.

Casimir knelt before him. “Who are you?”

The man spat in Casimir’s face and laughed. Raine walked up behind him, followed by Quinn.

He jammed the dagger into the soldier’s thigh as he wiped his face with the back of his other arm. The soldier screamed as Casimir twisted the blade, black blood flowing out of the wound. “Want to try that again?”

“I’m nobody,” he seethed. “Doing my duty for my queen.” His voice slithered along the walls as he spoke.

He yanked the dagger out and ran it along the daemon’s chest, painting him in his own blood. “And what is your duty?”

“Like I would tell a filthy fae that,” he spat.

Casimir backed away and sheathed the dagger. Sharp roots grew out from between the cracks of the stone floor, and he willed them to snake around the man’s legs, creeping higher.

“You think your useless plant magic will get me to talk?” He sneered.

Casimir gave him a feline smile and clenched his fists. The daemon bellowed as hundreds of needle-like thorns burst from the roots and impaled his legs.

Casimir knelt again. “One more time. What is your duty?”

The daemon moaned but remained silent, still refusing to answer.

Clenching his hands again, the vines thickened and squeezed, bones crunching as he broke the soldier’s legs. A bone chilling scream burst from the daemon’s mouth. Before he could recover, Casimir grabbed the man’s hand and sliced off a finger, eliciting another scream.

“Okay! Okay,” croaked the soldier. “To ensure her success. She has the book, you know. To let more of her armies in.”

Quinn looked at him. “Why kill Ava if she needs her blood to open the portals?”

“I don’t know,” the daemon hissed. “I only do what she tells me. I don’t ask questions.”

“Liar,” said Quinn before she kicked him in the jaw.

Casimir whipped his head to her.

“Oops,” she said as she lifted a shoulder.

“We won’t get answers if he’s unconscious,” he said.

The soldier groaned .

“See? He’s fine,” she said.

The daemon eyed the three of them before stopping on Casimir and grinning.

“I was there, you know. When your bitch of a princess was being tortured. When The Scourge pressed the hot poker against her flesh. I heard her screams and smelled her fear. Heard her begging for death as she was whipped. It was delicious.”

Barely a moment to think it through, Casimir lunged and slit his throat, black blood spurting from the wound. The daemon soldier went silent, body twitching as he died.

“What the fuck, Cas?” said Raine. “I have that nasty creature’s blood all over me now.”

He stood and wiped the dagger on his pants. “He was getting on my nerves.”

“We won’t get answers if he’s unconscious,” Quinn mocked him. “We won’t get answers if he’s dead either.” She strode out of the cell mumbling to herself about men and their impulsiveness.

They shut the door behind them and left. As they walked down the corridor, they ran into Thorne who eyed them with disgust at the black blood covering their uniforms.

“What is that smell?” he asked.

Quinn crossed her arms. “Daemon blood. Cas killed him too quickly before we could get much out of him.”

“You didn’t find anything out?”

“Just that he was there to kill her,” said Raine.

“They need her blood to open more portals. Why kill her?” Thorne responded.

“My guess,” said Quinn, “is she’s better off dead to them if they’re unable to capture her again. If she’s alive and not in their clutches, she’s a huge threat since she’s the only one who can defeat her. Especially now that she’s fae.”

“And they’ve already tried and failed taking her back how many times now? Three?” said Raine .

“Four,” Casimir answered.

“You’ve counted?” asked Raine.

“Of course I have. The hounds back at camp when we first met her; the snakes and soldiers at the tavern; Corvus; the attack on the ships. They’ve come after her four fucking times.”

“How did he get into the castle? I thought your security plans were impenetrable,” asked Thorne.

“They were,” Quinn replied.

“Which means…” Raine said.

“We may have a traitor in our midst,” Thorne whispered under his breath.