Page 15 of The Freedom You Seek

I was sobbing uncontrollably, thinking of my father and the punishment he’d inflict on me as soon as I’d be home again. I had no doubt he’d make good on his threat and take my final penance into his own hands.

I was alone with my thoughts for hours. From my cell, I could see a barred window, so I was able to tell the sun was setting. And yet, no one had even tried to interrogate meor had thought of bringing me food and water. I didn’t know what was going on or why I wasn’t questioned. It was infuriating, but as long as I concentrated on that small part of the situation, I was able to block out everything else that had happened. Well, at least for a while.

Pacing through the little cell helped nothing, and the lingering panic attack rose closer and closer to the surface. I was just about to break down completely when I heard a door open and close.

Quickly, I took a deep breath and sat down on the bench once more, trying to keep my composure for eventual interrogation.

“Shit, Nayana.”

“Rewi?” I blinked. Could I trust my senses? Was it really Rewi in front of my cell door? The small bundle she pushed through the bars seemed real enough, and I met her gaze with a gleam of devastation shining in mine.

“I couldn’t believe it when I overheard my father speaking in his office about how you were in the dungeons, and I couldn’t wait to see you myself. Father has no idea I’m here. What happened? They say you killed the son of the King of Merchants?”

I got up and walked to the barred door while tears still streamed down my face. As Credenta’s mayor, Rewi’s father was also the head of the city guard. She was the only person who could have sneaked into this place unnoticed. She’d done it before, just because she’d wanted to prove she could. That she’d studied the blueprints of basically every public building in Credenta had helped—she knew every secret passageway by heart.

I felt miserable, but I forced myself to meet my friend’s eyes. She would help me—she always did. “Kind of. He…my parents decreed I had to marry Jelric Feroy, and he thought he was entitled to…use my body. I only defended myself. I never wanted him to die, I just wanted him to stop.”

“Fucking shit, Nayana. This is really, really bad. But for what it’s worth, that piece of shit had it coming!”

“I know how bad the situation is, and on top of it, nobody asked me to explain my side of the story.”

“I wish I’d know why. My father spent the last hours with Perran Feroy in his office. It makes no sense not to send someone to interrogate you. It’s not fair.”

Rewi pointed at the bundle she brought and scanned me from head to toe with worried eyes. “You know what? First, change. I brought you a dress and some food. Sadly, I couldn’t bring any water to clean yourself, only a canteen for you to drink from. If I’d carried more, I’d have risked getting caught.”

“It doesn’t matter. This already means the world to me. Thank you for thinking of me.”

“How couldn’t I? And it isn’t only me. Bryon is also sick with worry.”

Rewi fell silent as she waited for me to get dressed. My hands shook as I fastened the lacing of the simple dress sewn of washed-out brown cotton. It must have been one of Rewi’s old garments, as it was too big for my petite frame—my best friend was almost a head taller than me—and had quite a few holes in it, but it was much better than a dirty bedsheet.

When I was done, Rewi looked at me with so much compassion that fresh tears welled up in my eyes.

“Naya, did he succeed in—?”

“No. I stopped him just in time.” I didn’t want to talk about what had happened in detail if I could help it. It was enough that I saw, heard, smelled, tasted, and felt Jelric every time I closed my eyes.

Luckily, Rewi caught my reluctance. “Your parents…they were at my father’s office earlier as well. According to Soleth, you’re no longer his daughter. Aster wasn’t happy, but she ultimately agreed with him. I’m sorry, Naya.”

“I don’t care about him disowning me. Better than the alternative.”

“What alternative?”

“Taking me to the lake to drown me. I’m not joking.”

“What the fuck, Nayana?”

“Let’s not talk about my father’s threats and punishments now.” Another topic I was more than willing to ignore.

My eyes went to Rewi, who took her time to find the right words. When she finally spoke, my blood froze. Maybe this time, she couldn’t help me after all. “So, uhm, yes. Your parents disowned you. But I fear it gets much worse. I overheard Perran Feroy demanding a life for a life. As if I’ll allow my father to consider listening to that piece of shit. I’ll fight for you, especially now that I know what actually happened.”

The world was spinning around me, and I had to sit down. My hands clutched the dirty bench, and my knucklesturned white. “Perran Feroy is pushing for my execution?”

“I fear so. But that won’t happen. If they conclude you deserve such an unfair punishment, I’ll do everything I can to get you out. Fuck my family. We can run away together, maybe take Bryon with us. Somehow, I’ll get the keys to your cell, and we’ll sneak you out of here.”

I just nodded weakly. Rewi had been obsessed with the dungeon keys for several winters of her life, but she’d never gotten a hold of them. It was unlikely she’d succeed this time, especially since she’d been caught more than once and had received plenty of punishment for it. My hope was dwindling fast, but I saw no reason to tell Rewi that.

“Thanks, Rewi. I…I’m grateful.” I hesitated for a moment as I fought back the tears that threatened to spill, then went on. “Please, tell Bryon I’m sorry that I can’t go to the dance with him.”