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Dread trickled through her, she fought the urge to kick and screaet back to hi terrible happened She re around the bars as sweat trickled down her back Huood She’d plotted with Jack and Gideon to leave him, to move on when the as over in the hopes that he would be able to keep control, but what if he didn’t?

She thought hehe could to ain with his brother, or if she died, he would lose it co blood into her, and yet she still felt the soul deep bond she had with Braith He was inside of her, intrinsically engrained into each of her cells, and the very fabric of her being The king’s blood, though inside her, was not a part of her, she could feel her body rejecting it, feel her cells struggling against the aberration in her system

Braith was a part of her, he alould be She was a fool and an idiot Even if she left hi as he should, she would never be able to sever the bond between them no matter whose blood was forced into her syste

He was in her heart, in her soul, and there was no way she was going to just abandon hiain She didn’t kno Gideon and Jack would react to her new decision, and she honestly didn’t care They would have to find another way Braith would have to agree to try and change her, or perhaps she could simply live out her life with hied as his queen It wasn’t a pleasant notion, and she didn’t even think she would be able to accept such a life, but she wasn’t going to be able to carry out the life that she’d plotted with Gideon and Jack

"We’ve all h"

"Mysoe to shy away from their resentment and conde to have to get used to antipathy froth as she pressed her forehead to the cool metal bars She braced herself for their disapproval

"His mistakes have made Braith who he is They haveHe will come here, and if he is successful, he will free us all"

"And do ith us?" another woman asked "Drain us dry like he did the others?"

"No he will give us freedom, real freedom You can return home, or you can stay within the town, but no matter what you decide, it will be your choice to make" There was a protracted moment of silence, of breaths held in hope and disbelief Most everyone here had been a part of the rebellion This hat they had been fighting and hoping for their entire lives "He’ll do good, real good in this world," she insisted "My father believes in hi and then suddenly a hand seized hold of hers Aria jue hand wrapped around hers It was a hened from dirt and labor "David trusts this creature?"

The creature comment irked her but she didn’t pursue it There were so "He does," she confirhtened around hers "And so do I"

"He bought you," Mary whispered

"He saved me," Aria corrected

"He didn’t save the others"

"But he will save the ones that he can, noouldn’t lie to you about this, I wouldn’t steer you down the wrong path, he is our future, our hope; you must trust me on this How many are down here?"

"There were fifty-two of us, but Walt hasn’t returned since they pulled him up yesterday There will soon be another auction; they usually run at least once aon the number of raids There will probably be around another fifty people in here with us after that" Aria’s skin crawled, it ful enough down here now, neveranother fifty people in "Have you seen my son Aria? Have you seen John?"

It was the hope in Mary’s voice that pierced Aria’s ive Mary the answer she sought, but she couldn’t "I’m sorry Mary, I haven’t"

Aria’s hand was still wrapped within the man’s as she listened to Mary’s faint sobs "I’ll find hiet out of this, I’ll find him"

Aria tried to free her hand from the man next to her but he held on "What of you Aria?" he inquired

"What of ive her hand back to her

"You really trust this creature?"

Aria frowned, his voice was familiar and for a moment she couldn’t place where she’d heard it before Then she recalled her capture, her tie to be auctioned off There had been a h she hadn’t seen hinized the voice now and kneas the same man "Completely"

"It can’t be any worse than it is now," the ain and released her

Aria didn’t respond She absently rubbed her wounded finger as she strained to see She wished that she could part the shadows, rid the world of the darkness enshrouding it, but that was impossible The darkness was absolute, co it

Braith e of the tree line, his eyes closed as he opened his ears to listen to the sounds of the day David and Daniel knelt beside hins that he had illustrated and laid theh he didn’t open his eyes to see the dark shadows of the drawings, he knew the boy was talented, he’d seen some of his other work Daniel outlined the attack plan for the toith the ease and knowledge of someone far older than his twenty-one years

"This area here is large enough for us tohindered by the forest" Braith kept his eyes closed as he felt the open space around hih the area as it was less croith trees and obstacles "Setting fire as we go will confuse the spots they may have They won’t knohat to expect from us"