Chapter 23

A forgotten flame ignited inside of Mateo. Once again, everything was on fire. Guards pinned him to the grass while he flailed, writhed, and kicked. A guard's boot smashed into his back, another pressed his cheek into the sod while two more subdued his wrists. But at least Stormshroud had darted off and gotten away.

Thunderous crowd cheers rang out. With his face half planted, he watched from the corner of his eye as Avalynn presented her kill to her father. Although somewhat muffled, he heard the High King's edict for his execution and the decree of his province's banishment.

Time slowed down. His fate had been decided. Avalynn had deceived him.

He flushed away the memories of the Green Falls. He should have known better than to trust her—vile and wicked highborn—just like every last one of them.

A thick black boot along with a thick axe slammed into the dirt beside his face. Master Kragar, the Mad Dwarf. "Lowborns never win," he sneered and waved his hand. " Take him away."

Arms yanked Mateo to his feet. He needed the counsel of his travel companions. "Lady Verona and Rhyka! I demand to see them!"

An angry mob gathered around him. The guards pushed him forward into the fray. Gobs of spit pelted his cheek. A petite hand reached through the rabid mass. Maid Nia's face popped into view. "I will tell your companions," she said hastily, trotting beside him as the guards pulled him toward the palace. "I will tell them right away."

Nia provided him with a sliver of hope. "Thank you."

Perhaps Lady Verona or Rhyka could reverse his fate. He knew no others at Stromm Palace other than Avalynn, the betrayer. As if she would or could help him. She had chosen. So much for protecting Princess Avalynn. What a joke.

Guards yanked and dragged Mateo through the gardens, past the main palace, toward a tall, skinny tower. They shoved him through a thick wooden door and forced him down a torch-lit corridor that smelled of sweat and urine. At the end of the hallway awaited a room with bars, a bucket, and a cot. The guards crammed him into the cell. Clink. The prison door closed with a final insult. "Lowborn scum."

Breathless, Mateo froze, yet a tidal wave rushed throughout him. His hands shook. His heart screamed. Bonk. He banged his head against the cool metal bars. He trusted Avalynn, and she betrayed him. Bonk . She manipulated him and seduced him. Bonk. She spewed enough lies to make him do exactly what she wanted—a Stromm, through and through. Bonk. Bonk. Blood dripped down his face. He would be executed and his people banished from the Sublands…all because of her. Bonk. Maybe his father, Floriana, and Poppy had died already. Did it even matter now? He killed the first Shadowblood and ended up with last place. His quest was doomed from the beginning. He was defeated before the hunt began. The High King always got what he wanted in the end.

Backing away from the bars, he slumped onto the wooden cot. He leaned over with his elbows on his legs and his hands clasped tight in front of him. A solitary tear joined the blood streaming down his face. One tear led to another, then another. He had disappointed his people, and it sickened him. His only saving grace was that they wouldn't know how he had trusted and was then betrayed by a highborn, a Stromm princess.

From down the corridor came a tinkering echo, followed by stomping boots. A trio of guards escorted Lady Verona and Rhyka toward his cell. "Only a few minutes." The guard backed away but stayed in view.

His hope brightened. They wouldn't have come without information or a plan. He clenched the cold bars and whispered while pressing his face close. "You have to get me out of here." Surely there was something one or the other of them could do. They were his only chance.

Lady Verona pulled a linen square from her pocket and passed it to him without meeting his eyes. "There is nothing we can do. We are to be escorted from the palace grounds and sent home immediately after we leave you here, with orders to prepare the Sublands for an exodus."

His hand hovered in midair. He was stunned but not entirely surprised. What did he expect? He took the linen square and gave into his plight. "I understand." He wiped the square across his bloody face.

Rhyka spoke in a hushed tone. "There is still something that you can do." Her crooked finger poked through the bars. "Summon your power."

Still with that? He shook his head. This witch's earlier claims were nothing more than mere guesses. "You were right about the powers, but you were wrong about the person."

Rhyka leaned in and dipped her chin. "What do you mean?"

"My betrayer, Princess Avalynn, has the power you speak of. The blue light came from her when a dragon attacked us in the forest." She'd probably only saved him so she could betray him and hand him over as the last place finisher. Keep your enemies close, and then even closer.

Lady Verona turned to Rhyka. "A dragon? From the North? They're back?"

Rhyka's sparkling eyes blinked. "I have heard but did not know the veracity of the rumor. I will look into it." She brought her attention back to Mateo. "But what about these powers? Are you sure of what you saw?"

Verona added, "Yes, the powers. Tell us."

"Perhaps he saw an illusion," Rhyka said to Verona. "Maybe his power channeled through her."

"Enough!" He tossed the bloodied square. "It does not matter! If you can't help me, then I am done for in three days' time. Your words, your prophecies, your madness… They are all for naught!" He steadied his breathing. He slowed his thundering heart. He wanted them to leave him be. They could not help and were of no use to him any longer. He needed to be alone now.

"Of course," Verona said.

"Please. My final wish and command is that you see after my family, especially my father, Manny, and my little sister, Floriana. They are not well." Another tear spilled. With a quick swipe, he wiped it away. "Tell them I am sorry and that I love them. "

Lady Verona's chin quivered as she stepped back. "Whatever we can do, we will. You have my word on that as a Sublander."

Whatever she can do? She had no power. She could do nothing but talk. The carriage ride back to the Sublands would take three days. They would arrive on the day of his death. There would be no celebration in the Sublands, no parade greeting the carriage, no pan de volvo from big sister Camilla, and no pi?ata or painted flowers from little Floriana.

Lady Verona and Rhyka would deliver another cautionary tale to the people of the Sublanders. The tale had been told so many times it'd be another version of the same warning—never trust a highborn, especially if they happened to be a Stromm.

He didn't want to sound ungrateful to Lady Verona. His father would not approve. "Thank you for your help. I couldn't have gotten this far without you."

As they walked away, he dropped back down onto his cot and took the cross out of his pocket. His grip dug the cross into his skin. He placed his shaky hand on his forehead, then on his chest, and moved it from shoulder to shoulder like his father taught him. If there was any time to call on the earthly God, this was it.

"If you're up there, if you can hear me, please send help. I really need it right now."