Chapter 26

Octane

I catch Trinity's eyes as we are frog-marched away. I give a quick shake of my head. I don't want her to tell them anything that might implicate her. I hope we are jailed together so that we can get our stories straight. I know that I am being overly optimistic to think along those lines. The chances of it happening are small.

I would separate us and question us separately, too. I'd look for inconsistencies. For holes, and then drill down from there. Perhaps they will put me to death before any of that happens. I can't be sure of anything.

With our hands tightly shackled behind our backs, we are led along a winding dirt path, the crunch of gravel and dust under our feet gradually giving way to paving and then to the smoothness of a cobbled road. Houses of various shapes and sizes line the street, their windows filled with curious onlookers as we pass by. I am taken aback by how well-dressed they are, adorned in the latest human fashions that would make any designer proud. I only see the very odd naked person, I assume they have just shifted, or are about to shift. No one is feral or out of control. I note that there are many more males than females. Just as Trinity said there would be. Everyone looks calm and civilized. A few come out to take a closer look, gawping at me like I'm an animal in the zoo.

They point and stare. I'm sure they can see exactly what I am…a Draig Dragon.

The enemy.

I hold my head up high.

It isn't long before we turn a corner. I'm so shocked that I stop walking, my mouth gaping open as I crane my neck to look up at the castle before me. It is vast and impressive. Nothing like I imagined. I'm not sure what I envisioned, but it wasn't this.

Its construction is grand, made of solid stone blocks. It is adorned with intricate carvings and tall towers with turrets and spires reaching toward the clouds. Many flags wave in the wind, the banners displaying a crest of arms – a large white, fire-breathing dragon against a fitting red background.

"Welcome to Stonefire Castle," someone sneers, and I get an elbow in my side, telling me to get a move on.

I hold back a grunt of annoyance rather than pain and pick up the pace again.

We are led up a steep incline, marching for the castle. Massive wooden doors are thrown open as we draw near. Two large stone pillars stand on either side of the entrance. They're adorned with carvings of dragons in various poses, their scales glistening beneath the setting sun.

Guards, all dressed in black leather armor and bearing long swords, stand at attention before the doors. They are also wearing the same black masks as our captors. It must be a thing here.

As I pass through the doorway, I can"t help but feel like I'm stepping into a world that is vastly different from my own. The cold stone floor echoes my footsteps, and the high ceilings feel like they stretch up to the heavens. Nope, the Reds are certainly not feral beasts living in the jungle.

There is a wide staircase with gold railings. We are marched past the stairs to a door where we are led down…down…down. Into the bowels of the castle, to the dungeons.

It's all well-lit and clean. The floors are polished and gleaming, as are the bars of the cells. We pass an infirmary. Finally, one of the cells is opened, and Trinity is pushed inside.

"I'm sorry I got you into trouble, female," I tell her, putting emphasis on the word "female." I hope she understands what I am trying to tell her. Namely that we are strangers.

"Quiet!" I get another elbow, harder this time.

Trinity's eyes are filled with fear. She nods once, swallowing thickly.

"Don't tell them anything," I quickly shout and am rewarded with a punch to the kidney. This time I grunt. It hurts like a bitch.

I half expect to be placed in a cage as well, but it doesn't happen; instead, I find myself ushered into a dimly lit room. There is a table and two chairs. I'm pushed down onto one of the chairs.

My shackles are undone, but before I can feel any sense of relief, I'm shackled to the table through a round ring. Two guards stand behind me. Another stands at the door. I'm sure that there are more out in the hallway. There is a large mirror to my left. It is a certainty that I am being watched. Studied like a bug under a microscope. Then I sit and wait…and wait…and wait some more. It's all tactics to get me nervous. To put me on the back foot. It won't work with me.

My ass has started to go numb when the male with the golden dragon crest on his armor walks in. He looks down at me through the eye slits in his mask. Then he finally sits, his back ramrod straight. His gaze never leaves mine.

The mask is crafted from a dark, gleaming metal that's twisted and shaped into the eerie likeness of a human face. Its sharp angles and smooth curves seemed to mock the natural features it mimics. If they think a silly mask is going to intimidate me, they're wrong. Dead fucking wrong. He looks like he belongs in a circus.

The silence in the room is deafening as he looks me up and down. I'm in a vulnerable position, stuck in this chair with shackles digging into my skin. I can feel the weight of judgment in the air like a thick fog. I don't give a shit! Let him judge me all he wants.

I keep my mouth firmly shut.

After a time, he breaks the silence. "Why are you on Mistveil soil?"

I've had time to think things through. I pray that Trinity keeps quiet. I pray that they didn't see too much of our exchange before coming at us. I need to protect her at all costs. They won't go easy on her if they find out that she has been fraternizing with a Draig Dragon. It could very well cost her her life. I plan to avoid that at all costs.

"It came to my attention that males from Mistveil have been using the tunnel to come onto Draig soil. I had to put a stop to it." I try to stick to the truth as much as possible.

"A fancy tale."

"It's the truth." I fight to keep my temper in check. "They abducted a human female a month or two ago. They've harassed another of our Tributes since then. One of your males tried to rape her."

The male chuckles, leaning back in his seat. "You expect me to believe that? You think I'm that gullible? Red Dragons wouldn't dare use the tunnel. Our king ordered it."

It's my turn to laugh, and he doesn't like it. I hear his breathing pick up a notch or two.

"Someone clearly doesn't give a shit about your king's orders."

"Blasphemy!" he growls.

"It's the truth. It's Reds who have been using the tunnel to come onto our soil. Not the other way around."

"And yet, we responded to a tip-off and found you, a Draiger, on our soil. We didn't find any Red males entering the tunnel. How strange." It's clear from his tone that he doesn't believe a word I am saying.

It's good timing, and it makes me wonder if someone else had eyes in that tunnel. Someone other than Titan, Igor, and his bunch. It's just too convenient.

"Nothing to say, Draiger?"

"My name is Octane," I tell him.

"I don't care. Your name means nothing to me. Your life means even less."

"You may as well put me to death now, then," I say, my voice even.

He laughs. "It isn't going to be that easy. You had a bag of cash with you. There was a substantial sum in it. Why? What were you planning to do with the money?"

"I always carry cash. You never know when it will come in handy." I give a one-shouldered shrug.

He sighs. "You expect me to believe that?"

I don't say anything.

"I'll tell you what I think the money was for."

I can't wait to hear it.

He threads his fingers together, steepling them under his chin. "I think you came with the money so that you could pay for information. That's why you met the Red female. Although she was touching your face." He narrows his eyes in thought. "Specifically, your mouth. Let me guess: she was telling you to keep quiet about where you got the information from?"

Good! I don't think they saw us kissing.

"No…that's not it at all. The female didn't know I was a Draiger. I followed some of your Red males and found the tunnel. That happened yesterday. I decided to go back today. I followed the tunnel and popped out here on Mistveil. It wasn't a shock; I suspected where it would lead to, and I was right. I wanted to be sure; that's why I kept going. Finding the female was a shock, though. I pretended to be a Red. We spoke for a short while. I had only just managed to convince her that I was no threat when you all jumped out. She's completely innocent. I don't know who she is."

"I'm not buying it." He shakes his head. "Why did you tell the female not to speak to us? Not to tell us anything… I think those were your exact words."

"I don't want an innocent bystander getting into trouble. I can see that I was right to be concerned. You've already persecuted her."

"Innocent bystander. You really expect us to believe that?" he snorts.

"Yes."

"I don't believe it even for one second."

"I'm not sure why we're even having this conversation since you won't trust anything I have to say," I tell him.

"I will get you to talk, Draiger, of that you can be sure." He stands. "Prepare the torture chamber," he says to no one in particular. It could be the guards standing behind me or someone behind the mirror. Not that it matters. I'm sure his command will be carried out swiftly, regardless.

Torture. Crap!

Then again, I expected no less. It's what I would have done.

Trinity

I'm lying on the bed – actually, "bed" is a stretch; it's a mattress covered in a sheet with a scratchy blanket folded up at the end and no pillow – when five guards arrive at my cell door. It clangs open; three enter, and two hang back in the hallway.

I stand.

"Hands behind your back!" one shouts at me.

"Really?" I say. "All of you for one pregnant female? Isn't it a bit overkill?"

No one says anything.

"Hands behind your back," the same one repeats in a harsher tone.

I do as he says, and the other one clicks on shackles. I wince as they bite into my flesh. Then, I am being escorted down the hallway and into a bright room. A fluorescent light buzzes above our heads as we enter.

"Turn around." My shackles are removed from one hand.

"Sit," another one of them says.

I do as instructed, and the shackles are fixed to the table.

I sit and wait for what feels like a long time, but is only about half an hour or so in reality.

A male enters. I recognize him from earlier, despite his face still being covered. He has the crest of the general on the front of his armor. This is worse than I thought. The general himself feels the need to question me. We're in trouble. He takes a seat and stares at me for an age. I want to squirm, but I manage to rein myself in.

Don't say anything.

I recall Octane's words to me. I'm assuming that he has concocted some or other story. Since I can't find out what that story is exactly, I am expected to remain silent.

I don't see how it will ever work, but I will do as he says until I am forced into a corner. My first instinct is to tell them everything and to plead for Octane's life. Thing is, I tried the direct approach before, and it didn't work out so well for me.

"Why did you meet with the Draiger?" the general asks me. He is also one of the princes. I'm not sure whether to call him "Your Highness" or "General."

"Is he okay?" I wince. Five seconds into this interrogation and I have already given my hand away.

"Why do you care either way? He is a Draiger. Our enemy."

"I don't care. It's just that he seemed…nice." I know Octane. I'm sure that he is going to do everything in his power to protect me, which means pretending we don't know each other. He called me "female." I know it was to send a message.

"You're saying you'd never met him before today?" He narrows his eyes, leaning forward a little.

"Yes…no… I mean, no, I never met him before today. You are right; the answer to your question is no," I say, speaking far too quickly and saying too much. I need to get a grip.

"The two of you seemed…close. You were touching him. Why would you touch a stranger?"

"Did I…touch him? I don't remember that." A flimsy reply at best.

"You did. What information did you give him in return for the money?" he asks in a clipped tone.

"What money?" I frown.

"Don't play innocent with me, female. You know what money. It was there in the bag." He sounds irritated.

"Oh…I didn't know that. I didn't look inside the bag." I shrug, making a face.

"There was fifty thousand dollars inside it."

"Fifty? What?" My eyes bug out. "That's a lot of money." I had no idea Octane was going to give me that much money. He's nuts…and in trouble, and it's all my fault. I feel my eyes prickle.

Not now!

No!

I sniff a few times, trying to keep my emotions in check. It doesn't work.

"You seem upset. Why?" He leans back and folds his arms.

I frown and give him a dirty look. "Are you kidding me? You have me locked up…for being at the wrong place at the wrong time," I throw at him. "Besides, I'm pregnant, which means that I'm hormonal. I cry for nothing. I looked at a bird in the tree the other day and started crying. I thought I recognized him as a bird I once knew, but I guess that's beside the point. Looking at a bird made me cry. I hope you're satisfied with my answer."

"Not even close." He shakes his head in disgust. "Last chance; how do you know the Draiger?" he asks me.

"I don't!" I tell him. "I saw him for the first time today." I pray that I'm right in my responses.

"Bullshit!" he growls. "Why are you lying to me?"

"I'm not lying. Can I go home, please?"

"No. You were up to something, and I aim to find out what that something was. Are you a Draig lover?" he snarls.

I frown. "I didn't know they existed on Mistveil," I dodge the question.

"Neither did I, but there is a first time for everything. Did you know that the Draigs finished the tunnel leading to our island?" He leans forward again, his eyes drilling into me.

"I was under the impression that the tunnel went from Mistveil to Draig. We initiated the excavation in the first place. But no, I was not aware that it had been completed," I lie, looking down at my shackles so he doesn't see the truth all over my face.

"We started it, and they finished it," he says.

"How do you know that?" I frown.

"I know the Draig scum, that's how. They want to gain access to Mistveil so that they can kill us in our droves."

More like the other way around.

I roll my eyes. "Why didn't they do it, then? Why did they send one male? It doesn't make any sense."

"They sent one male to get information. To get intel. To find out the lay of the land and any other pertinent information. It's information we suspect you gave to him…didn't you? You did it for money to secure your future." He looks down at my belly. "Yours and your baby's."

"No!" I snort. "Of course not. You're delusional and slightly paranoid. Why would I help our enemy destroy my home? How would that secure my future?" I widen my eyes. "It's idiotic."

"Is it true that you work here at the castle?"

"Yes."

"Hmmmm… So you might have insider information." He taps the side of his mask.

"I'm a server, so hardly in a position to get insider info." I shake my head.

"You could have overhead conversations…seen things," he whispers.

"What things? You really are delusional, you know that?" I snap.

"No, Trinity…that's your name, right?" He doesn't wait to find out. "I'm no more delusional than anyone else. Everything I have said makes perfect sense. You met the Draiger. You gave him information in return for money. You weren't expecting us to be there."

"Why would I do that? Why would I tell them anything? It would be a big risk to me if they're going to attack us."

"You're desperate. You need money. You have a baby on the way." He points out the obvious yet again.

"I am not desperate. I have a job and savings, and then there's the matter of the grant. I don't need money from a Draiger. I would never put the lives of our people at stake."

"I don't believe you. You struck a deal. You were going to take the money, but we put a stop to it. You're in big trouble, Trinity. If you come clean and tell us everything we need to know, we might go a little easier on you. You're about to become a mother; think of your child," he says in a hard voice.

I don't tell him anything. We have a stare-off for several minutes.

"Fine! Have it your own way." He looks up at a guard behind me. "Titus, is the torture chamber ready?"

"What? Wait! You're going to torture a pregnant female? That's cowardly and wrong." I can't believe what I am hearing.

He chuckles. "You're right; it would be wrong. We're not barbaric like the Draigers. No!" He shakes his head.

My shoulders sag with relief.

"We're going to torture the Draiger. Someone needs to talk. I want answers. If it means getting my hands dirty, then so be it."

No!

My heart sinks, and dread fills me.