Reed of Tigony had been so broken. She had no way of knowing his fate, or the fate of her letter. She had no faith in the Council senators, either, whod pressured Mal into sending her into exile after her marriage to Caleb. Theyd been waiting for any excuse to exert power over the Usurperthe derogatory name used against Malnefoley. Common sense said the Council wouldnt sit back while Dragon Kings were yanked out of their homes, tortured, and forced to fight as slaves for human crime bosses. But common sense rarely applied in politics.
Buying time meant she would need to survive in the Cages.
That meant getting stronger. Eating. Training. And, yes, that meant begging.
May I have the food? Please?
He shoved the plate forward with the toe of his boot.
Audrey pounced. Beans and rice. She ate with her fingers, relishing each bite. The buttered bread was as sweet as chocolate cake. Such an indulgence. With her mouthed crammed, she looked up at her captor. Was this why he made no protest against being enslaved? If the Asters kept her too much longer, shed lose herself. Shed become like him.
Never.
Enough. He knelt, tossed her plate away, and grabbed her hair through the bars. This has to go.
My hair?
See how easy it is for me to immobilize you? No weakness allowed.
He unlocked the cage and dragged her out.
No weakness? Yeah, right. Her knees were liquid. Sleeplessness and the cramped cage had left her weak. Adrenaline had propelled her initial fight. That fuel was long sapped.
Turn around, he said, his voice a gravelly rasp. Hands on the bars. If you so much as move, it wont be your hair I cut.
Audrey took a deep breath. Do this for Jack.
Other words began to coalesce in her mind. New words.
Vengeance. Judgment. Reckoning.
She liked those wordswould live for them. For the first time, she had a goal beyond rescuing her son. Shed burn the whole place down for what had been done to her family.
She gripped the cold iron bars, blinking back surprising moisture. Caleb had loved her hair. Corn silk, hed called it. Hed loved when she trailed it down his stomach on the way to sucking him into her mouth.
A lifetime ago.
She tightened her grip and heard the slide of metal being unsheathed. Was her captor so trusted that the Asters permitted him a weapon?
Hold still.
An inexplicable shiver danced up her spine. His voice was hypnotic. Just enough steel, just enough calm. That she could analyze it at all seemed a minor miracle.
The first cut was the toughest. She watched long, caramel-colored strands float to the grungy cave floor. He didnt hack, but he didnt take care either. Just another duty he performed without thought. More hair scattered on the ground.
He sheathed the knife and stepped away. That will do.
Audrey turned her back to the bars. She ran shaking fingers over where hed cut close at the base of her skull. Choppy, uneven strands ran along her crown and temples.
Her mysterious guide down this dark rabbit hole stood watching her. Sizing her up. She would sketch his body using blocky shapes. Unapologetic rectangles for his limbs. Strong squares for his trunk and head. Yet a true representation would demand flowing arcs, too. Swoops. Supple curves. His muscles were that graceful, that prominent.
Charcoal and paper, she thought. With golden brown oil pastels for accents.
Her artistic training was making him into something impressive. He was not.
Well train here in close-quarter combat, he said. But for now I want to see what you can do.
You already got a taste of that. I was brought up learning the martial styles of the Five Clans.
No. With your powers.
Audreys heart beat with thunderous pain, which always happened when she thought about her lack of a Dragon-born gift. But why?
Maybe you didnt hear me the first time. I have none. Never have.
Lie all you want. Youll still need to adapt. The more entertainment we provide, the better we fare.
I dont care about that shit, she said. You know what I want.
Your son.
Thats right.
The man rubbed a calloused hand along his hard, square jaw. Regaining your son is your reward. You were promised.
I dont believe it. Dr. Aster wont give him up until hes cut down to Jacks marrow, dissecting him alive.
A Cage warrior named Honrovish won ten straight matches. As reward, the Old Man overruled Dr. Asters protests and released Honrovishs brother.
Wheres Honrovish now?
Dead. No inflection. No hint of emotion.
What a waste.
No. His brother and sister-in-law lived. They bore a son. Their bloodline continues because of Honrovishs sacrifice. Now, come this way.
Always that long, confident stride. He simply expected her to follow.
Whats your name? The question jumped out of her mouth.
He stopped. Looked over his shoulder. His cropped black hair shone in the dim lighting. The serpent tattoo across the back of his skull looked alivea representation of a warriors potency. And a slaves captivity.
I am Leto of Clan Garnis. But youll call me sir .
She stayed rooted to the hard cave floor. Clan Garnis? Many believed them extinct for centuries, although Audrey knew they yet maintained a place at the Council table. Mal believed them scattered so far across Russia, China, and the Americas that theyd assimilated into the human population. They maintained no known government and no stronghold. The myths they had imparted to their human worshipers were scattered to the winds.