Starve This Sin

{ Chapter Twenty Four }

The low thrum of the magic in the castle walls sounded like home in Eva's ears.

Brightness blinded her, vision spinning from focus, as she recovered from a hard slap from a guard. She had mocked them, made a nasty comment while Ben and Henry approached to question her.

She was tied down, in the same chair she had been brought to after her first nights in Ben's captivity. The very night he told Eva she was a White Witch.

She still had on her dress, cloak sagged and torn behind her, choking her neck a bit beneath the restraints. She had only arrived a day or so ago, tied up here. She was given hand fed gulps of water but nothing else. Much of her regretted never getting a bite of dinner at the camp.

The guard who had slapped Eva returned to his post at the gaping door, the other minding their business, staring down the hall in anticipation of the King.

The room was the same, the moon lingering in the window that had peaked Eva's interest nearly a year ago. Here she sat, a weak fool.

As her vision steadied she stared at it, trying to find an idle calm to empty her brain into.

The peace was short lived as two loud sets of boots came stalking down the hall to her.

Eva clenches her jaw, trying to prepare for what was to come. Ben did not have empathy for her, she had to remember that. She needed to find a knife of words to twist in him, to find a chance of saving him or even more lamely, running off.

A hope in her swore she could find a way to restore him. She had to do this right, no mistakes, no hiccups. She had to be five steps ahead, as they already were.

"You know, my King, I think it may be best if we try to approach this with-"

"I have no patience for games, Henry. You know this." Ben's voice boomed through the hallway, Eva straightening and clenching against her leather holds.

Powerless, how could the elders leave her so powerless?

"Evening, King Kye," one of the guards greets. They bow to him, Ben barely acknowledging them as he waves them off.

Henry eyes the back of Eva's chair, confusion in his stares. The man had many questions but could not spare another to his King for fear of conspiracy.

Ben did not hesitate to round into Eva's vision.

"You're awake, good."

He wore the same clothes as the other day, a busy man, finding no sleep between his rebuff with Solanyn and the continued search of Eva's camp for Ben's soul crystal.

His eyes studied Eva as she held an uninterested face, looking to Henry as he too turned and came to her view. Henry was doing his best to keep his face unreadable. He was dressed in tan and black, a lighter counterpart to Ben.

They eyed each other for awhile, intense and angry. Finally, as Ben leaned against a wooden desk, he begins.

"You know what I need, Eva. I need my crystal back."

"I don't have it." She answers simply, calm.

"Then where did you hide it?"