A Country Falls (Greatest Thief 3)

Chapter Twenty-Two

Kassia immediately started to argue. Even Mayah spoke up, in broken Deoran that I thought she was probably trying to make up on the spot. Neither of them helped, though. Kalvahi waved, guards grabbed me, and I was dragged away from the women. I watched the group as I was pulled down the length of the throne room and into the hall. The last thing I saw before the doors closed was Kalvahi climbing down the steps.

I fell back on old habits, both instinctually and in an attempt to rein in my thoughts. I memorized hallways and turns, once again taking in the lack of artwork on the castle's walls. I mapped out my new path with the way Kassia had led me and quickly realized that I wasn't being taken back the same route. We headed in the same direction, but instead of stepping out into the castle grounds, I was dragged down a damp staircase into a narrow stone passageway. One of the guards grabbed a torch, and it's flickering was the only light we had.

Underground, it was hard to place the tunnel with the map I was creating in my head. But trying to add it to the map kept me from thinking about how much the tunnel reminded me of Tannix's family crypt. Although the crypt had been dry and decorated, even if the air had been musty and still. The tunnel was damp and built with plain, square bricks.

I was only slightly relieved when we climbed up another staircase, into what looked like the familiar prison again. The guards dragged me past cells that looked like the ones Tannix had been kept in. The guards grumbled to each other as we stopped outside one of the heavy doors. The guard on my left unlocked it, and I was tossed into the darkness. Before I had even pushed up to my feet, the door swung closed and the room went completely black. The bolt sliding shut was the last thing I heard. The room muffled every other sound from outside.

I carefully crawled forward until I felt the far wall, and I turned to sit against it. I hugged my knees to my chest and tried to think about the layout of the hallways. But without anything new to focus on, it wasn't enough of a distraction. So I thought about Tannix. We were closer together than we had been in months. He was somewhere outside of the city. I tried to imagine his tent. Even though I knew he wouldn't want anything fancy, in my imagination I gave it blue canvas sides and a plush carpet instead of a sandy floor. I pictured expensive furniture. Tannix sitting in an ornate chair in front of a desk laden with paperwork. I imagined pushing aside the entrance flap and stepping into the tent. Him getting to his feet when he realized who I was. Him coming around the table. Sinking into his arms.

The clunk of the bolt moving shattered my vision. For a moment it almost seemed like my daydream was coming true. A guard carried a fancy chair into the room, as if I had summoned it. He placed it across the room from me without giving me a single glance. Then a pair of guards carried in a basin of water.

I shied away when one of the men then came to grab me. He caught my arm and hauled me to my feet. I was ready to pull away from the basin, so I nearly lost my balance when instead he yanked my arms above my head and locked shackles around my wrists. Then he stepped aside, just in time for me to watch two other Deorans drag Castin and Kovin into the room. They both had their wrists bound tightly together.

Kalvahi stepped into the room, drawing my attention before I could exchange looks with Castin and Kovin. He sat in the chair, stretched out his legs and crossed his ankles. My gaze darted to the doorway, hoping to see Kassia.

Kalvahi laughed. "Finagale. She isn't coming."

Being addressed somehow helped me cobble together a bit of courage. My eyes snapped back to him. At least Kalvahi was someone I had spoken with before. There was some comfort in the familiarity. "Why not?"

"Because Idavari ordered her not to." The way he said the king's name, without any title, was either proof of his distain or just because the king was family. It was hard to tell with Kalvahi. "Likely a good choice. Kassiandra is too fond of you. I know." He leaned his left elbow on the armrest. "She doesn't want you to be hurt. If you didn't pose such a risk, I might have even convinced my uncle to let her keep you. As a wedding gift, perhaps."