The Seventh Flame

Chapter 2

-King Theon-

King Theon sat on the edge of his throne; eyes turned down at the chained man who kneeled before him. Blood splattered across his face and grime across his cheeks. Loose pieces of the man's dark hair fell from the braid it had once been tied back in. This man did not look like an assassin. Theon would know. He'd come face to face with many before.

The thing was, Theon did not care that this man had come to kill him. He only cared about one thing. The information this man withheld. The location of his ward. His daughter. Callisto.

One night, Callisto had left on a hunt, following a trail she hoped would lead to the rebellion. The Ardere, as they liked to call themselves. Theon could only guess that she had found them... or they had found her. Now Aideen had told him that this sorry excuse for a man knew where Callisto was, and Theon would do whatever he had to do to get that information.

"Look at me." Theon's voice echoed across the almost empty throne room. At the doorway stood two guards. To Theon's right stood four of his other wards, Lycus, Eira, Calum and Aspen. Silas had not shown, which was not surprising. To his left stood the King's only child, Conan. Behind the kneeling assassin was Aideen, her chin held high as she wrenched back the man's head so that he stared into the eyes of his King. The rest of the castle was still asleep. "You will tell me where Callisto is."

"I don't know." The man said for what felt like the hundredth time.

"You will die if you do not speak the truth."

"I am not afraid of death, and I cannot help that I cannot tell you where she is."

"Father what if-" Conan started to speak but was silenced with a wave of the King's hand.

"You will be sentenced to a fate worse than death if you do not share what you know." Theon's slender fingers wrapped tightly around the armrests of his throne, and he did all he could to keep his voice from wavering. He had trained the children well- he knew they could get out of almost any situation without assistance. He was starting to worry that Callisto hadn't just been taken captive, he was starting to worry that she was dead.

"Theon, if I may?" Eira stepped forward and beside her, Calum shook his head, blinking, as if just realizing he was no longer in bed. Theon nodded softly and Eira turned to face the assassin, the moonlight bouncing off her long white hair. "This man tried to kill you. He is allied with the people who have taken our sister, whether he knows where she is or not."

"Yes, and what are you suggesting?" Theon sighed. He was tired, and he was stressed, and worried, and scared, and... and he didn't want to face the thought that Callisto could be dead. That this assassin could be toying with him.

"That you and Conan go ahead back to sleep. We will take this parasite down to the dungeon, teach him to fear death." A smile formed on Eira's thin lips, causing the scar along her jaw to stretch, "In the morning, I think you'll find he is more easily persuaded." Before Theon could answer, he heard his son opening his mouth to speak again. With a sharp glare, Conan closed his mouth once more and turned away.

"Eira, I think that is a lovely idea." Theon smiled and looked back at the assassin who was staring at the ground once more. It already looked as though he was dead. He probably wished that he were. "And if one of you wants to get Silas and bring him along, you are welcome to drag him away from whatever company he is entertaining tonight."

"Father can't I-"

"Come, Conan." Theon snapped, getting to his feet, "Off to bed, you aren't to get in the way of the others."

"Father-"

"Conan." Theon didn't often raise his voice, but when he did, Conan was smart enough to know that it was a line he should not cross. So, with a bowed head, he followed his father from the throne room. Both ignored the faint snickers that drifted after them. Theon decided Conan deserved the embarrassment, he knew better. Or he should. Once alone and far from the throne room, Theon stopped to face his son, "How many times do I have to tell you that you are not to interrupt me?"