The feared Crimson King

36. Sermons plan

*Prince Jaxons POV*

At dinner uncle Sermon and Theo didn't get on well. Theo wasn't eating, only drinking and uncle Sermon was giving his best to start conversation.

"Tell me, dear Nephew. When do I get to meet your enchanting bonded?"

Theo ignores him and takes another swig. He's never liked uncle Sermon, and in addition Theos in a real bad mood. I'd been wondering where Alice was too but no one could tell me anything. I'd thought that maybe she'd gone to visit her family in Lyria but I doubt it's possible for her to cross the borders during this war.

"Aren't you going to speak with me?"

"Not in the mood." Theo says, his eyes dull.

"Don't tell me you and your mated are in a fight?" Uncle Sermon pushes sounding almost spiteful.

"Something like that."  I know Theos only answering out of politeness.

"Well, if that's the case, why don't you ask for one of your lovely maiden servants for some company? I definitely wouldn't mind one of them warming my bed." Uncle Sermon looks at one of the servant girls holding a jug.
She quickly averts her eyes.

I furrow my brows at uncle Sermons behavior.

Theodore gets up and storms of before gritting and excusing himself.

Sermon wasn't like this when I visited him, maybe he's had a bad day...

Hours later I wake up, gasping for air. I cling my hand to my chest. It hurts! I try to breathe as I slowly realize that something bad is about to happen. Panting I throw my blanket off me and start to the door. Somethings very wrong!

I need to go see Theo and warn him! I grab my chest tightly trying to deal with the pain. It burns heavily.

I was about to turn a corner when I hear something alarming. "Lord Sermon is distracting the King, we need to find the prince! Sermon wants him alive!" A deep voice I've never heard before commands. "Where do we find him?" Another male voice asks.

"Sermon didn't say. You go that way and we'll go this way and remember, if someone sees you, kill them! We don't want the whole castle to know we're here."

Adrenaline rushes through my veins like a wildfire, as I turn and run as fast a my feet can go. I don't think about where I'm going. Uncle Sermon is attacking us! I need to find somewhere to hide and then figure out how to get to Theo. Mother! Father! If you're listening, please, please help us!

I turn a corner and remember there being a secret passage in the grand study. I check around every corner to see if anyone's there. Suddenly I hear steps coming my way. I step back and hide behind the wall. "The princes chamber is empty! Someone find that brat!"

They run up to the grand study. Darn! Someone else starts coming from behind me and I take off. What do I do. I hurry down the stairs to the dungeon and quickly open and close the door. I gasp for air trying to listen, to anyone coming my way. My chest has eased up a bit, when a shiver crawls down my spine. The dungeons.

I try to keep calm. It's dark and terrifying. The smell of rust and mold surrounds me. I just need to hide here for a bit. That's when I hear voices behind me starting down the stairs to the dungeons and I quickly run around a corner. I wait there silently while the door swings open. "This is the dungeon, you idiot." I hear someone whisper-shout before the door is pulled shut again.

I exhale being relieved that no one found me, before I hear a faint whisper. I look around but don't see anyone. "Jaxon?" I hear again.

Alice! "Where are you?" I whisper back. "Here." I hand waves out of one of the cells. "Oh, thank god." I run to her cell.

"What are you doing here?" I ask.

"Let's just say, me and King Theodore had a fight..." she mumbles. Her head is bandages and her dress dirty. "Theo did this?"

She looks away and doesn't answer. "Alice?"

"Yes?"

"Do you love Theo?"

Her eyes widen, sorrow and hurt clearly visible.

"I do." She finally answers.

"Even though he did this to you?"

She sighs. "I lied to him, and I doubt he'll ever speak to me again... but that doesn't change the way I feel about him."

"Wait here." I turn and walk back to the  entrance door of this prison. The keys are all neatly hanging next to each other. I find the one with the right number on it and walk back to Alices cell.

"You're letting me out?" She whispers.

It is my intention to let her out, but a moment of doubt stops me. Could she be working together with Sermon? I shake it off. The Alice I know isn't like that. I fidget with the key before finally unlocking it.

"I don't want you to get in trouble with your brother." She says still sitting in her cell.

"Theos in danger!" Tears cloud my vision as I fall into Alice's arms. The adrenaline is wearing of and the seriousness of the situation suddenly hits me.

"What?"

I start sobbing, not being able to bear the thought of loosing the only family I had left. Not Theo.

"Shhh." Alice gently strokes my hair. "It's okay, Jaxon. How about you tell me what's going on?"

"They- uncle Sermon is planning on killing me and Theo, I think. I don't know what's going on, I ran away."

"Is that why you're here? Where's your brother now?" Alice asks alarmed.

"Yes, I don't know." I sob whipping my face in her dress.

"It's oka-" the door to the dungeon swings open, and Alice grabs me and pulls me into her cell. Foot steps start walking down the stairs. They're going to find me! Alice slowly and silently pulls the bars back shut to make it look like the cell is locked. She gives me the key and points for me to get into the corner. I don't know what's going on as she lifts some hay of the ground. I try to make myself as small a possible before she covers me in hay completely.

"There's no way that the prince would be in here." A voice says frustratedly.

"Shut up, if we don't find him soon, Sermon can't kill the King, and he'll probably let it out on us."

I shut my eyes, ignoring the itchy hay covering my body. The hall lights up as they look through the cells and I try my best to be quiet. It feels like my heart is beating to loudly that they could hear it if they tried. I hold my breath as I see a torch being held close to the cell.