First, if you've forgotten about Silver, which we would not blame you for, it has been a while, here is the really old blurb-y thing:
Silver Roric is not a spy. At least, not yet. Thrust into a mission that if failed could cost her people the war that has been fought for centuries, she is anything but prepared. Kidnapped by the cruel daemon race, and trapped in a castle where she is nothing more than a prisoner of war, Silver must act as the princess she was taken in place of.
With her sole goal to gather information to be sent to the capital, and gain the trust of as many daemons as she can; Silver’s life is not going as planned. With the kings nephew, the mysterious Sebastian, impervious to her every move and an entire castle out to get her, even the most simplistic mission can seem impossible.
Then Grint comes, a dark human with an even darker past, he is prepared to bring Silver back to the Domanean rebellion; for a price. Silver is once more thrust into an entirely new mission, except this one involves bringing down two kingdoms… From the inside out.
And here is a link to the excerpt from Part 1, to refresh your memories.
And finally, once you are on top of the whole Silver thing, we give you the excerpt!
Also, the first paragraph is a little iffy, but it's more to introduce the council to you guys, since you don't know who's on it or anything, obviously, and haven't read previous scenes with them.
Excerpt:
The council is in session. From my vantage point, I can see Leo at the center of the raised oak table. He is flanked by Karina and Julian, whose eyes bore into the man brought before them. Two of the empty seats from my first encounter with the council have been filled. A young woman with bright red hair sits next to a boy, his own blond hair seemingly windswept despite being underground. The seat beside Grint remains empty. They all watch intently as a man I recognize as one of the many messengers of the resistance, characterized with the dark red sash across his day clothes, lists off the captured man’s crimes.
Their faces are all the same as they glare, stern faced and proud, at the man shackled and kneeling in front of them. The messenger finishes his spiel and they begin to address their captive. My ears strain to hear what is being said, but their words are muffled through the glass. Julian’s face is flushed with anger and his hazel eyes narrow as he speaks. The prisoner doesn’t move or shy away from the harsh words thrown at him, nor does he defend himself against them. His shirt is gone and I can see dark red welts on his back and biceps, oozing blood. Whip marks. A cool breeze drifts into the cavern from above and dances across the back of my tunic, grazing my own ugly scars. The guards behind him watch maliciously, and I realize that this will not be the end of his pain.
I lean down and press my ear against the cool glass in attempt to listen in on the council.
“He has too much information. We must retrieve it.” Karina is talking and I know if I could see her, her brown eyes would be glinting furiously, a searing glare on her pinched face. “We cannot kill him,” She pauses and the silence in the room is suddenly terrifying. Have they heard my heart pounding? My sharp intakes of air? I expect them to look up at any moment or call out my name. “Not yet, at least.” She finishes.
Grint’s familiar voice follows hers as protests fill the air. “She’s right.” The reluctance in his words shows the heaviness his decision holds. “We need to interrogate him.” I hear a chair scrape back, and angry mutterings sound below me. I look down into the room to see Grint walking to the bound man, before pressing my ear once more into the window. “Why are you here?”
When no answer is forthcoming, Grint repeats the question. It is louder and angrier the second time, the snarl in his words echoing throughout the room.
The answering voice is quiet and undistinguishable, but his words still manage to reach my ears. “I am not here to cause you any harm.” A derisive snort sounds below and I frown, still uncomprehending. How can one man harm us when we out number him by the thousands? He’d be dead before he even escaped the building.
“The longer we keep him alive, the more likely he is to escape.” Julian sighs, and I am certain that stress lines decorate his otherworldly face. His hands are surely playing with the long blond hair bound against his neck, the tell-tale sign of his fatigue. “It has been done before. He is too much of a risk. Were he to reveal our location to-”
“Do you really have such little faith in our men, Julian?” Karina interrupts him. “Have you forgotten the pain he has caused us? Every man here has felt the harsh sting of this boy’s actions upon their backs. He would not escape, no matter his royal standing.”
My eyes snap to the boy as her words register. His unkempt black hair, having been unfamiliar just moments ago, now forces the breath from my lungs. I muffle a cry when he lifts his face to stare defiantly at the council. He tries to look fearless, but a strong resolve glitters in his dark eyes. He doesn’t say a single word against them and I want to strangle him. He can’t die. I won’t let him. My hands start to shake.
I pull back, desperation searing through me, and notice the open latch on the window. Without a second thought I pull it upward, barely hearing the loud screeching noise of the rusted metal as it opens. Every pair of eyes is on me now. The shock and anger that fills Grint’s gaze almost burns my skin and I force myself to look away. What consequences will he face for this? I am his responsibility, after all.
Swinging my legs into the opening, I take a deep breath and shove myself off the edge, aiming for the table just slightly in front of me. The whoosh of air and distant thud of my feet upon the council table follow, and it takes a long moment for me to gather my bearings and my breath. At the far end of the council room, I see the guards inch forward, hands on their weapons. A throat clears behind me and they halt; their expressions are hesitant. My feet stumble forward on the firm oak.
A sharp pain shoots up my left leg, but I ignore it as I swivel around to face the council. Karina is standing on the floor beside the table, her overturned chair in pieces behind her. Her eyes hold no mercy. “You can’t kill him.” I say.
From further down the table Julian scoffs. “And why is that?”
I glance at Sebastian and the emotions raging in his eyes shock me. “He doesn’t deserve to die.” I tell them simply. “He has made many mistakes, but he is a good person.”
Leo stands, raising a hand to silence me. “He has stolen you from your home and kept you as his prisoner simply because of your blood. And yet you defend him?”
“I do.” I say.
I see Grint move across the room. He’s angry; angrier than I’ve ever seen him. He is in front of me in seconds, grabbing my arm and pulling me from the table. His grip is tight as he spins me to face Sebastian. His hands rip the back of my tunic up, exposing my scars. “Do you see what he did to her?” He says to the council. He leans down to my ear, but he doesn’t lower his voice. “Do you not remember the state you were in when I came for you?” I swallow, but he doesn’t let go, “You were broken. He broke you.” His voice is filled with betrayal.
I glare at the wall. “He didn’t do this to me.” Tearing my arm from his grip, I pull the loose fabric back down. “He tried to save me.” I can’t help but look to Sebastian. “He doesn’t have the freedom you think he does.”
“How quaint,” Karina sneers. “She’s in love with the precious prince.” Her muddy eyes are full of hate as she spits on the floor near my feet. “She’s probably been under his influence this entire time.”
I look to Grint, my eyes blazing. “He saved your life once.” The council members look to Grint for affirmation. “He could have let us die that night, but he didn’t. Why?”
“Why don’t we ask him?” Leo says from his seat, his voice eerily calm.
Everyone looks to Sebastian, their glares striking him like knives. His gaze meets mine briefly, before returning once more to the floor. He opens his mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. I want to go to him. To tell him everything will be alright, but I’m not sure if it will.
“I-” he starts hesitantly, “I wanted her to be safe.” My breath hitches in my throat. I feel Grint stiffen beside me, a low growl emanating from his throat.
“Why did you come here?” Grint asks through gritted teeth.
Sebastian meets his glare for the first time. “I needed to be sure.”
Grint takes a step towards him. “Sure of what?”
“That I was safe.” I finish, realizing the truth of my words only as I say them.
The suspicion in the air is almost palpable. “He,” Leo nods to Sebastian, “will be held in the prison. Five armed guards are to stand watch around his cell at all hours of the day. We will interrogate him and gain whatever information we can. His fate will be decided at another time,” his cool eyes fall on me as he speaks his last words, “by the council only.”
I hope you liked it! If you have question, well, considering this is mid-novel... third-novel?, feel free to ask, and please, please, please, give us your opinion. :)
-H
I really like it and I can't wait to read it!! :D
ReplyDelete-kamie