The Prince of Zammar

From the Ashes - Chapter One

PROLOGUE

What? Why would they throw the captain of Jalen’s guard in a cell?

“What happened back there?”

Sadie heard Kadar sigh from the next cell over. “We’ve been set up,” he replied in disgust.

She pressed back against the wall and closed her eyes. “Tell me. Tell me everything.” 

ONE

The coolness of the stone wall at her back seeped into Sadie’s clothes and chilled her skin. Silence fell, only broken by the sound of water dripping somewhere out of sight, and she wondered if Kadar would answer her question. She was about to call out to him, unable to stand the oppressive atmosphere, when she heard him shift his weight around, as if looking for a more comfortable position.

“What is the last thing you were aware of?” he finally asked.

“Shortly after I sat next to Jalen. The curse reacted strongly to my energy, and it took a lot of concentration not to be swept away.”

“Then, by my estimation, when you were halfway through the healing there was a commotion in the hallway,” Kadar began. “My men attempted to handle the issue on their own. Due to your warning, none of them wished to open the door and interrupt for fear something would go wrong. But when the noise became a scuffle, I went to investigate.”

He stopped, and she prompted him to continue. “Who was fighting?”

“The queen’s men. They outmanned us three to one.” He sounded like he had just eaten a particularly sour lemon and didn’t much like the taste of it.

Sadie sucked in a breath. “The queen’s men? But why would they attack?”

“At first, it was too chaotic to determine the accusations.” Even though a stone wall separated them, Sadie heard flesh smack a wooden door. A fist? “A dry hell! The one thing I heard clearly was ‘get the witch!’” Kadar paused. “I’m sorry, Sadie.”

“Kadar?”

“The queen arrived with her attendants. She ordered us to stop. None of my men wanted to, but we had no choice if we wanted to keep our heads. We had to step aside and let her enter the room.” She heard a second, softer thud against the door next to hers, as if he had hit his head against it. “I still tried to stop her highness when she ordered you torn from Jalen’s side.”

The sensation of rough hands pulling her back made sense now. So did her nausea and the explosion she faintly remembered. They had broken the connection before she’d properly severed contact. The rush of power from the backlash must have been a sight to behold.

“The subsequent flash of light blinded everyone for several moments,” Kadar added when she didn’t say anything.

“And the men who touched me?”

“They had to lock several of them in cells down the hall. They were giddy. Euphoric. Uncontrolled. And until a few moments ago, they could be heard laughing and carrying on about how much they loved each other.”

In spite of their grim situation, Sadie had to snort at the image Kadar’s words painted of the usually stoic soldiers. “They should be fine after a few more hours of rest.” She shook her head. “They were incredibly lucky. If I truly had been doing Jalen harm, they wouldn’t have survived.”

Kadar didn’t reply. After a moment, Sadie asked, “What happened next?”

“It knocked you unconscious, and you were dragged from Jalen’s side. The queen claimed you were a witch intent on finishing off what the curse had started, and her men’s intoxication seemed to prove it.” Kadar sighed.