Dragon Blood [Alonia's Queenslayer #2]

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However, she'd give both arms for her friends to get out of this unscathed. But their escape was unlikely, especially with Eli in agony, and Helios being tortured next to them.

"Listen to me, Eli," Lyari said, and Eli focused on him. "Just practice what I tell you, so we can try this tomorrow. If we fail, we will die, so you really need to try, even though you're in pain."

Eli nodded, her resolve strengthening. She had to do this. For everybody. "I'll do it."

***

They knew it was day when the Head Priestess came to their cell again, this time accompanied by five guards.

She had brought Helios back to them after two hours of screaming, and he came back with several gashes, both black eye, and missing every single fingernail. Apart from that, he seemed okay, and he remained quiet and smiling, probably to reassure Blaed more than anything. Blaed was determined to escape, and claimed that he would be ready at the moment's notice, that he could take all the guards down himself. Eli doubted that, but she appreciated his resolve. Lyari was calm, calmer than she should've been. And Eli was nervous. She was so terrified that she would fail that she was physically shaking, sweating, her heartbeat doing crazy somersaults.

She only got one shot at this.

The guards took each of them by their bound wrists and pushed them in front. Eli was first, right behind the Head Priestess, and Helios was last, behind Lyari. They led them up a long flight of stairs, and Eli got blinded for a moment as she got used to sunlight.

Each step brought another wave of pain to her eye, and it was taking all her strength to keep on walking. She wasn't sure if she'd able to run away if she managed to escape, with the condition she was in. But at least her friends would escape. If she managed to do her part...

Eli couldn't be aware of their surroundings. The only thing she was aware of was her pain, and looking around with only one eye was difficult and strange, and she had a feeling the world had lost a dimension. Things in the distance seemed huddled together, she couldn't tell what was in front of what. She felt like she would trip and fall at any moment.

The guards led them through the main street of the city, and people were already beginning to gather around them, yelling and booing and even throwing things. Eli got hit with a rotten tomato in the shoulder, and it gave off a horrid stench.

They stopped once they reached a plaza near the sea, a large open space that otherwise seemed like a pleasant place to gather, but now.... People were gathered around it in hordes, with guards standing one next to another in all four corners, keeping the raging populace away. That wasn't the scariest part; it was the five long, wooden stakes surrounded by branches and firewood that were standing in a circle in the middle.

They were going to burn them alive.

Eli's knees gave out from under her at the pure terror she felt when she imagined hot fire consuming her body, peeling away her flesh, until she turned into a crisp. The guard that was holding her hoisted her back to her feet and gave her a strong push.

They had all expected to be either hanged or get their head chopped off. They didn't plan for getting burned alive.

Eli was trying to whirr her brain to come up with something, to adapt their plan to this situation, but her fear and the pain she felt were keeping her brain from formulating any coherent thoughts. She didn't come up with anything as she watched her friends get tied up, not even when she got tied up alongside them. They were all facing each other as the crowd booed.

The queen herself approached soon, pulling out a long scroll. She stood fairly far away from the stakes. The Priestess was next to her, holding a flaming torch. Eli shivered at the sight.