Irresistible

Chapter 14

The first part of the plan involved letting Jade meet with Ivy under the ruse of interrogating her. During that time alone with Ivy, it was imperative that she gained her trust and explain their plan to rescue her.

On the way to the dungeon, Jade couldn't help but notice how tense Alec appeared to be. "Alec, are you all right?" "Yes, I'm fine." "You look extremely ... angry." He suddenly stopped and reached for her "I don't want anything to happen to you, Jade." He said while gripping her shoulders, his hold fierce, protective. He was hurting her, but she knew if she told him that, he would feel terrible. So she kept quiet and gently pulled his hands away and held on to them. "Nothing's going to happen to me." "I'm going to protect you." "Yes, you are," she agreed. "And I must protect Ivy."

He raised an eyebrow. "Why?" he asked. "Because I'm the reason she was captured; I feel responsible for her now, I can't explain why only that I do." She answered and he could see that she had her mind set on believing she was solely responsible for Ivy's current state of imprisonment. He also knew that there was no use in arguing the point that they had no way of knowing if Ivy would have been captured with or without her interference and that the girl had known the risks involved with a direct attack on the council members. He just put his arm around her shoulders and said "Come on. Let's get this over with." And led her to the dungeons.

She was relieved to see that the dungeons at Chryseos Keep were not as damp and rat-infested as she had feared. Dark, indeed, it would have been, were it not for the lanterns flickering light that cast strange shadows upon the walls. She could see that there were two guards up ahead. They were posted outside a single cell door that she knew belonged to Ivy. Alec had explained earlier that Ivy was the only prisoner currently residing in the dungeons. What he left unsaid she was able to determine on her own. Prisoners didn't last in Draconspire under the cruel leadership of the Council.

"Stand aside and let the Princess pass. She needs to speak with the prisoner." Alec commanded and the guards moved to do his bidding. Once the cell door was unlocked and opened Jade moved to enter but was stopped by Alec. "You have thirty minutes to interrogate the girl, should you have a need of me you only have to call out. I will be right here." He stated intentionally loud enough for the guards to overhear. Jade simply nodded a response and stepped into the dark cell and Alec closed it behind her.

The cell was tiny and had no window, only a grating in the ceiling that opened up to the sky above. Jade scanned the room looking for Ivy and found the poor girl sitting on the wooden bunk in the corner. She looked ragged and dirty and boasted a bruised cheek and split lip but otherwise looked unharmed.

She glared up at Jade and said. "So the witch has come to torture me after all. I was beginning to think you weren't coming." Jade took out her wand and quickly chanted Vengeendio Demas causing a plain, maroon blaze of sparks to shoot from the tip of her wand. She waved it around the room until she was assured the spell was cast. Then she turned back to Ivy and explained, "It creates a magical barrier that prevents us from being overheard."

"Don't want the others to hear my screams?" she asked sarcastically but Jade could see she was confused. "Despite what you think I am here to help you," Jade said trying to get right to the point. She needed this girl to trust her, and they didn't have much time. "Right! You're the reason I'm here, to begin with! Your just another one of the council's puppets!" she accused. "Why would I ever believe you would help me?" she questioned.

"It's true I stopped the attack on the council. But not out of some sense of loyalty to them; you have to understand I was only trying to save lives that day and it was your party that was brandishing the weapons that day. I am an outsider here, I don't stand for any side, rather I stand for doing what I know is the right thing, whatever the case may be. I want to help you escape. I won't allow them to execute you, Ivy, you have my word. We don't have much time and we have a lot to go over."