The King's Lover

Chapter 5

           

Ryder's plan hadn't worked, but that was no surprise.

     He was planning on taking the guard's keys, unlocking his ankle shackle, and then making a break for it, but he hadn't had a full meal in weeks, so when the guard punched him so hard his head hit the wall, it took him longer than usual to get up, and when he did, other guards had come running because of the commotion.

    They'd been gone for a few hours, but Ryder was still bleeding. His cheekbone was scraped up, and one of his eyes was so swollen he could barely see out of it. And that was just the start of his injuries. 

     He was trying to run his fingers through his hair to comb out the dried blood when there was a slight commotion at the jail doors. He wasn't too far away from them, so he probably could have managed to see what was going on, but his ribs hurt too much to stand up and there was an unholy amount of dried blood in his hair.

     Footsteps started to echo down the hall—different than the guards. These were light and quick, completely different than the heavy stride of the guards. They also seemed to be stopping at every cell.

     He closed his eyes when they reached the cell next to him, but he could only make out faint murmurs, and then his cell neighbor started laughing.

     When he opened his eyes, there was a woman standing outside of his cell.

     She obviously wasn't Trilean. Her skin was much darker, and her hair and eyes were both a rich shade of brown, too. Her clothes, told him that she was an outsider—high waisted pants tucked over a sleeveless shirt, both dark navy blue. He spotted the outline of knives strapped to her legs, and her hands hovered near them, easily within reach.

     "Are you a guard?" She asked. Her accent was thick, but he could clearly understand her.

     "Do I look like a guard?" He raised an eyebrow at her before leaning his head back against the wall. He had no idea who she was, but he didn't really care at this point.

     She was still standing there. He'd just closed his eyes when she spoke again.

     "Your queen sends her regards."

     Ryder's eyes shot open as she started to walk away, and then he was across the cell. He'd moved so fast he blacked out for a second, and when his vision cleared, she had paused and was watching him carefully.

     "You know the queen?" He asked breathlessly. "Where is she? Is she safe? How do you know her? Is she—"

     The woman frowned. "I cannot answer your questions when you do not take time to breath."

     He took a deep breath, although it didn't do much to help his spinning head and pounding heart. "Sorry," he said, not really meaning it. "I'm just—where is Juliet?"

     "In one of the sitting rooms," The woman said. "Hiding from her medication."

     Ryder exhaled slowly. "How is she?"

    The woman didn't say anything for a moment, and Ryder's stomach started to fill with dread. Then, softly, she said, "She is mad."

     His heart sank. He'd hoped, all these weeks, that she would be okay. That she would keep her mind while he was gone.

     "You were her guard, then."

     He nodded, forcing himself to focus. "Yes—I'm Ryder."

     "I am Kusy. It is a pleasure to meet you."

     He frowned at the name. "Your name sounds familiar—do you—"