Page 99 of Consumed By Fire

“The—” the prince starts to say.

Octane butts in. “I need to speak to the king and right away. I have something important to tell him,” he says to the general before his gaze darts to Prince Ice.

The prince frowns. He turns and looks at Octane. “What are you doing?”

“Please,” Octane implores the general. “I have important information that the king will want to hear.” He gives Ice a dirty look.

“Think very carefully about how you tread,” the prince says in a clipped tone. “This could end badly for you.”

Several guards enter the cell. They force Octane onto his knees. Two unsheathe their swords, putting the blades to his throat.

“I need to speak with the king. You might be interested in the feed from that camera,” he says to the general. His eyes move to a CCTV camera in the corner of the cell. “You’re going to want to hear about the offer the prince just made me.”

The prince starts laughing. It’s jovial and yet…cruel, lifting gooseflesh on my arms. “I’m afraid that camera has been glitchy as of late. It probably didn’t record the conversation we just had. I’d be surprised if it did. It makes no difference to me either way because there is nothing incriminating on that tape.” He glares at Octane.

“I need to speak with your king,” Octane asks the general again. “Please!”

Prince Ice snorts. “You will not be permitted to get anywhere near our beloved king. No! Let’s put him in solitary confinement. He tried to kill me.” The prince is pointing at Octane. “For that, the penalty is death.”

“No!” I scream.

What just happened? One minute, we were getting out, and the next, Octane surrendered. Why? There has to be a reason. There’s none that I can see.

“I need to see the king!” Octane yells at the general, who has said nothing through this entire exchange. “Please.”

“What? So that you can turn your claws on him, too? I don’t think so, Draiger,” the prince shouts. “Guards, take him. Lock him up. Tomorrow at dawn, I will behead him myself.” He smiles.

This can’t be happening.

I am hauled away before I can say anything.

I hear Octane begging to see the king, but someone silences him with a kick or a punch. I hear the thud and his answering grunt.

I can’t believe this is happening. I feel helpless to stop it. I wish I knew what was going through Octane’s mind.

31

Octane

This is it!

It’s the day I die.

I can’t say that I would have done things differently. At least I can go to my grave with my head held high. Then again, I won’t have a head. If it had been any other day, I would have laughed about that one.

I’m not in a laughing mood.

I’m stuck in this tiny cell. There isn’t even a window. I didn’t think I’d miss the bars, but I do. Solid walls and a metal door are infinitely worse. I tried calling out for a while after they put me in here, but I have long since given up. No one is coming. This is it. I will more than likely never see Trinity again.

At least, I hope I don’t see her again because if I do, that means she will be at my execution.

The slot at the bottom of the door is opened, and my untouched tray of food is removed. I didn’t feel like breakfast, even if the food had looked and smelled good. Knowing that you’re going to die soon will put a damper on any person’s appetite. Also, knowing that a prick like the Prince is going to get to continue breathing pisses me the hell off. In hindsight, I might have made the wrong decision by letting him go. Why would they ever let me have an audience with the king? I thought if I let him go, in a gesture of goodwill, they would have allowed it. I see now that my thinking was flawed.

Ice is right; they will never believe a word I have to say. I wish I could turn back time. I’d use Ice to help us escape, and then I’d slit his throat, anyway. Except that, a move like that would have clouded the king’s mind regarding Draig Dragons. He is after peace, but that might have all changed in that moment.

It would have.

I wish there was a way that I could out that piece-of-shit prince. My ears are still ringing with the things he said. Turns out that my gut was right on the damned money. I was right to be cautious. As soon as he started talking, all the pieces of the puzzle came together. I haven’t had a chance to tell anyone about his evil-as-fuck plans. I know for a fact that he left out a whole lot of them. I will tell everyone today before he cuts my head from my shoulders. I will make sure that they know. I realize that chances are no one will believe me, but I have to try. Even if it means planting a seed. It might not save me. In fact, the opposite is true, but I have to try.