Page 197 of Scourged

Alarm bells again rang through Andrian’s skull.

“Mariah—” He tried to whisper to her, to capture her attention.

But she was too set on her mission. She strode toward the doors, passing beneath the arching entrance, following too closely behind that ferret of a man who Andrian wanted nothing more than to sink his blade into his gut.

And, of course, because he would follow her into death itself, Andrian had no choice but to stalk after her, shadows clawing at him to go anywhere else but into that castle.

The heavy doors closed behind them with a thud. Ellis faced them, hands clasped behind his back, a sneer still plastered on his face. “Your weapons.”

Andrian’s hands tightened into fists. Something felt off within the walls of the castle, as if there were unfamiliar shadows grasping at his own.

He really,reallyfucking hoped Mariah didn’t turn over her weapons. Because that would mean he would, too.

Mariah regarded the contemptuous guard with her own icy expression. “No.”

Andrian’s shoulders sagged with relief. He watched Ellis, waiting for his reaction.

But none came. Ellis merely shrugged, almost nonchalantly.

It only added to Andrian’s feelings of wrongness about this place.

“Suit yourselves,” Ellis said, giving them a cool smile. “Follow me, please.” He turned on his heel and strode away, not bothering to see if they followed.

Mariah shot Andrian a glance, her mask slipping for a moment to reveal her confusion. He gave her the slightest shake of his head.

He didn’t understand it either, but what choice did they have? At least they still had their weapons and their magic.

They were led down long, winding corridors. A well-decorated receiving room. A spacious meeting hall. They walked and walked and walked.

Andrian’s trepidation crept in further with each step. It lurked over his shoulder, his shadows whispering against the back of his neck.

This wasn’t right. Something wasn’t right.

He felt for the bond. Latched onto it, like a lifeline.

When he did, he received one feeling back.

Dread.

Not terror. Not panic. Only a deep, grating sense of foreboding, an awareness telling them something was wrong. That it should not have taken so long to reach their destination.

Andrian pulled back from the bond and glanced around the hallway. He’d been to Khento before. Just a few months ago, yes, but he hardly remembered those days.

No, most of his memories of Khento were from his childhood. From the few trips his father had made to visit Lord Shawth, the few times Andrian had glimpsed more of their kingdom, paraded around like a prized horse for his father to flaunt before the other lords.

And this hallway … it was familiar. Not just from his childhood, either.

They’d walked this way before, only a few minutes ago.

His mind reached blindly for Mariah, the warning that raced through him shoving its way down the bond. She faltered—a small misstep, slight enough to be masked by a shortened stride. She glanced at him, a question in her eyes.

“Been here before.”He mouthed the words and forced them across the bond.

Mariah scanned the hallway, and he knew she’d gotten the message. She leveled a hard stare at the back of Ellis’s head, her body tense with fury.

Fast as lightning, she drew her short-swords, magic dancing around her fingertips and down the blades. Ellis stopped at the sound of steel slipping free from sheaths. He turned slowly, looking bored.

“Your Majesty?” His tone was so insolent, it took all Andrian’s control to not rip his vocal cords from his neck.