Page 79 of The Moon's Daughter
Returning to her chambers, she looked forward to seeing Zarian. As she waited for him, she reflected on her father’s address, the rallying cry around King Nizam, and the tangled web of gratitude and resentment ensnaring her heart.
That night, Zarian didn’t visit Layna’s chambers. His footsteps guided him instead to the dark depths of the palace dungeon. The air was thick with the scent of damp stone and the faint, unsettling tang of rust. Moisture clung to the walls, where the light from flickering torches cast shadows that danced with a life of their own. The corridors echoed with the soft drip of water.
In the heart of the dungeon, Lord Varin’s labored breaths and the clinking of his heavy chains filled the cold, dark space. Draped in shadows that swallowed hope itself, he was a sight of defiant misery. The dungeon’s air was thick and stale, as if the very breeze had been banished from its dank, suffocating depths.
Zarian stood before Varin, his silhouette stark against the flickering shadows. His voice resonated with authority, each word echoing off the cold stone walls. “What have you disclosed to Zephyria? Who are you working with? Are there other spies in the palace?” He fired off his questions, his imposing presence nearly filling the entirety of the cramped cell.
Varin’s response was a stubborn silence, his gaze defiant even in captivity. The only sounds were the distant drip of water and the subtle shift of chains as he adjusted his position.
Zarian’s patience wore thin, the muscles in his jaw tensing. He repeated his questions, his voice a notch colder, a sharper edge to his words, demanding a breach in Varin’s armored silence.
Again, the disgraced master of war offered nothing. Zarian’s patience began to fray at the edges. His cold, ominous voice echoed off the cell walls as he spoke, an icy rage burning behind his eyes. “The palace guards have clearly been too gentle with you. You will find none of that lenience with me. For every unanswered question, I will break a finger. Donottest me.”
Varin scoffed. “Do you think more torture will make me talk? You overestimate your methods.” He smirked at Zarian, revealing a new, bloody gap from a missing tooth giving him a gruesome, patchwork smile. He casually leaned back against the wall and waved a dismissive hand.
Undeterred by Varin’s bravado, Zarian pressed on, his voice a cold command. “Who were you reporting to?”
When silence was again the response, Zarian’s patience evaporated. With deliberate calmness, he firmly grasped Varin’s hand. The chilling sound of his index finger snapping was a harrowing note in the stillness of the dungeon.
Varin’s scream, raw and exploding with agony, reverberated off the ancient stones. Gasping for breath, he howled anew as Zarian viciously twisted the bent finger.
The prince waited until Varin’s screams subsided into sharp gasps. “Are you ready to reconsider, or shall we continue?” he asked icily.
Still, Varin remained silent. Gasping for breath, he fought through the pain, a desperate attempt to protect whatever secrets he still held.
Zarian’s expression hardened. “It seems you need further persuasion.” He tightened his grip, clutching Varin’s wrist with one hand while applying excruciating pressure with the other. The bone gave way with a sickening snap, and Varin’s resolve shattered along with it. His scream pierced the heavy air, echoing through the cell.
Zarian twisted the finger until it dangled loosely. Varin’s body convulsed, arms flailing, as he recoiled from the searing pain. His eyes squeezed shut, face contorted in agony, his free hand clawing desperately at the cold, unforgiving stone beneath him.
“Please, no more!” he choked out through gritted teeth, tears streaming down his face.
Zarian flicked the broken finger for good measure, drawing a strangled gasp from Varin. He loosened his grip and fixed an assessing gaze on Varin’s face. “I will ask again. Who were you reporting to?”
“I don’t know!” Varin gasped. “I don’t know his name. He never showed his face. He would just appear like a shadow.”
“What did you tell him?” Zarian pressed.
“Mostly things he already knew. About Shahbaad’s resources. And Bilkaan’s naval fleet,” Varin managed through clenched teeth, his breath still heaving. “He…he was interested in the princess, about her activities, and about…her relationship with you.”
The cold resolve in Zarian’s eyes flickered, replaced with a burning intensity. “And what did you divulge about us?” he asked, his voice a lethal whisper.
Varin’s resolve wavered under Zarian’s fearsome gaze. “Just that…the two of you are clearly together and that she…she feels strongly for you. And you for her.”
Zarian stood motionless, eyes murderous, a statue of restrained fury. Without warning, he grabbed Varin’s thumb. The sound of breaking bone was a sickening crack, followed by Varin’s anguished scream.
“I told him nothing more! By the moon and sun, I swear it!” Varin cried out, tears mingling with sweat as he writhed in pain.
Zarian studied him for a long moment, his expression unreadable, a muscle ticking in his cheek. Then, quietly, he asked, “And Baysaht? What did you tell him about Baysaht?”
“Nothing!” Varin panted, frantically shaking his head. “He hadn’t visited for weeks before you arrested me. Please, I knew nothing of Baysaht’s involvement until it was announced that same day in the council.”
Zarian roughly grabbed Varin’s chin, fingers digging in painfully, his next question a whisper of steel, “Are there other spies within these walls?”
“I—I don’t know,” he stammered, his voice cracking under the strain. Zarian’s grip tightened on his fingers, a silent warning of more pain to come. “Please!” Varin’s voice rang out desperately, “I swear on my life, he told me nothing of others. I was left to grope in the dark, merely a pawn in his game!”
Zarian’s angry gaze remained unyielding. “Tell me more about this man. What do you know of him? What did he offer you?”
Varin, trembling, attempted to gather his wits. “I…I don’t know much, only that he works for Zephyria. He moved like a shadow. I never heard his arrival. And there were never any signs of entry.” He paused, sucking in a shaky breath. “He promised me wealth. To regain the status my family once held…and a position of power after Zephyria conquered Alzahra.”