LOGINChapter 14: The Cell of Cold Stone"Where have you been all day, you useless, good-for-nothing girl?"Silas’s roar rattled the small forge, the sound vibrating through the heavy iron tools hanging on the lime-washed walls. He didn't wait for an answer. He raised his arm, and the coiled leather strap came down with a dull, wet crack across Lyra’s shoulder.Pain exploded down her back, so sharp and intense it stole the air right out of her lungs. Lyra dropped to her knees, her elbows hitting the dirt floor with a heavy thud. She wrapped her arms tight around her stomach, pressing her forehead into the cold ground, biting her bloody lip to keep from screaming out.Silas stepped closer, his boots kicking dirt over her hands. "I asked you a question! You slip out the side window like a thief, leave the work undone, and wander around the square while the whole town talks? Who touched you in those woods?"He pulled his arm back to strike her again, the thick leather cutting through the air w
"You mean the ruthless Alpha King? Are you out of your mind?"Garrick’s laughter cut through her chest like a rusty blade. He leaned forward on his crate, wiping tears of dark humor from his eyes, his dry lips curling up into an ugly sneer. He shook his head, his chest wheezing as he struggled to catch his breath under the morning sun."The man you speak about died a long time ago," the old hunter rasped, pointing his bone-handled knife directly at her chest. "He was put in the ground before you were even born, girl. Slain in the great war up on the high crags. His throne is ash. His bloodline is dead."Lyra shrank back, her fingers clutching the edge of her wool shawl. The stone steps under her boots felt like they were tilting under her feet. Her knees trembled so hard she had to reach out and steady herself against the cold stone pillar of the town hall."No... Garrick, listen to me," she whispered, her throat dry and raspy. "I saw him. He was breathing. His hand was on my throat..
The slap came without warning.Her head snapped sideways. The blow knocked her clean off her feet, sending her down onto the dusty floor. Her hip hit an iron bar on the way down, a sharp pain shooting right up her side. Blood pooled in her mouth where her teeth sliced her inner cheek.Lyra didn't move. She stayed on the dirt, hand pressed flat against her face while the skin burned.Silas stood over her, breathing heavy through his nose. His shirt was dirty with soot. He pointed a thick finger at her nose, eyes bloodshot."I am going down to the lower gate to speak with Eli," he said. His voice sounded like stones grinding together. "When I return, make sure you are ready to speak the truth. You tell me who took you into those woods, or I will break a broom handle over your back."He snatched his heavy coat off the wall hook and kicked the front door open. It slammed shut behind him so hard the iron tongs hanging near the hearth rattled on their pegs.A second later, the pantry door o
"Who did this to you, girl?"Old Dan pulled the leather reins back hard. His mule stopped dead on the dirt path, the wooden wheels of the cart grinding through loose stones before settling into the deep mud ruts. He leaned forward over his knees and stared down the slope through the morning fog, his face screwed up as he watched the shape stumbling down the path.Lyra stopped dead in her tracks. Her boots were caked in heavy black mud, making every step feel like pulling rocks out of a swamp. She reached up with a hand that would not stop shaking and pulled her woolen wrap higher around her throat. But the rough edges of the cloth rubbed right against the swollen, dark marks on her skin, and a sharp sting ran down her shoulder."I fell," she said. Her voice sounded thin, almost like dry paper tearing."Fell where?" Dan climbed down off the high wooden bench. His boots hit the dirt with a heavy thud that shook his whole frame. He walked up to her, his dark eyes looking at her torn skir
"You left me naked in the dirt..."Lyra said the words right out loud to the empty clearing, but her voice was weak, breaking apart in her throat before it could even reach the nearby trees.She sat completely alone in the cold mud, clutching the shredded pieces of her cloth dress against her stomach. The morning fog hung thick and heavy around her, sticking to her damp skin like a blanket of ice. Everything hurt. A dull, heavy throb pulsed deep between her hips, spreading outward through her lower back and down into her legs. It was a deep, bone-tired ache that made every tiny breath feel heavy and sharp.She turned her head to scan the quiet forest again, half-hoping to see a shadow move between the tall pine trees, but there was nothing. No footsteps echoed on the trail. No heavy breathing broke the quiet. No massive man was walking back through the brush to claim her or see if she was still breathing.He was really gone. Valerius had vanished like a ghost the moment the sun began
"Where did you go?"Lyra’s voice was barely a whisper. The cold morning air swallowed her words right away.Her eyelids were heavy and stiff from crying all night. A pale gray light crept through the tall pine trees, making the woods look grim and lifeless. The morning cold bit deep into her skin. She shivered so hard her teeth rattled.She was lying on her stomach in the wet grass. Every muscle in her legs and back ached with a deep, throbbing pain. Her skin felt tight and filthy, covered in dried mud, sweat, and flaking blood from the night before.She reached out her right hand without opening her eyes.Her fingers dragged across the ground, looking for the warm, heavy body that had held her down for hours. She thought she would feel his broad shoulder or his hot chest. She thought she would hear that weird, terrifying double heartbeat pounding against her ear, or feel his hard fingers grab her waist to pull her back down.Her palm touched nothing but cold, wet dirt.Lyra’s breath







