“I am alive. Or something close to it.”
Kippenger’s voice became louder. “I’ll ask you again, Jaron. Why is your army on that bluff?”
I set my jaw forward, but said nothing. Kippenger used my silence as a reason to backhand Tobias with a force I knew would leave its mark. Tobias yelped in pain, then collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
The vigils grabbed his arms to lift him again, but Kippenger said, “What’s the point now? We’ll wait until he wakes up, so Jaron can hear his cries.”
They manacled Tobias to another set of chains across from me and left him with his face half buried in the cold mud. Kippenger pointed at him, warning that if I didn’t cooperate, he would do the same to Tobias as he had to Imogen.
When Kippenger and his men left, I softly called out Tobias’s name again. He only stirred at first, but I called to him once more, louder the second time.
Without opening his eyes, he whispered, “Is it safe?”
I coughed out a quiet laugh. “Of course not. You know where we are, don’t you?”
Now Tobias opened his eyes and maneuvered his way to a seated position. “How’d you know I was awake?”
“People who’ve fainted don’t peek when they think no one’s watching.” He half smiled back at me, and then, with more seriousness, I added, “You thought I was dead?”
He nodded somberly. “They’re parading your clothes around for everyone to see, ripped and covered in blood. They hope it’ll discourage your people from fighting.”
With a humph, I said, “Well, as you can plainly see, I’m not nearly as dead as Avenia claims.”
“You don’t look far from it.”
I liked his joke, but in truth, I didn’t feel far from it either.
“Were Mott and Imogen able to escape, then?”
Answering was harder than I had thought it would be, and I had to force the words out. “There’s been no word on Mott since I came. I haven’t dared ask about him. Imogen didn’t . . . isn’t . . .”
Tobias nodded and opened his mouth to say something, then closed it. Whatever he was going to say, condolences, or pity, or further questions, I didn’t want any of it. So before he could change his mind, I closed my eyes to rest them and then asked, “Where are Amarinda and Fink? Please tell me they made it to Bymar.”
The silence was long enough that it forced me to look at Tobias again. He was shaking his head. “We got past the border guards without too much problem. They took most of the food, but let our driver pass through. We were almost to Isel when a group of thieves attacked the carriage. There wasn’t time to get back into the holding below, so when an opportunity came, we ran and hid near the road while our driver held them off. A group of Avenian soldiers was passing and heard the commotion. They captured a few of the thieves and our driver. The thieves told them about our having escaped, and the soldiers soon realized our carriage might have held the princess. They ordered our driver to talk, but he only expressed his allegiance to Carthya and refused to answer any further questions.”
I shook my head. Loyalty was invaluable, but amongst those soldiers, it meant that I already knew how that man’s story had ended.
I didn’t move. Not until his vigil, a brute the others called Terrowic, pulled out his sword and ordered me to climb up for the coin. It hurt to rise to my feet, but I figured that sword would be worse.
The earth surrounding me was soft in some places, but there were also roots and other embedded rocks that could provide holds to help me reach the coin. I still doubted whether I could reach it — if the chains didn’t pull me down, my weaker leg would surely fail me.
After another of Terrowic’s threats, I dug my fingers into the dirt to grab a root, and made my feet climb. The instant I did, Terrowic struck the back of my legs with the broad side of his sword.
I lost my grip and fell backward to the ground. Terrowic stood over me and laughed, then Kippenger ordered me to climb again. After a few more threats I got back to my feet, but climbed no farther before Terrowic hit my legs again. This happened a third time as well, but by the fourth, I only rolled to face the walls and ignored them. Kippenger didn’t take too kindly to my refusal, but I was his prisoner, not his entertainment. I would not play these games.
Kippenger leaned over me as I lay on the ground. “They call you the Ascendant King. So climb. Rise up and get that coin.”
“Remove the chains.”
He laughed, mocking me. “Ah, but that’s just the point, isn’t it? You will never be free of those chains. You cannot reach that coin. You can’t even stand unless I allow it. If a single garlin is beyond your reach, then how can you ever reach freedom? You will never rise again.”
I turned to look at the coin once more and then closed my eyes. Maybe he was right.
By the next day, Kippenger had forgotten about the coin. But he returned with a new strategy. The same woman who had washed me a couple of days earlier came in with a bowl of soup. Kippenger followed her in and ordered me to eat it. I didn’t even look at him until he ordered two other soldiers into the room. One held a stiff rod. I readied myself for more punishment, but instead he ordered the woman to turn and lean against the wall. She gasped in fear and looked at me.
Immediately, the bowl was in my hands. “Let her leave. I’ll eat.” To prove my sincerity I took a sip. Perhaps it was only because I had become so hungry, but the soup tasted like a gift from the saints. I intended to finish it all, and if he offered more, I’d accept it.
Much as I wished things could be different for me, Imogen had been right before: I could not give up here. I had to make the choice to live.