Warden (Blade Asunder Book 3) by Jon Kiln Page B

share your room. How kind of our Empress to allow that, do you not agree?”
    “If you think I will kneel to the likes of you, traitor, then think again,” Myriam spat at him. She would personally take off this creature’s head, if only she had a weapon. “I want answers about Ganry. Why have you taken him prisoner?”
    “Come now, Queen Myriam, you know full well why. His and Perseus’s actions in the royal chamber highlight the need to keep them restrained,” Ghaffar replied, quite content with his reasoning. “We cannot be having any disturbances once we get started.”
    “Start what? What is it that you are about to start?” Myriam quizzed. “Why exactly have you tricked us to come to this wretched place?”
    “This is my home and it is where you and your family will live out your days, so I’d advise you to get used to it. If you behave, we will keep you comfortable and allow you some freedom. All we ask in return is that you supply my Empress with your royal blood. Not too difficult a task, now that there are four of you.”
    As he finished speaking the door opened. Linz and Hendon walked in, with guards behind them pushing them on. Myriam ran to them both and hugged each one.
    “I’m so glad you’re both safe,” she cried, tears now involuntarily running down her cheeks.
    Linz wiped a tear away and looked into her eyes. It was not sadness that he saw in Myriam’s face, but determination.
    “I’m so sorry, Linz, that I brought you to this gruesome place,” she sobbed onto his shoulder.
    “I will leave you to console one another,” Ghaffar spoke. “You should be grateful that my Empress is so generous to allow you all to converse.” With that, he quickly turned and marched out of the room.
    Myriam stopped her false tears. “I swear I will personally kill that creature,” she promised. “We were right, they are wanting to feed from our bloodline. It must be what keeps the Empress alive. They intend to keep us for her for as long as possible, by taking a small amount from each of us in turn, so we stay healthy. They must have bled my poor grandmother dry,” she said, her anger boiling.
    “I could find a weapon and ambush them as they come into the room, Myriam,” Linz offered. “You never know, the confusion might open up an opportunity for us to escape and take our chances in the city.”
    “Linz, you are such a brave one, but no. I do believe that Perseus may our way out of this place. I don’t know why, but I feel he came here for another reason and not just to bring me to my grandmother.”
    “It’s a pity they took our daggers and rings,” Linz said. “If we put the Berghein stones together we might have been strong enough to make an escape attempt.”
    “No,” Hendon joined in the conversation. “Barnaby informs me that they are the keepers of these stones. They gave them to our ancestors in their hatred of the dragons. Then they cowardly sat back while our ancestors battled with the dragons. The Akkedis Empress allowed our family to keep these stones so she could spy on us through them. She has been kept alive by the lake men. Ghaffar, along with the Rooggaru, have been siphoning blood from our people to bring back to her.”
    Hendon cocked his head sideways, holding the staff close to his ear as though it were actually speaking to him physically. He nodded and muttered something unintelligible before continuing. “Barnaby also says that once all the stones were found and put together, this increased the power of the D’Anjue family and eroded the magic of the Akkedis Empress. She is weakened to a point of no return, and so she is dying. The only way to keep her alive now is with the untainted D’Anjue blood. The lake men’s blood has become too weak for her needs. We are still linked to the royal family bloodline, so our blood is stronger and will keep her alive longer. For now, she does not need much but it will get worse. She will require more and more as time goes by.