A Princess Torn (Alys Book #2)

Chapter 47

Endolynn's mind whirled to try and think of an escape plan as she was roughly pushed forward by Royce's guards.

But she came up empty.
"Traitor!" Endolynn yelled over her shoulder at Rohesia, but one of the guards shoved her and she was unable to catch Rohesia's reaction.

They moved through halls and down stone stairs, going deeper underground until they hit the dungeons. Endolynn argued the entire time, offering the guards incentives to let her go and pleading with them to help her.

Her words fell on deaf ears.
There were not many people in the dungeons, and Endolynn was shoved into a barred cell completely on her own.
"Do you realize that Royce is running our kingdom into the ground?" Endolynn called after the guards, pushing her body against the bars as she screamed.
The men turned their backs and walked away, unaffected.
Endolynn kicked the bars, frustration taking over her fear.
How am I this stupid?

Defeated, she sat down, crossing her legs. She sat as close to the bars as she could, hoping for an opportunity to sway any guards that would be walking by.

Her hands were still tied behind her back, making escaping even more unlikely.
The dungeon was freezing. The stone walls and ground were slick and moist, much like the servant quarters and dungeons in Tarkam Palace. But this one was definitely colder.
Endolynn knew she had to think of something. Soon, Zaiden, Dastrehan, and their troops would be trying to use the sky tunnels to get into the palace, and Royce would slaughter them all.

She wished she had had the foresight to demand that Zaiden stay behind.
But she also knew that it would be useless; he would never listen. And if he had, he would have spent the rest of his life trying to stop Royce anyway.
Endolynn had no way to tell how much time was passing. The dungeon was deep underground, and the only source of light was from torches on the walls across from the cells.

If only there was some way for her to get word to Krea.

But what would Krea be able to do anyway? Even if she could help, it would put the girl at risk, and Endolynn was not willing to do something like that.

No, she was on her own this time.

After what felt like hours but might only have been one, Endolynn heard steps. She struggled to stand to her feet, needing to balance carefully due to her tied hands behind her back.
She could not see anyone yet, but there were at least several people coming by the number of steps sounding against the stone walls of the staircase that led to this level of the dungeons.
Finally, Rohesia appeared from the doorway, followed by four male guards.
Endolynn locked eyes with her, glaring as menacingly as she could muster. A renewed push of energy surged through her when she saw the icy gaze her former trainer gave her.
She would have given anything to not have her hands tied and to have a good shot at the woman.
Rohesia stopped in front of Endolynn's cell and ordered a guard to open it.
One of the guards stepped forward and unlocked the cell, pulling the door open. Endolynn stayed where she was, still glaring.
"Her Majesty the Queen requires your presence," Rohesia said coolly as she spun on her heel and headed back towards the doorway that would take them up the stairs.
Endolynn sneered at the adoring title and stepped forward, purposely moving slow to cause as much frustration as possible.
"Get moving," the guard who had opened the cell grabbed her arm and pulled her forward.
Endolynn ignored him, stumbling to keep her balance as she followed Rohesia.

As they entered the staircase, two guards moved to either side of the young princess, with the two remaining ones following behind her.
Even if she had been able to conceal a weapon on her and did not have her hands ties, she would never be able to attack and escape in such a position. Fighting on stairs was a bad idea, especially outnumbered.
Knowing she had no way of physically stopping Rohesia, she tried something else.
"You surprise me, Rohesia." Her voice was loud and firm, but the commander ignored her as she continued to climb the stairs. Her long blond hair swished back and forth as she moved, taunting Endolynn.
"You were so devoted to my father," Endolynn continued, pushing to get under Rohesia's skin, "How could you be loyal to the very woman who killed him?"
Was it Endolynn's imagination, or did Rohesia briefly stiffen as she heard the words?
But she remained silent and kept moving forward, indicating that she was unaffected.
"You knew my mother," Endolynn was reaching. Reaching for anything that could penetrate her former trainer's defenses and move her.
"How would she feel about this? That you stood by while her husband and father were murdered, and now you are handing over her children into Royce's hands?"
They got to the top of the set of stairs where there were three options; go to the left or right, or continue up another flight of stairs up into the main levels of the palace.
Endolynn expected them to continue to the palace, but Rohesia turned to the left.
One of the guards almost kept moving forward but corrected with the rest of them.
Endolynn racked her mind for where the hallway they were moving through led to, hoping beyond hope she was wrong.
A minute later, she knew her hopes were in vain.