Caged Heart

Chapter 23

A scream echoed throughout the dungeon hall.

Emerson removed the shocking device from Julius's neck, leaning down to his ear. "This will end once you tell me who hired you; that's all you have to do."

Again, the prisoner shook his head, tears streaming down his cheeks, and again the device was put on the same spot. Serenity wished to look away from the scene, but she could not tear her eyes away. She hated the sound of the screams coming from Julius; however, she could not help but to enjoy his suffering if only a little bit. He and George had caused her pain, so why couldn't she—and, by proxy, Emerson—cause them pain as well?

Emerson removed the device once more, grabbing his face to make him meet his eyes, "Talk, Julius. Now."

Julius whimpered, sweat dripping down his forehead, "He made me swear—made us both swear—to never—"

"You really think a spoken oath of loyalty means anything to him? He is leaving you in here to rot along with me, you idiots. Just because I am the one being punished for the hiring does not mean that you two are off the hook. You will either die or be locked up in here for the rest of your lives. Is that what you want?"

"I can't."

"Can't or won't?" Emerson asked. He waited for the answer, but it never came. He sighed and clicked his tongue, "Very well then." Moving the device to Julius's chest, he positioned it over his heart and upped the voltage, grabbing his hair to pull his head back so he could get close to his ear, "Once I push the button, the shock you feel will be enough to kill you. You have three seconds to tell me who ordered you both to kill the princess and prince and frame me before you die."

Serenity felt her mouth go dry and her heart beat faster. She knew that Emerson would do anything to get the truth and prove his point, but would he truly go so far as to kill someone for it?

"Harper," George spoke, sweat dripping down his face, his head bowed in defeat and pain, "just do it...just tell him..."

"You should listen to him, Julius." Emerson stood straight, letting his hair go, moving to stand in front of him as he began to count.

"Kylins—"

1.

"There's no point in hiding it any longer, he's going to kill us anyway; you and I both know that we were never going to come out of this alive."

2.

Emerson's finger was itching to push the button. He knew that he shouldn't kill him, but he couldn't stop the want from showing in his eyes; he wanted to kill both of them as they had killed two of the few people the woman he loved had been close to.

3-

Julius closed his eyes tightly, yelling out for Emerson to wait. "I'll tell you! I'll tell you, okay? Just don't—don't kill me, please!"

With a slight smirk, Emerson bent down, taking his finger off the button, "Name."

Slowly the prisoner opened his eyes. They were full of fear, but it was a specific kind of fear, one which Emerson had seen before.

It had been a few hours since Emerson had gotten Serenity to come out of her room. He had made sure she had eaten and then he brought her to Nellore, knowing that the princess would be in safe hands with her. Of course, he knew that she would be in good hands with Godric as well, but he could not find the prince, so the lady-in-waiting was the next best option.

He waved to the princess as he left and smiled to himself, although it faded rather quickly when he remembered what he had to go and do now. Back down in the dungeons, he couldn't help but feel as if something was off. Caleb had proved to be a big help in the interrogations—too big a help. Emerson had seven years on Caleb, who was merely twenty, and he had never expressed as much fervor as the young prince had upon his first one. It was almost as if Caleb truly enjoyed the torture he was bringing upon people whereas Emerson had to put on an act for it—he hated the screams that he would hear, especially from the ones he knew were innocent that Caleb would insist they interrogate anyway, and he had to do his best to not show it. He found it strange that Caleb seemed to care so little about the pain, and it even seemed like he cared very little for finding the true culprit.