The Chronicles of Nir

14 | A Dangerous Promise

Ben sat at the end of the enormous bed, unmoving. After an unknown span of time spent in a freezing, dark cell, he'd been brought here, bathed, dressed in soft, loose garments, and told to sleep.

He had obeyed.

When a man in servant's livery brought him a simple breakfast on a silver tray, Ben had eaten it and drank the accompanying tea without question.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been held captive—it felt like an eternity, though could not be more than a week—but he'd already learned not to show any outward sign of resistance; to do so was to invite Lady Trinnian's wrath.

The last time the iron fire had flooded his veins Ben had begged for death. She had broken him, and now the only resistance he could offer had to come from within, deeply buried and hidden. He didn't dare attempt to make contact with Tallon for fear his tormentor would discover and use the connection against him.

He stared at the floor, watching as the patch of slanted sunlight streaming through the high narrow windows in the curved wall moved across the polished flagstones. Occasionally, flocks of pigeons and doves obscured the light with their shadows as they wheeled outside the tower walls, but Ben didn't raise his eyes to admire them.

At last, the door opened. The swish of velvet and the click of low heels told Ben who it was, but he kept his head bowed, hands folded in his lap, waiting to be addressed before he so much as moved a muscle.

"Do you not enjoy your accommodations?" Lady Trinnian's voice oozed sweetness like honey over thorns.

Without raising his eyes, Ben nodded. He was sure there was some cruel trick to follow, but the spacious, well-lit tower room certainly beat the cold, dark dungeon.

She harrumphed. "You seem rather sullen, perhaps even a touch ungrateful. Would you prefer the cell?"

Ben shook his head and shuddered, glancing up to briefly meet the lady's sharp, gray gaze.

Madora's lip tightened into a thin line. The boy tested her patience, but with the right encouragement, he could be useful. "Come with me."

Without waiting for a response, Madora stepped into the hallway and left the door open.

Rising, Ben followed with a slow, unsteady gait. Days without sufficient food or rest, and many hours passed in pain, left him feeling hollowed out and frail. The thin, cold bracelets encircling his wrists weighed heavier than they should, while an empty lightness filled his head. Leaning on the wall for support, he joined Lady Trinnian in a long, wide hall, with many high, narrow windows lining one side.

"Tell me honestly," she commanded, slowing her pace to match Ben's, "What would make you more comfortable? You aren't leaving; of that much I can assure you. Unlike other less fortunate souls, you are far too valuable, so you have the power to make your stay as pleasant or miserable as you wish."

Ben hesitated and paused beside one of the high windows, which looked down from a dizzying height onto the roofs of lower stories and a sprawling courtyard garden far below. It was a trick, he was certain, and yet...

"Fann," he whispered. "My wolf."

Trinnian halted as well. Ah, yes, the direwolf he'd been so attached to. She turned to face him. "Do you wish to see him now?"

He looked up in surprise, unable to hide the eagerness in his expression, and nodded. "Please."

"Very well. Perhaps you can calm him; my handlers want to put him down, but I don't think that's necessary. Tame him, keep him calm, and obey me, and you may keep your pet."