The House of Cards

Monster

Monster

It does not take the guards of the Neither Prison long to have us separated.

Our cages clank together as we are pulled towards to landing, Ariven's metal hand gripping her bars tightly.

"This is what we get," she mutters. "This is what they do to people who try to escape."

I can hear the other prisoners whispering as we drift past, and I watch as the heir to the Red Court makes herself as small as possible. It is a talent, one she must have acquired from years of the brutality of her mother's Court.

The landing comes into view, and this time, my father is not alone on the platform, flanked by a group of guards. They are heavily armed, and their faces are carefully blank, each wearing one of those green-gold amulets, identical to the one my father wears. The sight of him makes my stomach clench, anger rising, hot and heavy.

Our cages make dull thuds as they stop in front of the landing.

My father strides forward, his guards close behind him, brandishing an immense set of keys. There must be thousands; big keys, small keys, rusty keys, keys of precious metal. Some have fine adornments, others as plain as can be. He pulls a simple brass key from the tangle, and unlocks Ariven's cell. The guards reach in, wrapping their hands around her arms and pulling her bodily from the cell. She shrieks as they grab, smacking at their reaching hands, trying to fight but there is nowhere for her to go.

The guards manage to wrestle her out of the cage and onto the landing.

"Take her down," my father orders, voice cold, in charge. The voice that greeted the Lady Nine when she brought Jack and I here.

Ariven struggles in their grip as they haul her down the walkway, deeper into the Neither Prison. And all I can do is watch as she is taken.

My father motions his guards back as he unlocks my cage. "I will take this one myself."

The others do not even hesitate at the clear dismissal, bowing to my father and then disappearing back into the dark of the Prison.

My father swings the door of the cage open, and offers me a hand. "Come, Lady. I am to take you to the rest of your House."

I hesitate, watching his face, working hard to keep myself from sneering, but then accept his hand. "Our House," I correct.

My father's smile is soft, but he shakes his head. "Not anymore. I haven't belonged to the Major Arcana since the day I killed my Soul-Bonded partner."

Our father, the Fool, did awful, awful things to innocent people, and it wasn't until the Lord Universe stepped in to do something about it did the madness end.

My leg wobble as I step onto the platform, and I can feel the weakness of the Neither Prison set into my bones. Walking is a challenge, and I am almost grateful my father is there for me to lean on. "You did not have a choice. The Fool would have hurt many more people if you had not killed him."

My father's smile is small, bitter. "I suppose your own Fool told you that."

"No," I reply, my stomach icing over at the mention of Jack. "His brother did."

His eyebrows rise a bit, the only show of his surprise. We wind up the side of the Neither Prison, towards the top. "Well, isn't that something? The House of Swords, defending the morality of the Major Arcana."

I narrow my eyes at him, the need to defend the House that saved my life numerous times rising in my stomach. But before I answer, we come to a halt on another, nearly identical landing, looking out at the sea of cages.