As a Sword in My Bones

Chapter 1

Prince Tristan lay on the night-cooled sand as the rays of the burning desert sun crept over the mountains. The thin blanket that covered his body had done little to protect him from the chill of the night and would do even less to protect him from the intense heat, but he did not dare move to push it off. The dawn itself would soon awaken Devon in the tent pitched nearby, but he could not risk even the slightest movement bringing his tormentor out sooner. These precious few moments with his Lord were the only respite Tristan had each day from the torture Devon had inflicted on him in the name of "training him to take the throne."

Heavenly Father, he prayed, I cannot go another day. Please, I beg you; have mercy on your servant. Allow this to be the day Devon kills me. He had prayed the same thing nearly every morning since Devon had begun his "training" in earnest. Today was different. He could not endure another day of Devon's torture. Today would be the day Devon broke him.

A faint rustle from within the tent made Tristan squeeze his eyes shut and bit his lip. Devon would be out at any moment.

My God is always faithful. Tristan moved his lips silently as he repeated to himself a mantra of the few truths he had been able to cling to. Lucas would never betray me. Aleatha... A sob nearly choked him. The past year had been a battle over five truths Queen Brigitte had ordered Devon to force him to embrace.

The first truth – that his mother only had his best interests at heart – was attained with minimal struggle. He wanted nothing more than to believe his mother was only doing what she thought was best for him, despite the methods she used.

The second truth – that her harsh rule was necessary to govern the difficult and rebellious people of Boldaria –well, he fought against that one a bit harder. His stand against her cruelty was the reason he had been sent away with Devon. In spite of his strong opinion of her tyranny, he had eventually been forced to agree he knew little about what it took to rule a kingdom.

The third truth – that Aleatha, his beautiful Aleatha, would always be true to him – he had clung to that truth through months of torture. Starvation, scourgings, canings, lack of sleep, lack of water, even poison: every form of torture Devon's twisted mind could invent had been utilized to rob Tristan of the confidence he had in his fiancée. Two days ago, his body battered and his mind in shambles, he had given in to the nagging doubts Devon had planted and nursed.

The final two truths – his faith in Lucas's loyalty and his faith in God – had not weakened. But if he could lose his confidence in Aleatha, he could lose his confidence in anything at all. He no longer wanted God's strength to make it through the day.

Devon's heavy boots crunched on the sand as he stepped out of the tent. Tristan forced himself to breathe rhythmically, hoping Devon would think he was still sleeping. Though nearly a year of abuse had taught him Devon would not care whether he was sleeping or not. His time was up.

"Heavenly Father, let me die!" he whispered.

The footsteps in the sand stopped beside him. "So you want to die, do you, Prince Tristan?" Devon mocked. "As you wish, Your Highness. Today I will make you believe you died and went straight to hell."

A sharp kick to his back made Tristan gasp as he rolled onto his stomach and gritted his teeth against the pain. Warmth soaked the back of his threadbare tunic where Devon's blow had reopened the wounds from the whipping he had given Tristan the day before.

"That is one truth you could never convince me of," Tristan retorted. He drew a ragged breath and continued, "The moment you kill me, I will be waking to see my Savior's face, not your hideous one!"

Another vicious kick rolled Tristan onto his shredded back and forced a cry from his lips. Devon crouched down and gripped him by the front of his tunic, pulling Tristan's face close to his own. "By the time I am done with you, you will be convinced your God would be only too happy to see you burn for eternity."