The Amulet Of Nicmir (The Scripts Of Neptune, Book 1)

Chapter 66

Sam couldn't remember the last time he saw sunlight. Any light, other than the fiery glow of the forge three days prior as the rods had finally come out and been pressed against his skin. They'd given up with that, after a while. He couldn't quite understand why, because it'd hurt like hell, but he remembered their conversation as they stood by, watching him with bewilderment.

"Why doesn't it leave a mark?"

"I don't know, my king."

"Try it again, then. Show me."

Everything hurt. Naru had healed the worst wounds, where he'd been pierced and hit and broken, but the bruises remained, and phantom pain crept through every limb. And his mind...his mind had a hole in it. He could feel it, where the dripping water from the tube over his head had worn away his skin and skull, eating through flesh. The screaming he'd heard had been his own. But he was quiet, now, waiting in dull silence for death, waiting for darkness that didn't end. That was all he thought about. Death. He wanted it to be over.

It isn't real. The rogue thought came and went every once in a while. And he'd remember, for a second, that he'd heard of this sort of torture, where the mind played tricks with the body and drove itself to insanity. Then it'd fall away again, and he'd strain at the shackles for a moment, trying to escape, before giving up.

Everything...

...was slipping.

***

"So." Ibidan spread his broad hands on the table in front of him, leaning over and looking Nyle, Lillian, Crynia, and Chad in the eye. "What is your plan to get into the castle?"

Lillian shifted where she sat, slouched and cross-legged with arms folded, and glanced at Nyle. He had shadows under his eyes from nightmares and worrying alike, and she knew she looked no better. None of them seemed to sleep well, really, with Sam missing. It felt like he'd been some kind of glue, unconsciously holding everyone together, and without him they'd fallen apart. Drifted. Crynia was quiet and...dark. Chad hadn't cracked a joke or shown his humorous side all week. Nyle...Nyle felt to her like an island, when she thought about it, stuck alone at sea, distant and lonely and battered by wave and storm. And Lillian herself...she wasn't sure what her emotions were doing. Everything inside felt wilted, like a plant that hadn't had water or sunlight in days.

Tracing a circle in the dirt in front of them, Nyle didn't meet Ibadan's eyes. The shadows in the granite-walled basement cast his blond hair a shade darker, the color of rich honey, and turned his pale skin to gold. "We don't have one yet. We need more information on the inside of the palace. We're waiting for somebody."

Ibadan narrowed his eyes. "You said you were ready."

"We didn't," Chad spoke up, a little defiant. It was the most he'd said all week. "We said we knew how to beat him."

"Which implied you had a way in," Ibadan bit back sharply. With a sigh, he spread his broad hands over his face before pushing them through his short-shorn black hair, leaning his elbows on his thighs. "I apologize. Stress is not something I enjoy. Who are you waiting for?"

"My sister-in-law." The first thing fell from Lillian's lips unhindered. The second had to be forced. "Who also happens to be Agnir's daughter."

Ibadan's face became a puzzle of surprise, disapproval, and confusion. Brows drawn low and jaw set, he was silent a moment before pushing his big frame up and looking down at them all, his dark eyes fluid and unreadable in the candlelight. "You all seem tangled in a web I cannot quite comprehend, but Lynn trusted you, and so shall I. Tell me when I need to attack and where, and you will have my people's force on your side. As for this...sister of yours, if she steps out of line, you may be sure she will be punished severely."