To the Stars | Throne of Glass

67

The first time Celaena went into the dungeons, her heart was thrashing inside her chest with an uncontrolled, wild beat. Because there was Arobynn, strutting to her, a cocky smile on his lips.

Sat in a small, stone-walled room beneath the Keep, breathing heavily, her arms and legs were bound to the wooden chair beneath her. She didn't struggle; Arobynn had threatened to start it again if she did.

So Celaena waited.

'We're going to pretend you have been captured,' Arobynn purred. 'And you,' he stroked her hair, 'are not going to utter a single word. One scream, and we're done. Understood?' Celaena wanted his fingers off her. But she only nodded. 'Then we'll begin.'

First, he tried bribery. That was easy to ignore. Then he had threatened her. That wasn't a huge issue, either. But then a knife, real as the rope round her wrists, had dug into her knee. Celaena willed her face to go blank, even as blood bloomed across her leg.

Even as her skin split and groaned, as tears welled in agony.

Arobynn walked round to stand in front of her. Nothing human, just predatory assessment and a ruthless cold in his steel eyes. 'I can feel the scream that's threatening to break through your lips,' he smiled. 'Scream, Celaena. Scream.' Celaena wanted to, wanted to so badly. But she kept her mouth wisely shut.

A blinding pain, then-

Salt. Arobynn was rubbing salt into the wound. Celaena hissed through her teeth, and silver eyes flicked up to meet hers. A cruel, wicked slash of teeth.

'My dear, we were only just getting started.'

~

Two hours, six minutes and twenty nine seconds later, Celaena stumbled from the cell, bruised and bloody and battered. Every second that ticked by was full of pain, and her body screamed in agony as she mounted the stairs. And this would be only the first out of the many more encounters to come. 'It will get harder,' Arobynn promised. No praise, just dismissal. She didn't even know why she was waiting for a commendation; it was training anyway.

~

The second time Celaena descended to the dungeons, she was ready. Hungry, even, for the pain and torture she was to bestow upon the men.

Rapists, murderers, criminals, all who had committed bad deeds. She knew, because she had studied. Studied the books and Arobynn's teachings for hours on end.

The idea of torture almost seemed fun.

~

A man was chained to the stone walls by his wrists. His eyes widened, and he thrashed wildly upon seeing Arobynn. The bastard, though, wrinkled his nose to sneer at Celaena.

She didn't bother to conceal her femininity with a mask and cloak. None who came down here would walk out alive, or in any good condition. Arobynn clicked his tongue, and with some difficulty, Celaena let her clenched fist relax. Not yet, he seemed to say. Not yet.

So she waited.

The rapist chuckled, the noise rough and broken, and made to lash out with a leg. However, Celaena stopped the foot by crushing her boot onto his ankle, forcing it to the ground. Arobynn made no comment. 'Do that again and you'll lost that leg,' she spat.

The smirk had disappeared from the man's face. 'Bitch,' he hissed.

Celaena waved a hand. 'You need to be more creative. I've had that one too many times.' She could see Arobynn's lips twitch out of the corner of her eye. Releasing her hold on his foot, she stepped back.

But Arobynn didn't move. Instead, he gave her a nod - a barely perceptible jerk of the chin. 'Show me what you've learned,' he murmured.

Celaena smiled.

The man hadn't heard the command, but whatever he interpreted it to be made his face drain of all colour.

Celaena held up a blade, the metal gleaming in the dull torchlight. She cocked her head. 'You like knives?'

~

An hour later, Celaena walked out of the cell, the sleeves and front of her tunic splattered with blood that was not her own.

Her hands hung freely by her sides, clutching the two hunting knives.

Carmine red slid off the blades.