weren't part of the plan.
She held her breath and tried to understand what was happening.
“Any movement?” Finn asked.
Hauk shook his head in response.
Batch's face was ashen and Cara could hear the wheezing in his chest as his eyes wavered in fear between her and Finn. She thought he looked as if he would pass out at any moment.
“Can someone please tell me what's going on,” she hissed through clenched teeth.
Hauk motioned for Batch to explain.
Batch fidgeted nervously, wringing his shaky hands, and his eyes darted over Cara's shoulder as if expecting guards to seize him at any moment.
“Batch,” Cara demanded. Her voice was harsh and she saw him flinch. “Tell me what happened.”
“I went to the infirmary two days ago. Lung infection,” he explained, tapping his fingers on his chest.
The news slammed into her as she realized the significance of what he said.
“Maeve.” Her voice quavered as she asked, “Did you see her? Was she all right? Did you talk to her?”
He shook his head and Cara's stomach twisted in dread. “I saw her once, but only for a moment.” He paused. “It was right before they transferred her here.”
Cara looked around not understanding. Her eyes locked on the large steel door in front of her. She froze as she realized where they were. Her knees gave out beneath her and she stumbled backwards. Finn was immediately behind her and held her steady against his chest.
She could barely get the words out, but she had to know. “Is she alive?”
“Barely,” Hauk answered. “Reyn is with her. She hasn't regained consciousness since we found her, and her pulse is dangerously slow, but she's alive.”
“I have to see her.” In desperation, she pushed away from Finn and charged towards the door that led to a thousand horrors.
Hauk grabbed her arm, and made her look at him.
“It's bad,” Hauk said in an even voice, but Cara saw the warning in his eyes. “You need to prepare yourself.”
Cara expelled a deep uneven breath and forced her tears back. “It's my fault she's here. I need to be with her.”
Hauk nodded solemnly and pushed open the iron door that led to the palace torture chambers.
Cara barely registered the sight of the four dead guards that lay in pools of their own blood. All she could see was her cousin's frail, naked body, and her skin covered in a revolting mass of burns, bruises, and open wounds. Her hair was matted in blood and dirt. Only her face had been left unmarked, but her cheeks were hollow, and her skin almost translucent.
Cara cried out in agony at the sight.
Reyn cradled Maeve's broken body against his chest, and a moan escaped his lips as he met Cara's accusing eyes.
They had left her to long. She had listened to Reyn and believed in him, and now they were too late. Cara sobbed, “What have we done Reyn?”
They had failed her.
His eyes were rimmed with red, which mirrored her own grief and guilt.
She reached to hold Maeve's hand and drew back in horror. There were bloody scabs where her fingernails should have been, and at least two of her fingers had been broken.
Cara's head was spinning. She couldn't imagine anyone living through such torture. There was no way Maeve would survive this. Even if they could get her somewhere safe, Cara could see the evidence of infection already forming on many of the burns and wounds. She would be burning with fever within a day.
Cara didn't know what to do. She wanted to cry. To scream. To kill.
The room reeked of blood, death and feces. Her stomach twisted at the stench, and she knew she was going to be sick.
She placed her hands on her knees as she began to gag. Someone held her as she retched repeatedly, her body convulsing in waves of guilt and revulsion.
As she shuddered one last time, Finn lifted her and crushed her against his chest. “This isn't on you or on Reyn. You can't blame yourself.”
In her heart she knew he was right. She wouldn't hold Reyn accountable for what the Queen had
She held her breath and tried to understand what was happening.
“Any movement?” Finn asked.
Hauk shook his head in response.
Batch's face was ashen and Cara could hear the wheezing in his chest as his eyes wavered in fear between her and Finn. She thought he looked as if he would pass out at any moment.
“Can someone please tell me what's going on,” she hissed through clenched teeth.
Hauk motioned for Batch to explain.
Batch fidgeted nervously, wringing his shaky hands, and his eyes darted over Cara's shoulder as if expecting guards to seize him at any moment.
“Batch,” Cara demanded. Her voice was harsh and she saw him flinch. “Tell me what happened.”
“I went to the infirmary two days ago. Lung infection,” he explained, tapping his fingers on his chest.
The news slammed into her as she realized the significance of what he said.
“Maeve.” Her voice quavered as she asked, “Did you see her? Was she all right? Did you talk to her?”
He shook his head and Cara's stomach twisted in dread. “I saw her once, but only for a moment.” He paused. “It was right before they transferred her here.”
Cara looked around not understanding. Her eyes locked on the large steel door in front of her. She froze as she realized where they were. Her knees gave out beneath her and she stumbled backwards. Finn was immediately behind her and held her steady against his chest.
She could barely get the words out, but she had to know. “Is she alive?”
“Barely,” Hauk answered. “Reyn is with her. She hasn't regained consciousness since we found her, and her pulse is dangerously slow, but she's alive.”
“I have to see her.” In desperation, she pushed away from Finn and charged towards the door that led to a thousand horrors.
Hauk grabbed her arm, and made her look at him.
“It's bad,” Hauk said in an even voice, but Cara saw the warning in his eyes. “You need to prepare yourself.”
Cara expelled a deep uneven breath and forced her tears back. “It's my fault she's here. I need to be with her.”
Hauk nodded solemnly and pushed open the iron door that led to the palace torture chambers.
Cara barely registered the sight of the four dead guards that lay in pools of their own blood. All she could see was her cousin's frail, naked body, and her skin covered in a revolting mass of burns, bruises, and open wounds. Her hair was matted in blood and dirt. Only her face had been left unmarked, but her cheeks were hollow, and her skin almost translucent.
Cara cried out in agony at the sight.
Reyn cradled Maeve's broken body against his chest, and a moan escaped his lips as he met Cara's accusing eyes.
They had left her to long. She had listened to Reyn and believed in him, and now they were too late. Cara sobbed, “What have we done Reyn?”
They had failed her.
His eyes were rimmed with red, which mirrored her own grief and guilt.
She reached to hold Maeve's hand and drew back in horror. There were bloody scabs where her fingernails should have been, and at least two of her fingers had been broken.
Cara's head was spinning. She couldn't imagine anyone living through such torture. There was no way Maeve would survive this. Even if they could get her somewhere safe, Cara could see the evidence of infection already forming on many of the burns and wounds. She would be burning with fever within a day.
Cara didn't know what to do. She wanted to cry. To scream. To kill.
The room reeked of blood, death and feces. Her stomach twisted at the stench, and she knew she was going to be sick.
She placed her hands on her knees as she began to gag. Someone held her as she retched repeatedly, her body convulsing in waves of guilt and revulsion.
As she shuddered one last time, Finn lifted her and crushed her against his chest. “This isn't on you or on Reyn. You can't blame yourself.”
In her heart she knew he was right. She wouldn't hold Reyn accountable for what the Queen had
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