Pov Author
The cold from the stone floor seeped into Anna's bones. The guard's grip on her arm had been like iron, his fingers leaving bruises she knew would bloom by morning. He'd dragged her through endless, echoing hallways, down staircases that spiraled into the heart of the mountain, until the air grew thick and damp. Finally, he shoved her into a small room, and the door slammed shut with a sound that felt like the end of the world.
She pushed herself up, her hands stinging from scraping the rough, wet stone. The cell was tiny, carved from the same rock as the mountain the palace sat upon. The only light came from a single torch flickering in the corridor outside a small, barred window in the door. Opposite it, a single, small window sat high up on the wall, no bigger than her head, with thick iron bars. A pale beam of moonlight struggled through it, painting a sad, silver rectangle on the dirty floor. It felt like a taunt.
The guard, a large man with a face that seemed permanently angry, loomed over her. "Who are you?" he growled.
Anna pressed her lips together and looked away, focusing on that sliver of moon. Silence was her only shield.
"Tell me, you little—" The slap came without warning, sharp and stinging. Her head snapped to the side, and she tasted blood where her teeth had cut the inside of her cheek.
Just then, the door bolt screeched open. Another guard stood there. "Step back, Goran," he commanded. "You know the Captain's orders."
Goran scowled but took a step back, muttering under his breath.
The new guard was older, his face a map of old scars. He didn't stand over her. Instead, he knelt, bringing his eyes level with hers. The calm in them was somehow more frightening than the other guard's anger.
"Who are you?" he asked, his voice low.
Anna stayed silent, her heart hammering against her ribs.
"Are you from Feng Kingdom?"
She didn't move a muscle.
"I haven't seen your like in this kingdom," he mused, his eyes tracing her features and strange clothes. His hand went to his belt and came back with a knife. The steel caught the light. Anna's breath hitched; her eyes watered, blurring his stern face.
"Now, now, don't cry," he said, his voice fake and gentle. He tapped the flat of the blade against his palm. "Just tell me. Who are you?"
The words fought their way out. "I… I am… Anna." It was little more than a whisper.
The guard looked surprised. He glanced back at Goran, who snorted.
"Sounds like a peasant's name," Goran sneered.
"It's my name," Anna said, finding a tiny spark of defiance.
"Fine," the kneeling guard said, his patience clearly thinning. "Are you from Feng Kingdom?"
Anna shook her head quickly.
"So why were you sneaking into the palace? Hoping to catch a glimpse of the handsome prince?" A nasty smile played on his lips.
Anna said nothing, her mind a frantic blank.
"Tell me, girl. The other men here… they aren't as patient as I am." As if to prove his point, a tear escaped and traced a path through the dirt on her cheek.
That was all it took.
The second slap was harder, throwing her to the ground. The world spun. Before she could get her bearings, Goran was on her, his hand tangling in her hair and yanking her head back. He tore at the neck of her tunic, and the fabric ripped with a sickening sound. The cold air on her exposed skin sent a new, deeper fear through her.
"See? I told you," the first guard said, his voice ugly. "They're not good men." He turned toward the door. "Guards! She's all yours."
Two more men entered, their eyes hungry. Anna screamed, the sound raw and desperate in the small space. "No!"
They surrounded her, a wall of grabbing hands. One yanked her hair, another locked an arm around her waist. The smell of them—sweat and leather—filled her nose. This was it. She squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the end.
*Thump.*
The sound was wet and heavy. The hands on her vanished. A warm, heavy weight slumped against her, then slid to the floor. Anna's eyes flew open.
A guard lay beside her, a dark stain spreading across his chest from a terrible wound. A sword was pulled from his body, its blade glistening red.
Shock locked her in place. Her eyes traveled up the sword, past a strong, armored hand, to the man holding it. He stood in the doorway, not a guard, but a warrior. He was handsome, with sharp features and eyes like a winter sky. He moved with a deadly grace that was entirely new.
One of the remaining guards stumbled back, his face white with fear. "General Kano!"
*General.* The head of the army. If anyone knew where Prince Shang was, it would be him. But the thought was fleeting, drowned out by the immediate need to survive.
Kano's gaze swept the room, taking in her torn clothes, the leering guards. His face was cold with a quiet fury. "We are soldiers, not animals," he said, his voice cutting through the tension. "Who taught you to behave like this?"
One of the guards stammered, "General, she's a spy, we were just trying to—"
Kano moved. It was a blur. His sword flashed, and the guard's words ended in a wet gurgle as he fell.
"If my army is filled with men like you," Kano stated, his tone chillingly calm, "then we are no better than the enemy."
He made it a statement of fact. He killed the remaining two guards with the same brutal efficiency. In a few heartbeats, the cell was silent again, save for the drip of blood and Anna's ragged breathing. She looked from the bodies to the general. She was saved, but by a man who had just killed four of his own men without blinking. The fear simply shifted, growing colder.
He looked down at her. "Who are you?" he asked again.
"A-Anna," she stammered.
He tilted his head, studying her. "You are from Feng Kingdom," he stated.
She shook her head, a frantic no.
He didn't believe her. He snapped his fingers. Two new guards appeared—clean, disciplined, and terrifying. They pulled her to her feet, tied her hands tightly behind her back with rough rope, and then a rough cloth was tied over her eyes, plunging her into darkness.
She was dragged out. She heard footsteps and felt changes in the air. Then, she was suddenly lifted, swept up into a pair of strong arms. She gasped.
"Tell me the truth now," a low voice murmured near her ear—Kano's voice. He was carrying her. "And I'll just put you in a cell."
He carried her up what felt like a long flight of stairs. The motion was steady, disorienting in the dark. Finally, he set her down. Her legs wobbled. Hands pushed her forward, and she stumbled onto a floor that was smooth and cold—polished stone.
The blindfold was pulled away.
She blinked, her eyes struggling to adjust to the bright light of a hundred candles. She was in a grand hall. Tapestries covered the walls, and the ceiling was lost in shadow. And there, on a raised platform, sat the King. To his left, in a smaller chair, sat Prince Shang, looking bored. And kneeling before the throne was General Kano.
Oh, no, Anna thought, her heart sinking.
The King's voice filled the hall. "General Kano. Who is this, and why is she here?"
Kano kept his head bowed. "She was found sneaking into the palace, Your Majesty. She is either a spy or a foolish girl infatuated with the Prince."
The King gave a dry laugh. "She looks harmless to me."
"Her name is… odd. As are her clothes," Kano replied. "Her name is Annie."
"It's Anna!" The correction burst from her lips before she could stop it. It was a stupid mistake, but she couldn't help it.
Kano looked back at her, a faint, cold amusement in his eyes. "No woman speaks to a man like that here. You see? She looks innocent, but her tongue is sharp. I think she is a spy."
A voice shouted from the crowd behind her. "Behead her!"
Others took up the chant. "Behead the spy! Behead her!"
The King looked from Kano to Anna, his tired eyes resting on her face. He gave a slow, single nod.
"Darn it", Anna whispered to herself, the world shrinking to the cold, hard stone beneath her knees. She had failed.
End of the chapter