Chapitre 8

I widened my eyes.

Heart pounding in my chest against my ribs as my gaze scanned the room. The windows shook in the wind. Frost flowers sprouted around the edges and the crystals sparkled in the candlelight. Gray mist lay beyond.

Today was the first day of my punishment.

I got dressed, tying back my curls and slipping on the royal blue coat and boots. Tommy's snoring rumbled through the room and I crept over to him.

"See you tonight," I whispered, kissing his forehead. He hummed in his sleep and turned away. Yesterday had been a long day. Tonight I would visit Theo again and post the letter to Ephilia. She waited sure for an answer.

But first came the dungeon.

A shiver ran down my spine. The red eyes kept flashing as if he knew my thoughts. I padded down the stairs and pushed the door shut behind me. My face felt like it was submerged in icy water. The morning air created clouds of ice in front of my mouth.

I followed the deserted street and hugged my coat closer to me. Frost covered the cobblestones and the blades of grass between them. Winter had come and it was only a matter of time before the first snowflakes would fall.

I hurried on until the silver door appeared through the fog, which I had seen and passed through far too many times since the first attack. The figure next to me was waiting for me with folded arms.

davin

The cold didn't seem to bother him as he casually leaned against the dungeon entrance.

"There you are, Betty. Ready for your first day at work?" he asked, pulling leather gloves from his pocket.

"Is that door real silver?" I asked and he nodded.

"Most of everything that glitters is made of silver down there," he grumbled and rummaged in his pockets for the bunch of keys. They jingled when Davin pulled them out. "Except for these. They're made of iron or something..."

The door creaked open.

A sinking feeling crept up on my stomach at the mildew that blew towards us.

"Welcome," Davin said, flashing me a smile that revealed his fangs. We descended into the dungeon's innards. Maybe today I had a chance to talk to the prisoner. With every step down, my heart beat a beat faster in my throat. "What's the matter, Betty? You don't need to be nervous. I'll show you everything. Come on."

I nodded, unable to get a sound out. Otherwise my heart would work its way out through my mouth. The smoke from the torches didn't make breathing easier. To my relief, the cells were empty except for one.

It was quiet around him. As always when someone was present. Maybe I could finally learn the name like we agreed. The excitement turned my stomach. I was finally able to speak to him again once Davin dealt with the Silverblood Warriors. I wanted to hear the voice that was a melody to my ears and had gotten through the sleepless nights.

"How long will my work here last?" I asked to distract myself.

"Depends on how fast you work," Davin replied. "Here."

He rummaged in a side door and pulled out a broom, the end of which was frayed as if it had never been changed.

"You'd better sweep everything together today. I'll unlock the cells for you after checking on the prisoners. At mealtime we bring the prisoners their meal together, all right?"

I nodded and took the broom from his hand. The jingle of keys faded away with Davin and I held my breath as they fell completely silent. I gripped the broom handle firmly between my fingers and began sweeping the floor.

The dirt between the stones was stubborn but gathered in a heap. The hissing across the floor was the only sound I could hear besides my heartbeat. I kept working my way forward until I was inevitably faced with the great silver prison.

I stayed.

Nothing moved behind the battered metal. The hatch remained locked. Should I...?

"I can almost hear your thoughts racing," came the voice full of scorn. "But not as fast as your heart. Like a little mouse..."

His words made my blood rush.

"I'm not a mouse, and even if I were, you'd be a stuck cat," I replied, proud that my voice wasn't cracking from the stress.

“Hmm, I won't be trapped down here much longer. And when I come out, do you know what I'm going to do first?"

The hatch creaked open and I took a step back. I've never been so close to the cell and only now did I notice the difference in size. He was at least a head taller than me and looked down at me with his ruby eyes. He smiled, showing his razor-sharp teeth.

They were made to kill.

He was made to kill.

“What prey comes voluntarily to its hunter? It's no fun like that. But if you want, then come closer," he breathed and his eyes began to shine.

I swallowed but stayed rooted with the broom in my hand.

"We had an agreement," I said, and his eyes hardened. "You tell me the name and I owe you a favor that doesn't break the law."

He lifted his chin and studied me in the torchlight, as if assessing my intentions. The white hair shimmered as he turned his head.

"Yes, we had an agreement..."

I frowned.

"You must have a name," I said, taking a step toward the cell. "Why are you down here?"

His laugh vibrated over the metal and sent a shiver down my spine.

"Zelos."

"Excuse me?" I whispered.

"Call me Zelos," he whispered. I didn't dare to break the spell.

"Zelos_", I said dreamily. The corners of his mouth lifted almost imperceptibly and his eyes began to glow like ashes. My heart skipped a few beats. There was something about him that I couldn't believe. But at least I could relate to a name.

"Why are you here?" I asked and his smile widened. His eyes burned with amusement... and something else that was cold and warm at the same time.

"Maybe another time. I'm tired", Zelos replied and turned his back on me. I had to stop myself from contradicting, from calling after him. He disappeared into the darkness of his cell and left me alone with my thoughts and the heartbeat that jumped through my body. I put a hand across my chest.

What was the matter with me?

I wanted to stay away. Why did I make myself this fuss? I shook my head and refocused on the task Davin had given me.

sweeping.

What would Lia say now? She would laugh, she would be happy that I finally did something forbidden. But was it forbidden? Nobody had forbidden me to talk to prisoners. Maybe it just felt that way...

I peeked at the silver cell.

Zelos himself made sure that nobody overheard our conversations. He must be a werewolf because he always heard the guards before me. Maybe I found something about Zelos in Theo's book collection. I had never heard such a name.

In the pedigrees of the old Alpha families maybe...

"It looks good here. You can finally see the individual stones again!" Davin shouted and came towards me. He eyed the ground as if a treasure had been hidden under the dirt. "Very good, Betty. If you carry on like this, you'll be jerk zuck through here. Then the real mess begins."

I flinched when he patted my shoulder.

"Real mess?" I asked.

"All sweeping in the world does nothing against this stench. You have to walk over it wet. Otherwise the smell will seep into the walls," Davin replied, and my jaw dropped. It would take forever to polish every single stone. But I swallowed the protest.

"All right," I murmured, cursing Tommy. If it weren't for the dungeons, he could have taken the punishment himself. But not down here...

"Come on, there is one more task you will undertake in the future," Davin said, taking the broom from my hand and swinging his head back toward the Silver-Blood prisoner's cells. My heart rebelled the further we got from this Main room and Zelos moved away.

"What do we want from the warriors?" I asked. They had been tormented. Their screams echoed in my bones every night...

"You will bring them food, here."

Davin picked up a box containing stale bread slices and half-rotten apples. I took it from his hand and he rummaged in his cloak for the key.

He had never taken off the leather gloves in all the time I had seen him in the dungeon. Davin found the key and turned it in the lock.

The door creaked open. The air smelled of iron and sweat, emanating from the person huddled against the wall. It was no longer a warrior, just a shadow of the werewolf he must have once been.

He was broken.

Was it his screams that had howled through the dungeon for so many nights? The walls of my stomach clenched like I'd eaten something wrong.

"He's asleep," Davin whispered, his voice hissing off the walls again. "Let's let him rest. He still needs his strength."

"Has he spoken yet?" I asked, taking the bread and fruit from the box. My eyes remained fixed on the warrior as I silently laid it on the stones in front of him. He was frozen.

“Not what Beta Leo wanted to hear yet. There are rumors that Alpha Udyr's dishonest son wanted to overthrow him. Though there are some rebels with him in the western forest, that's hardly enough to bring down Silverblood from within."

We left the room and with it the stench. Davin locked the door behind me.

"But that's a good sign if they don't agree," I said, staring at the silver cell in the large room. I could feel Zelos listening to our words. Davin didn't seem to mind.

"Nevertheless, one thing is and remains clear," he said, his warm, worried eyes piercing me, "there will be war. Alpha Udyr may be sitting in the White Palace, far from here, right now, plotting how he will kill us all If that happens girl then I'll just tell you one thing: Hide yourself and your family and hide well. Because when the pack is gone, there's nothing standing between you and them, alright?"