Chapter 3 Captive in the Palace

The instant Steve set the crown upon his head, soldiers snatched at my arms, the grasp rough but functionally precise. I was still reeling with shock and barely had time to calm my breathing before they took me off. My gown snagged on the floor, tangled around my ankles, but those men in uniforms displayed no mercy. They led me through corridors that had once been familiar and comforting, corridors that had grown eerie under the rule of a king I'd never chosen to serve.

Servants scattered like frightened birds, stamping their feet, bowing or pressing themselves against walls. No one dared intervene. I saw Wren pushing purposefully through the assembled onlookers, her face taut with anger. She leaned in close enough to hiss my name, but a guard shoved her aside without thinking. Her cry of protest made my heart lurch. In minutes, everything changed, and the sudden shift of loyalty knocked me flat. Valtara's power had condensed around Steve so quickly that I barely knew how to resist it.

We went down a set of narrow stairs, the torches sputtering in a draft. My mind raced, caught in a whirl between disbelief and a raw tide of indignation at having been subdued in my own palace. I tried to shake free, but the soldiers' grip only tightened. The clang of their armour mingled with distant echoes of chaos from the throne room above.

"Have some respect," I snapped, fear lacing my voice. They paid no attention to me as they moved forward at a gruelling pace. My vision was obscured by a swell of contradictory emotions - anger, betrayal and an out-of-place flicker of fear. It occurred to me that if Steve's men had no problem humiliating me publicly, then maybe they wouldn't stop there.

I turned around a corner and saw wide-eyed servants scurrying past, dropping trays, gasping apologies. They gazed at me with a weird combination of pity and fear, as if my fate could be theirs should they express concern. I held onto what little pride was left, not dropping my head.

Then, I was met with two enormous doors that loomed before me. Their ornate carvings and glittering gilded edges glimmered in the meagre torchlight. I knew them at once: the entrance to the Concubines' Quarters. A shiver ran down my spine. This place, known for whispery intrigues and handsome captivity, was my destination now.

Wren's voice came chiming from behind, raw with desperation. I heard her trying to get back to me, but the soldiers would not let her past them. My captors urged me toward those heavy doors, making me helpless to fend off the next strike fate was going to administer.

The moment I crossed into the Concubines' Quarters, a plume of exotic perfume engulfed me. Soft lamplight laid bare corridors hung with sumptuous tapestries, plush carpets underfoot and scalloped statuettes tooled of gold atop marble pedestals. The silence was suffocating - it felt like every cushion and curtain swallowed the cries for mercy. Two soldiers roughly loosened their grip on me and went back through the heavy doors. Their parting looks were loaded with awkward triumph as if they'd completed a distasteful chore.

I steadied myself against an intricately carved pillar, heart racing. Footsteps padded nearby, and I turned to see Delilah Voss emerging from behind a sheer curtain of ruby silk. A pale green gown clung to her slim figure, flowing from her legs. Her face glowed with a polished beauty framed by loose ebony curls that grazed her shoulders. Once a lowly noble, she had wrangled herself into Steve's good graces with quiet grace and guile. Now, she ruled over these chambers, eyes glistening with expectation.

"Lois." She bent her head slightly, a mocking smile on her lips. "It seems you've come under less than perfect conditions."

And choked down the bitterness rising in my throat. "You seem pleased."

Her amusement sparkled. "Why shouldn't I be? Steve values loyalty. I've shown mine, and here we are." She pointed to the corridor with its brocaded drapes and low divans. "Welcome to your new domain."

Anger flashed in my chest. "I won't stay here."

She laughed softly, the sound empty. "You're going to find out your choice doesn't matter. Steve's decided you're under his roof, and these quarters will do for that."

I looked up and down the hallway and noticed doorways leading to private suites, likely for women who once intrigued the king. A wave of humiliation battled with icy anger. I could feel Delilah gauging my reaction, revelling in each twinge of discomfort.

I folded my arms. "Do not presume that I will be passive."

Her smirk deepened. "Docility can be acquired, precisely when not to be docile is much more terrible." She tilted her head as I explained, examining me. "And if you behave, maybe you'll get a little bit of treats. These are, after all, finely furnished rooms, suitable for royalty of another kind."

Before I could snap back, a frightened handmaiden appeared from a side passage, glancing nervously between the two of us. She did a quick curtsy, then pulled in closer to whisper in my ear. "They say you'll just disappear like those who resisted. And better to survive this than to destroy forever."

A chill settled on my spine. Delilah observed my response, a spark of victory dancing in her expressive features. And that I had been ceremonially dethroned and slipped into a world of tempting cages and hidden threats.

Night fell quietly over the palace. The violet sky shone through those tall windows, bringing an unearthly light to the Concubines' Quarters. My nerves, raw from the day's disturbances, would let me find no pleasure between the velvet cushions and perfumed draperies. Weaving down a side corridor, I searched for a forgotten nook where I could collect my fractured thoughts.

Huddled behind a carved screen, I listened to two guards murmur low, urgent words outside the archway. I was with my heart in my mouth this I heard pieces of their talk.

"Steve wants all the threats, I mean all, eliminated," one guard said. "He doesn't trust old loyalists.

The other guard snorted. "He's brought in someone. No trail, no name, only a silhouette with a sword. Once that's done, those with counter-revolutionary tendencies will be neutered."

A tremor of panic shot through my body. Did they mean an assassin? My suspicion narrowed, remembering how easily Steve had upended my authority. It didn't seem all that far-fetched - hire a killer to ensure that nobody would dare rise against him. Breath shallow, I leaned closer to the screen, doing my best not to betray myself with a rustle of fabric.

The guards' voices receded as they passed on. Silence fell back over the corridor, more ominous than ever. Getting to my feet, I steadied myself as I crept back toward the main hall, each step becoming lighter than the previous one. A knot of dread twisted in my stomach. It was dangerous enough to have been held captive here, without someone skulking inside the palace, ready to strike at Steve's faintest command.

Torchlight danced along the walls, pursuing shadows across the plush rugs. I stepped past a curtained alcove leading out to a narrow balcony. Tempted by the promise of fresh air, I went out. Moonlight silvered the courtyard below, into which hedges had been pruned into elegant shapes and a central fountain glimmered gently. For a moment, the garden felt tranquil.

Then I saw something move quietly. I stiffened, bending over the balustrade. Someone in a dark hooded cloak prowled the area near the fountain, steps calculated and soundless. My blood ran cold when I caught a glimpse of a curved blade glinting in the moonlight. The silhouette came alive with deadly purpose, lingering as if examining the palace windows for prey.

My pulse thundered. It had to be the rumoured assassin lurking just outside these walls. The weight of that presence hit hard: every moment in this palace could be my last. I stood there, mind racing, wavering between debilitating terror and steely determination. Survival required more than quiet acceptance of my tumble. I had to outsmart both Steve's machinations and the danger in the shadows or suffer being the next casualty in his drive for total domination.