Thread of Darkness

Ch. 34: i hope you die slowly

This, Anna thought, had to be some sort of cosmic joke.

She eyed the guards warily. Six of them in total. They looked young, but strong; in most circumstances, she could take them. Then again, Anna thought, in most circumstances she wasn't tied to a bed post with no weapons and a one-armed pyromaniac to look after.

Damn.

She shifted, listening to the clink-clink of her handcuffs. The Tower of the Sun King was small but decorated; a four-poster bed was shoved against the wall, suffocating under mounds of tasseled golden pillows. There was a desk — claw-foot, encrusted with red jewels — and a dusty window that was the length and width of her forearm. Anna's mouth felt dry.

She couldn't be trapped in another tower for months.

She couldn't.

"I must admit," Eris said, "I'm disappointed that Ryne can't join us. It would been amusing to watch him try to save you."

The young lord lounged in a chair, his feet kicked up on the table. His dark hair was messy, and his white shirt gaped open, revealing a birthmark just over his heart. She glanced at Tristan; he was shackled to the other bedpost, and the guards had ripped apart his shirt and trousers in their search for explosives. They had unearthed three.

Anna hoped there was a fourth.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"Oh, come on, Annalise." Eris picked up an explosive, juggling it in a way that made her stomach flip over. "You're a smart girl. Haven't you worked it out yet?"

Anna stared. Was he holding her for ransom? Revenge? It didn't take a genius to figure out that Eris was certifiably bonkers — he was the type of person to kick puppies for fun — but he wasn't a complete idiot. He knew what he was risking by bringing her here. He had to have a reason. A purpose.

Then it struck her.

Oh, gods.

"You're working with Lucia," she said.

Tristan looked at her sharply. But Anna's mind was whirring, the puzzle pieces slotting into place: how none of those strange golden hounds had attacked Eris; how Eris had disappeared right after the attack; the burning villages; the sudden disappearance of Lucia's portrait from the Portrait Room.

Eris was working with her. He'd been working with her for weeks, if not months.

Anna closed her eyes.

She should have known. She would have known if she hadn't been locked in a godsdamn tower for four months. A sour taste rose in her mouth. She was going to kill Ryne Delafort. Absolutely kill him.

Eris set down the explosive, clapping slowly. "Points for effort. A bit late on the uptake, unfortunately, but a valiant attempt."

Anna stretched out her hands, testing her manacles. They were easy to slip. Good. "Does the sword even exist?"

"Oh, God-Slayer exists," Eris said. "But it's not in this Tower." He slid his boots off the desk. "And it'll never be found. Not while Lucia's involved."

"What did she promise you?" Anna asked.

Because it must have been something. Land. Jewels. A fleet of ships. Eris didn't play well with others, but he responded well to bribery; if an omnipotent goddess offered him a boon, he wasn't the sort to ask questions.

Eris unsheathed his sword. "I grow tired of this."

"Wynterlynn," Anna guessed.

Something flickered in his gaze. Anna laughed.