Her Cinder Throne (Completed)

Chapter 30

It was a surprisingly soft touch, his fingers gently brushing the edge of the scarf over her bristly scalp, and his palm warm against her jaw. He held her still while he looked in her face, and then he placed the torch on a sconce so he could cup the other side of her face with his free hand.

"What is it?" she asked, wanting to pull away but also too scared to.

"There's something within you," he said. "Something... different."

"What does that mean?" she asked.

Bastian shook his head, as if coming out of trance. He stepped back from Cole, his hands falling to his sides, and he seemed to finally truly realize the gravity of Cole being in the dungeon.

"How did you really come to be in here?" he said, eyes narrowing. "I know you've used magic."

Cole's blood froze in her veins. She honestly had nothing she could reply to him with. Her mind had stopped working and she merely stared at him in fear and panic, watching as her chance at a future crumbled in front of her.

"Say something, or else I'll call the guards," Bastian said.

Cole remained silent.

"I'm giving you a chance," he said, and he sounded as if he was frustrated and desperate. He stared at her as if he could will her to speak, and somehow this made her thoughts begin to move again.

"I- I was only trying to find someone," she said, hoping that it sounded innocent enough. He may have found out she came here under false pretenses, but perhaps she could hide the most dangerous part of the truth from him.

Bastian raised an eyebrow. "Someone you know is down here?"

"My mother. I heard rumors she was locked down here for years. I only wanted to see her again," she said, and suddenly her throat was closing up and tears were in her eyes, and she was on the verge of crying in front of the son of the man who had ruined her entire life.

Surprisingly, Bastian's face softened, and he took a step forward, as if to reach out to her. But he barely got more than an inch before the sound of voices floated in from the stairways.

Both of them stiffened, and before Cole knew what was happening, Bastian had her hand in his. It was much different from any hand she'd felt before. It was as smooth and soft as a flower petal. He pulled her backward, causing her to trip over her own feet. He caught her fall, spinning her around him, until she suddenly found herself in one of the empty cells. She gasped in shock, the smell of the previous occupant still strong in the soiled straw, but Bastian had already shut the door on her and locked her in semi-darkness.