“Holy fuck.” Lenny stared at him. “What the fuck did you do?”
“Nothing, but it’s about what people believe I did. I met a hacker once. She gave me a new identity. If there’s anyone that can get inside a computer and figure out what is going on, it’s her.” Dane sighed. “I’m no expert, but she seemed to know her shit.”
I don’t have time to figure out what name I should be calling Xavier-Dane now; we’ll figure that out later. Right now we just have to save Lyric.
Chapter 16: Lyric
I blinked until I could see when I regained consciousness. I was in a room that had metal on all sides. The metal looked to be new. It even smelled new. I was laying on a small cot and across from me was an empty one. I was naked except for a thin sheet that I recognized as the one I wrapped around myself at the hotel. I tried to sit up and I felt a weight around my ankle. I looked down to see a chain that had the same new reflection as the room I was in. I reached down and tugged on it, finding that it was connected to the floor. Upon closer inspection, it seemed that it was attached to a metal plate that was bolted to the floor. The floor was made of the same metal as the room. I put my head in my hands because the world was spinning, but after a couple of seconds, I realized the room wasn’t spinning, it was just rocking back and forth like it was suspended from something.
Where the hell am I?
I searched my thoughts. I remembered meeting Harland the night before. I remembered being in his suite. I even remembered the morning and the explosion. Fog had stung my eyes and made me choke. It must have been tear gas. The men that took us called Harland a prince, so they must have been after him. It was unlikely that I was important enough for such a dramatic kidnapping. It definitely wasn’t how my fantasy about Prince Harland unfolded in my diary. In my dreams, we woke up the next morning to begin a beautiful life with a happily ever after that Disney would have been proud of. I certainly didn’t wake up chained to the floor. I heard voices and then footsteps. The doors opened and two men walked in. They were dragging Harland’s unconscious body with hands under each of his arms.
“Who are you? Why are you doing this to us?” I sat up straight, feeling the hairs on my neck begin to rise.
“Shut up bitch, this ain’t about you.” I heard a gruff voice and then a hand was coming at my face. “One more sound and you’ll wish the only thing you had to look forward to was being shark food.”
It wasn’t enough to knock me unconscious, but when the back of the man’s knuckle collided with my cheekbone, I tasted blood in my mouth. I spun and hit my head on the metal wall behind my bed. I was stunned for a second and my head started to ache. I turned back towards them and they were walking to the door. Harland was swearing nothing but a pair of black pants and he was bleeding. His nose looked to be broken, his gorgeous face had been gashed and pummeled. A few of his teeth appeared to be shattered and one was jammed into his bottom lip. He groaned and I knew he was alive, but I wasn’t sure how bad his injuries were. His upper torso was battered and the skin was broken in several places.
“Harland! Harland, can you hear me?” I spoke in a whisper, hoping that wasn’t enough to upset the men that entered the room.
“Prin-princess?” His eyes opened slowly.
“It’s Lyric. I’m the girl you were with last night.” I whispered a little louder.
“Lyric...” His head nodded slightly and when his eyes opened, the glazed over look suggested he had a concussion.
Harland was in and out of consciousness for several hours. I couldn’t do anything to help him. The metal chain was long enough for me to reach the middle of the room, but that was as far as I could go. I could have touched Harland if he met me in the middle, but he didn’t seem to be moving. There was a noise—the sound of metal scraping on metal, and then I saw a beam of light in the shape of a square at the bottom of the door. A plate was pushed in with a metal jug of water and a few morsels of food that I didn’t recognize by feel or smell. I pulled them near me and dipped my hand into the water. I spent several minutes flicking water at Harland, finally seeing movement. His eyes opened and he leaned forward with a loud groan. I pushed the food and water towards him, hoping it would entice him more than it did me.
“Lyric.” He repeated my name, but he had more strength behind his words. “I’m sorry you got mixed up in this.”
“Mixed up in what, exactly?” I leaned forward on the edge of the bed.
“Hold on...” He sat up, groaning as each inch of his abdomen bent forward. “I need water.”
“Here.” I moved to the middle of the room and pushed it closer.
“Thank you.” He drank from the jug and then put it back down on the tray.
“What the hell is going on, Harland?” I exhaled sharply, still whispering my words.
“It’s my fucking brother.” Harland grimaced as he spoke. “The fucking asshole kidnapped me and is going to kill me when he’s tired of beating me for his amusement.”
“Your brother? Prince Rohr? Why would he do this?” My eyes opened wide with confusion.
Harland’s words were slow, but he managed to tell me everything. He told me about Princess Aria and how his brother took her from him, thanks to his father. He talked about the history of the Southern Isles, things that I had never read in a book. He left the Southern Isles in search of a woman to marry, a woman that would eventually sit on the throne beside him as queen if he successfully challenged his brother to Mortem Coronam. Death for the crown, crown or death. It was an ancient right of any male son, originally instituted to ensure that only the strongest son ruled when the father was gone. That was important in ancient times when a weak king would have brought down their empire.
“You would really fight your brother to the death?” I gasped in shock, bringing my weary hand to my lips.
“My brother is just like my father. The Southern Isles needs to change.” His words were still weak, but he seemed to be gaining strength as he nibbled on a piece of food.
“It still seems a bit... drastic.” I blinked, trying to process the idea of two people fighting to the death over a throne.
“My brother has the chance to abdicate the throne once he’s challenged. He doesn’t have to actually fight me. Our kingdom is nothing more than a tourist attraction now, and that is the majority of our economy, yet my father treats his court like it is the Middle Ages. He’s allowed my brother to take so many wives that our family is a disgrace in
the eyes of the world.” He coughed and sipped the water again.
“Yeah, I stopped watching after the third or fourth royal wedding.” I nodded and exhaled sharply. “I would have watched yours, though.”