Chapter Three: Mariana

The guards dragged her through the large and ornate wooden doors of the throne room and threw her on the floor before the king.

She kept her head bowed hoping this was somehow a mistake but it wasn’t, she knew that deep down and the feeling was flooding through her. She promised herself if she survived what was to come to her, she would never steal again, yet once again she knew that her promise would fall to dust like many others like hungar changed to lies.

“LOOK AT ME GIRL!’’ The king yelled but the voice was that of a young boy.

Mariana looked up. The king looked like a slightly older version of the teen in the dungeons, or the prince.

“FROM WHAT MY MEN TELL ME YOU, RUINED A VENDORS CART, STOLE FROM THE CART, AVOIDED CAPTURE, ESCAPED FROM THE JAIL AND CAUSED HARM ON YOUR WAY OUT, AVOIDED CAPTURE AGAIN, THEN ATTEMPTED TO POSTPONE BENG THROWN IN YOUR CELL!”

Mariana gaped up at him blankly, it earned her a sharp, hard kick in the back, she cried out in pain.

“YES OR NO GIRL?! AND CLOSE YOUR MOUTH WHILE YOU ARE AT IT!”

Mariana continued to gap at him then said “How am I supposed to say yes or no if my mouth is closed?”

This time the king’s mouth gaped open. At a quick word from the servant standing beside him, he shut it then, eyes glowing, said,

“Foolish child.”

She winced at the sound of his voice, it was like metal scraping over metal, it scared her more than when he was screaming.

“I can do you so much more harm than you can do to me.” He smiled but no light lit his cruel black eyes. He waved his hand and she was picked up by her arms.

“Take her to the dungeons and give her what she needs. Once she is ready to speak, bring her back to me.”

For the first time, Mariana’s eyes filled with fear as she was dragged out of the room. As the great doors shut in front of her, the image of the king in that last moment, strawberry juice drippin down his lips, like blood, she shivered.