They tossed Landon and Brock into a dark hole. The shadow halted their fall until their feet brushed the floor. Then it released them and disappeared.
After his sight adjusted, the Queen leaned over the side. The cave opening was a distance of at least sixty feet high.
“Flint stones and kindling are on the table. Within the hour, food will be brought.” The light behind her made her grey skin appear translucent. “I suggest you use the water to bathe. A change of clothes is on the bed.”
“What of Mirhana? And the others?” Landon asked.
“They will be healed, after you both agree to our arrangement. The other two have been released.”
There was a grinding sounded as the guards moved a boulder into place.
Three strikes of the flint stones, and then Brock nursed the flame onto a piece of kindling. Landon lifted one of the torches from the wall, and the flame brought light to their prison.
Only one bed was shoved into a corner, but Landon didn’t think either of them would sleep. A table held two plates, kindling, and the flint stones. Two chairs carved from stone with velvet-lined seats sat next to the table.
In the far corner, water drizzled into a stone pool. The walls were too slick to climb.
Landon set the torch inside a mount along the wall.
Brock flopped down in one of the chairs. In the silence, Landon paced. He gritted his teeth as he debated what to do, but no answers came.
• • •
After they washed and changed clothes, a white tablecloth filled with food floated down the opening and then landed on the table. The four corners hung on the shadow, cascaded down.
There was roasted duck with basil and rosemary, and potatoes chopped and coated with butter and onions sat in the center. Bread and sweetmeats smells mingled with the rest of the food. Even though he was hungry, he could not stomach the idea of food while not knowing what had happened to Mirhana.
An image of the Queen stood before them, her robes the colors of the cave walls. “Do we have an agreement?”
“Not until you heal Mirhana and Celeste.” Landon narrowed his eyes and prayed she wouldn’t call his bluff.
“Only with Celeste’s acknowledgement will I listen to any of your demands.” Brock clenched his fists.
“Bring her and Mirhana, healed, before us and you will have your answer at sunrise,” Landon added.
“Very well.” She sighed. “They’ve been healed already.”
“And what of Jeslyn? Gillespie?” Landon moved closer to her image.
“They are of no use to us.”
“If any harm has come—”
“Do not threaten me. As I have said before, they are well. Both are on the surface, unable to locate our entrance. Soon, they’ll give up and be on their way. “Although our laws hold me guiltless if I executed Jeslyn.”
“She saved my life with the Troblin,” Landon whispered. “Laws are written and unwritten by royalty to serve their own purpose.” He did not add that Mirhana had saved him several times already, both physically and from a loveless union he would have had with Kavith, even if Mirhana did not know it.
In acquiescence, she gave a brief nod. “The others will join you for the meal.”
The boulder grated open and the shadow swept down like a raven. When the shadow withdrew, Celeste and Mirhana stood before them.
Mirhana wore her black hair unbound and curled down to her hips. Her gown was white with the gold and silver threads crisscrossed into the pattern. It reminded him of a wedding garment, and he swallowed back rage for he knew the dress was not for his benefit. At the sight of her, Landon was breathless. It took everything not to tell her how he felt. Instead, he gave her a tight hug and heard the air come out of her in a gush.
Celeste’s hair was damp and braided with gold and silver threads. She, too, wore a white gown identical to Mirhana’s.
“As agreed.” The Queen’s voice vibrated off the stone walls. “You have until dawn.”
“What did you promise her?” Mirhana raised an eyebrow.
“Did the Queen tell you what she wants?” Landon asked.
“Aye.”
“Eat first. Then we’ll discuss plans.” It was bad enough he was supposed to marry Kavith. Now this Drow Queen wanted him to mate somehow? All he could think about was Mirhana and what her lips would taste like.
With the women’s arrival, the shadow brought two other chairs. While the others ate, Brock watched.
Afterward, they each tried to find a way out. Celeste levitated to the top of the cave; an invisible force knocked her backwards. Mirhana used one of the knives from the meal to chip away at the cave wall, but the blade snapped into pieces.
“Must be enchanted,” she mumbled.
All of them sat in silence. Celeste picked at her food. When Brock caught him staring at his sister, Landon gulped his wine.
“I’ll not be some broodmare.” Mirhana slapped her fork down. “Did you not tell them of the Warloc and his progeny?”
“They don’t care. Their desire to continue their line matters to them, not the destruction of all else.” Brock leaned forward, letting his arms rest on the table.
“What is it they want of us exactly?” Landon asked.
“Magic.” Celeste pushed her half-eaten food away.
“I’ve no magic,” Landon huffed.
Mirhana narrowed her green eyes as if discerning what the Drows saw. “Must have something. Otherwise they’d have released you with Jeslyn and Gillespie.”
“I’m only a man.”
“Arguing won’t solve our problems.” Brock reached over and took Celeste’s hand. “The point is we’re not going to bend to their wishes. How do we escape?”
“I’ll not marry anyone.” Mirhana shook her head. “Nor will I birth a half—Drow child.”
“The Queen said there were other ways to . . . ” Landon’s voice faded.
“With magic,” Mirhana finished for him.