A Castle of Sand

Five chains were placed on me—my neck was shackled, my wrists and my ankles. The five guards who jumped on me were holding the other ends of the chains, all of them pulling on opposite directions. It felt like they were trying to tear me apart. The guard I was able to take down was still writhing in pain on the ground, severely wounded, as he clutched a chain that I figured must’ve been for my waist. I knew them. Felix’s men.

I glared at my father. “What’s going on?” I hissed as I tried to fight against the restraints.

Seated on his throne, my father smirked at me. “How the mighty have fallen…this is just a father giving his son a lesson in humility,” he said as he leaned back and crossed his legs, wicked glee evident in his eyes.

“Do you really think you can kill me without the rest of the Elite destroying you for it?” I spat at him.

“Kill you? There are worse ways to make you suffer than just end your life, son.”

I pulled against the chains, mainly to gauge just how strong the guards were. I couldn’t remember seeing any of them at the training grounds. I wondered then if Felix had been doing training of his own. The guards were strong, perhaps the best he had.

My father rose from his seat and began walking down the balcony to the stand where I was restrained.

I glared at him as he approached. “What do you want?”

“A trusted source of mine revealed to me that some of the Naturals are planning to incite a revolt. The key people are being arrested as we speak. We don’t want them to get in our way once we conduct the culling tomorrow.”

My stomach turned. Tomorrow?! How could I have not known that? “No one told me that plans have been finalized for the culling!”

“Not many knew. We couldn’t risk you and those whom we know are loyal to you finding out about the plans and getting in our way. Considering how you’re practically bordering on treason on behalf of that human of yours, it’s hard to trust you, son. You understand, right?”

I once again pulled at the chains. The guard holding down the chain on my right wrist budged. I smirked, noting a weakness. I shifted my glare back to my father. “I have nothing to do with the revolt. Why restrain me here when you need military force to conduct the culling and take down the inciters of the revolt?”

“Because I doubt you would do anything to punish one of the key people leading the revolt.”

Realization dawned on me. Sofia. All I could do was scream as I pulled on my restraints, making all five of the guards holding me down tense as they tried to keep hold of the chains. “I swear if you do anything to harm her…” Several curses flew from my lips. “No! What are you going to do to her?!”

“Give her the punishment any rebel deserves. Make an example of the little fool. They’re all being hauled to the town square, where they will receive fifty lashes each.”

I remembered the way Claudia’s back looked after receiving thirty lashes. Despite the suppression serum inhibiting her ability to heal, a vampire was still much more capable of taking that much pain. “There’s no way she’s going to survive that many lashes!”

“Exactly.” My father grinned. I could barely recognize him anymore. “Well, I have punishments to see to.” He walked out of the dome, chuckles still coming out of his mouth.

I couldn’t stand him. At that moment, I hated him. I took several deep breaths as I glared at the guards surrounding me. No…not again…Sofia isn’t going to shed any more blood. Enough is enough.

Gathering up my strength, I let out all my fury with one long growl before pulling on my restraints. The next half hour was spent taking down every single one of the five guards restraining me. I walked out of the dome still holding the beating heart of the final guard in my hand.

I might have underestimated my father, but he had no idea how much he had just underestimated me.

CHAPTER 29: SOFIA

I was woken by a splash of cold water. The first person I saw was Corrine standing at a distance from me, amongst a crowd of onlookers. I wondered why she didn’t do anything to help me. She could’ve easily rescued me from whomever it was that attacked me. That’s when I realized that she wasn’t exactly an ally, that she would never meddle with our destinies or interfere with the events that were unfolding. She was an observer. She was there to watch the prophecy unfold. She wasn’t there to change it or mess with it. Considering everything she knew, to do so would be dangerous.

I broke eye contact with her and began to try and make sense of my surroundings. We were at the Vale’s town square and a rather large crowd had already gathered—many were vampires sending me hostile glares. I saw Liana whispering something to Cameron, a worried look on her face. I could just about make out what she was saying as she nudged Cameron’s arm: “We have to do something,” she mouthed.

My heart began thumping double its usual pace. What’s going on? I realized then that my wrists were bound together and I was shivering from the cold water that was now beginning to soak my clothes and seep around my skin.

“Did you do this, Sofia?”

I followed the direction of the all-too-familiar voice and saw Gavin glaring at me with suspicion. “No! I don’t even know what’s going on!”

“Someone ratted us out,” Ian hissed as he tried to break free from the ropes binding his hands. “I was certain it was you, Red. I still think it is.”

“If it were me, why on earth would I be here with you?” The look on their faces showed that they were unconvinced. We were lined up in front of a wooden pole—there were five of us, two of the others I recognized from the secret meeting Gavin dragged me to. “I didn’t do this.”

Ian scoffed. “And we’re supposed to just take your word for it?”

“It wasn’t her.”

The murmurs of the crowd grew silent. Heavy footsteps approached. I didn’t really have to look up to know who it was. Gregor Novak. I lifted my head and sure enough, he was standing over me, staring at me the same way he always did—with a strange mixture of hatred and desire.

“My son’s redhead didn’t rat you out,” he clarified. “She’s too intent on destroying The Shade and everything it’s become to do that. I’m no fool. I have my eyes on The Catacombs, humans who do my bidding for certain luxuries and privileges. I’ve had her watched from her first day there. I know what a traitorous snake she is. She might have my son fooled, but not me. I know exactly why you’re here at The Shade, Sofia Claremont.”

I gave him the most defiant glare I could muster. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

The back of his hand connected with the side of my face so forcefully, I thought my neck would snap.

“How dare you address me! You little worm!” He grabbed a clump of my hair and yanked me to a standing position. He leaned over my face so closely our noses almost touched. “I know exactly who you are.”

He threw me on the ground toward the direction of the pole. I tried to scramble upwards, but two guards grabbed me by the arms and dragged me toward the pole. All I could do was attempt to steel myself against what I knew was about to happen.

“Fifty lashes for the treasonous little wretch,” Gregor announced.

The guards unbound my hands, which had been tied behind my back, so that they could bind them on ropes that hung over a hook on top of the wooden pole. I was trembling uncontrollably by the time they started ripping the back of my dress in order to expose my bare back.

“That’s right, Sofia.” Gregor had a tone of triumph in his voice. “Tremble.”

I could hear the whip crack over the concrete ground. I shut my eyes, trying to swallow back my fear. Derek, where are you? Do something…

“Stop this! Right now!”

Relief washed over me at the distant, but very much recognizable, voice of Derek as the crowd made way for him.

“Unbind her this instant!” he ordered the guards and they were about to do just that, but Gregor must’ve done something to make them stop.

“So you really are as strong and as powerful as they said you were, taking down five of Felix’s best men all on your own. I’m impressed.” There was a tone of amusement on Gregor’s voice. Not a single ounce of intimidation or defeat could be found in the way he was speaking. I wondered what ace he was hiding up his sleeve.

“I told you not to lay a hand on Sofia. I warned you.” When he saw that the guards weren’t about to do as he told them, Derek approached me and unbound my hands. He cupped my face with his strong hands and winced when he noticed the bump on my head where my captors had knocked me unconscious.

“You care for her like she’s some fragile little doll, when you don’t really even know who she really is. She’s playing you for a fool, Derek, destroying everything you fought hard to build.”

Derek’s chiseled features tensed as he let out a controlled breath, as if trying to reel in his anger. “I warned you, Father. You’ve gone too far.”

“She’s Ingrid Maslen’s daughter, Derek. Did you know that?”

I saw the flash of confusion that crossed Derek’s eyes as he withdrew his hands from my face. I felt the exact same confusion. What is this guy talking about?

“Lies.” Derek shook his head, but for a moment he looked at me as though I might have been a wholly different person. Desperation began eating at me. I knew how much he hated the Maslens.

“My mother’s name is Camilla Claremont,” I told him trying to stay calm. “She’s been in an insane asylum for the majority of the past decade. You know this. Your father’s bluffing, Derek.”

“I’m not bluffing. I can prove everything,” Gregor said confidently. “I have all the background checks to prove it. Ingrid Maslen was once Camilla Claremont, wife of Aiden Claremont. They only have one daughter—your pretty little redhead right there.”

I shook my head. “No. It’s not true. Ingrid Maslen is not my mother.”