The silence in the cellar felt brittle, like glass on the edge of shattering, as Carter bowed his head low, fingers curled into fists at his sides.
The silence hung between them like a guillotine waiting to fall.
Carter stood over Kai's bruised and emaciated form, his expression twisted with shame and uncertainty. The torchlight flickered across the cellar walls, illuminating every scar and grime-streaked line on Kai's face.
"You'll save her?" Carter asked at last, voice brittle. "You'll bring the princess back?"
Kai raised his head with effort, eyes bloodshot but still calculating.
"I will," he said slowly. "As long as you do exactly as I say."
Carter shifted uneasily. "What do you mean by that?"
Kai coughed, lips cracking as he tried to smile. "It means I don't want a loyal knight who'll suddenly find his morals when I ask for something… practical."
