***
Pain was all Emilio could feel, and it was everywhere he turned his mind to. He felt it like his own heartbeat, and it pulsed within him as though it had a life of its own. And when it came to the surface, his skin burned like the flames of hell itself were licking at it.
“Rise and shine, sweet Prince,” the cold voice said, sound exploding in his head. He was aware that he was lying on a cold, hard floor, and that there was something hot wrapped all over him.
It was chains, he realized, as he tried to move and ended up scalding himself.
Slowly, his eyes pried open, and his head throbbed from the blinding light in front of him. It was a torch, and Ophelia stood outside the cell with a smile on her lips as the flames danced in front of her.
“There you are,” she said. “I was begi
