-Laelia-
“Ashes!”
We had been waiting in a large common room for a good while, with Will and Carter standing off to the side, their hands still bound, and James sitting calmly in a chair nearby, when the doors suddenly opened.
Ashes was brought in, his hands still bound behind his back with chains—unlike Will and Carter, who were restrained only with ropes.
Two guards flanked him, dragging him inside before shoving him to the ground. I rushed to his side, helping him lift himself up, but I barely had a chance to touch him before James pulled me back.
“Do not get close to him,” James warned.
I struggled against James’s tight grip as Ashes slowly pulled himself up, sitting on his knees. His face bore an ugly cut running down it. What had they done to him?
“James! Let me go! He’s my h
