Then the prisoner smirked.
Kael tipped the chair.
The motion was so sudden the prisoner didn’t have time to react. The chair crashed backward against the stone floor, knocking the air out of him in a violent gasp.
Kael crouched beside him.
“You’re going to answer the king,” he said quietly. “Or I’m going to start removing pieces of you until you remember how.”
The man wheezed, struggling to drag air back into his lungs.
I let the silence stretch before speaking again.
“Sit him up.”
Kael grabbed the chair and hauled it upright.
The prisoner coughed weakly as he fought to breathe.
I stepped closer.
“Let’s try again.”
The man stared at me.
“Why did you fire the shot?”
His lips curled faintly.
“It was a message.”
Kael’s brow furrowed.
“What kind of message?”
The man looked ba
