“Why did you three stay behind?” Brannie asked.

“To find Ren. But we were too late.”

Brannie froze and faced Kachka. “What?”

The Rider shrugged. “When they sealed us in here, he was in the cage right next to ours. We talked a bit but he was taken away by three guards. We heard screams . . . then nothing. Later they brought out his head.”

Brannie felt sick, but she forced herself past it. “They didn’t purify him?”

“Not that we saw.”

“Where is the head now?”

Kachka gestured to the cage. “Perhaps you do not see we are still behind bars.”

“Oh. Right. Right.” Shaking her head, she went back to the torture tables and looked at the weaponry hanging overhead. There had to be some way to get the damn cage open.

“How long ago was this?”

“Two weeks.”

Brannie stopped again. “You haven’t been out of that cage in two weeks?”

“Do you want to see bucket?”

“No, thank you.”

“They hope to starve us.”

“They haven’t fed you in all that time?”

“No food. No water.”

“Shouldn’t you be . . . weaker?”

“We are Daughters of Steppes. Some seasons on the plains are very good. Very plentiful. Others? We are lucky if we do not eat the weakest of our tribe.”

“Sometimes we do.” When Kachka, Nina, and Brannie all stared at Zoya, the giant Rider asked, “What? Only the Mountain Movers of the Lands of Pain in the Far Reaches of the Steppes of the Outerplains have ever eaten their weakest members?”

Nina glared directly at Brannie. “Get me the fuck out of here. I will spend not one more minute with this giant open sore!”

“I have saved your life, Nina Chechneva, the Unclaimed!”

“And I have saved yours, Zoya Kolesova! We owe each other nothing except disdain and hatred!”

Calmly Kachka motioned Brannie over with a wave of her hand. When Brannie stood in front of her, Kachka grabbed her throat and yanked her even closer.

“I will say this once to you, Celyn’s sister—”

“I have a name,” Brannie choked out.

“—get me out of here or burn everything down around me. Because I cannot listen to another moment of this ridiculous horse shit!”

* * *

Aidan had led the Zealots on a merry chase through the tunnels and eventually out of them but, sadly, he ended up trapped inside their main hall, Zealots surrounding him.

He didn’t know if he’d given Brannie enough time to find Ren but there was nothing he could do about that now. He had to get the two of them out of there.

Aidan was reaching for the sword at his side when he heard the screams of other Zealots moments before Uther and Caswyn came charging into the main hall, covered in blood, and in a complete panic.

“What are you doing?” he asked, trying not to laugh.