A wry smile appeared on Edmund’s lips.

She calmed her laughter and breathed deeply. “I don’t like lying to people. Dell. My father. I don’t think I want to do it anymore.”

Edmund leaned forward, meeting her gaze. “Then don’t.” He raised a brow, begging her to challenge him.

Was it really that simple? Tell the truth and people would accept her for it? Or tell the truth and they wouldn’t, but at least she tried?

The carriage came to a stop and moments later an unbelievably tall woman in a white priestess’ robe yanked the door open.

“We have the princess,” she yelled to someone behind her as she reached in and wrapped a strong hand around Helena’s arm.

Helena let out a yelp as the priest dragged her from the carriage.

Edmund jumped out after her. “Take your hands off the princess.”

The priestess ignored him and turned Helena toward a crowd of others in the same telltale robes.

“Edmund,” she called. “Where’s Stev?”

“Unhand her.” Edmund gripped the large woman’s wrist moments before two other priests pried him off and pulled him away.

“What’s going on?” Helena yelled, her eyes finding Edmund as she stumbled, her knees hitting the stone before the woman yanked her back up. Another carriage appeared, rumbling through the palace gates.

“I’m going to find Stev,” Edmund yelled over the babbling priests who now swarmed her, pushing her toward the carriage.

A tear rushed down her face as the priestess shoved a woven sack over her head threw her into darkness. Someone lifted her. Fear coursed through her veins as her body hit what must have been the bench seat inside the carriage.

Where were her parents? A sob escaped her throat as the carriage jolted forward.

“Shut up, girl,” someone hissed. “You brought this on yourself.”

Helena bit her lip to prevent more cries from escaping. They had abducted her from her own home.

No, abducted was the wrong word.

The priesthood took her, but she knew they wouldn’t do this unless the king allowed it.

This was her punishment.

Helena had heard tales of the ‘priest hole’ like the one they now led her to. The only prison in Madra. The palace didn’t cage people, in part because the king didn’t want commoners under the same roof as the royal family. He let the priests do the kingdom’s dirty work.

They didn’t only craft the laws. They enforced them.

But the king could have stopped them if he wanted to. The fact that she was there meant her father wanted it.

She’d betrayed her family and her kingdom, by sneaking into the city without her mask.