Before he could find one to use, Jig was jerked sideways by the noose. His head smacked into the wall. His fingers clawed at the rope as he tried to gain himself another breath. He could hear Riana next to him. She had the rope in her hand. What was she doing?

“This noose?”

Jig gagged something close to, “Yes.”

Riana stood, pulling Jig with her. “If you had been tied up back there, I’d still have two working hands.”

Or you’d have been one of those creatures. Even if he wanted to say it, he couldn’t. The noose was too tight, and he couldn’t pull it away. He needed air.

Wait, it wasn’t the noose he had to fight. It was Riana.

“They were coming back to heal me. Barius told me Darnak had prayed for a spell that would cure the poison.”

That made sense. They couldn’t have told her the truth, after all. Not if the prince didn’t want to wake up one morning with a knife in his belly. They knew Riana’s temper as well as Jig did.

Jig squirmed and reached behind his head. He didn’t know if she would really kill him or not, but he couldn’t take the chance. His fingers found Riana’s wrists. He squeezed, but she was too strong. He couldn’t pry her grip loose.

That was okay. He hadn’t planned to do this by brute strength.

His hand slipped past her wrist and up her sleeve. She figured out what he was doing and pulled back, but he had already grabbed the hilt of her knife, the one she had stolen from Barius. As she leaped away, the knife stayed with Jig. Seconds later, he was free of the noose and gagging on the floor.

“I can still kill you,” Riana warned. “For all you know, I could have a dozen more daggers stashed away.”

But she didn’t attack. She was afraid, Jig realized. Afraid of him! They had fought, and Jig had won. And he was too tired and sore to give one whit about his victory. He only wanted to curl up and rest.

So he did. He kept one ear aimed at the corridor so he could hear what was happening outside. The other remained pointed at Riana. He thought she was bluffing about the knife, but there were plenty of sharp bones in here. He wouldn’t let her surprise him again. Which was why he couldn’t allow himself to sleep. Even though he was so tired that the bone-littered floor felt almost comfortable.

The fighting couldn’t go on for much longer. If the adventurers won and came back for Jig and Riana, they would be free soon. Otherwise, it didn’t matter if Riana killed him or not.

The noise in the corridor stopped a little while later. Despite Jig’s vigilance, Riana noticed first. “They’ve stopped.”