She was naked and lying on her side, shaking. Her back was to me, the bones of her spine sticking out as if her skin had shrunk around it.

“Safira?” I whispered.

She did not move or act as if she had heard me.

She had been down here for almost a month, though Adrian had only ordered her to remain in the dungeons for a few days. That was after she had falsely claimed to be sleeping with him. I had approved of that punishment—but seeing her like this now made me feel guilty that neither of us had ensured her quick release.

“Guards!” I called.

“Keep your mouth shut!” a voice echoed in the dungeon. Whoever had called did not attempt to investigate. I wondered if that meant he was used to Safira making demands. I would not be surprised, but seeing her like this made me wonder if we had broken her.

“I command you, come this instant!”

“You little bitch,” the guard growled, and suddenly, there was clamoring down the hall and heavy feet thudded against the stone floor. “You’ve a lot of nerve commanding me.” He rounded the corner and halted when he saw me, though I was veiled in shadow. “Who the fuck are you?” he demanded, squinting to see me better.

“I am your queen,” I snapped. “Open this fucking door.”

“My qu-queen!” he sputtered, kneeling.

“I said open this door. I will not give the command again.”

He scurried forward and fumbled with a set of keys.

As soon as the door opened, I swept inside.

Safira lay in the middle of the uneven stone floor. She was filthy, her hair matted, and her skin so raw in places, she had developed sores.

She also smelled like piss, and it burned my nose.

I wanted to get her out of here.

“Safira, come with me.”

“Please just leave me alone,” she said, still sobbing but quieter this time. She curled herself into a ball, knees to her chest. In this moment, she reminded me of Violeta—small and young.

My guilt blossomed anew. I knelt to the floor and the stones dug into my knees.

“I am not going to hurt you,” I whispered. “I’m going to release you.”

“To die?” Her voice shook.

“To bathe,” I said.

She finally met my gaze, wary and confused. “Why?”

“I do not wish to leave you here,” I said. “I should have protested this punishment. What you did…wasn’t worth this.”

She stared at me and then something dark came over her expression, and she reared back and spit in my face.

I had my answer—she had not been broken quite yet.

“You bitch!” The guard behind me started to move forward, but I held out my hand to stop him before wiping her saliva off my face.

Then I grabbed her wrists and hauled her to her feet.