Chapter 75 Refusing to yield
DARIAN
I steel myself to the damp chill of the dungeon, the stones cold beneath my knees. The chains bite into my wrists, every breath echoing hollow around me. The torchlight casts long, wavering shadows, and with each passing second, I wonder how much lower my father would stoop to get rid of Iris.
Their footsteps announce their arrival. The heavy steel doors groan open, and in stride my father, Zeus flanking him, soldiers trailing behind like an ominous gale. Their footfalls ring in the corridor, turning the silence to tension. My veins pulse.
Father stops a few feet from me. He spreads his arms wide, dominion in posture. “Darian,” he says, voice cold and resonant. “I ask you now. Give me the location, that’s all. Where is Iris?”
The guards shift, rods and chains clinking in their hands. Zeus stands still, expression tight.
I lift my chin. “I told you already, I don’t know.”
Father’s eyes narrow. “You lie. You always lie.”
I snort, voice hoarse. “Even if I did know, why would I tell you? So you could go hunt her down and kill her? Do you think I’m that foolish?”
Zeus steps forward, face hard. “I asked around. From her friends. I found something.” He glances at my father. “She was picked up that day, by Darian, in front of the school gates. Daisy, Iris’ best friend, was generous enough to share with me.”
A shock cracks through me. My chest tightens. Daisy. My heart stabs. That means she’s in danger too, being used as a link, a clue.
Is this why Zeus has kept her around all this while? Waiting for the right time to come? So he can use her as the link between him and Iris?
Fuck. How didn’t I see this earlier?
Father’s lips curl into a thin sneer. He leans in. “So there it is. You lie by omission. But you knew.”
His question drips venom. He’s pressing for cracks, for weakness. And I can feel pressure building in every fiber of me, not only from the chains but from this war between loyalty and blood.
I twist my wrists. The bitterness of failure burns in me. Still, I hold firm. “It means nothing. Even if I knew, I’d never betray her.”
Father’s eyes flash. He straightens. His voice is softer, but the danger is there. “Is your life worth risking for her?”
That question. That knife in my gut. Every fiber wants to scream a resounding yes. But I can’t let him see that.
I swallow. “Yes.”
He nods to the soldiers.
They move in. Cold, unflinching. They seize my arms, pull me upright. Pain lances across my back the moment my weight shifts. The chain rattles.
Zeus watches, impassive. He doesn’t intervene. I know why.
This was his plan all along and I feel stupid for not clocking it soon enough. He pretended to care that Iris was going to be killed…or maybe he did care.
If Iris dies, father would be at ease, I’ll gain his favor again, proceed with my marriage to ADIRA and be the next in line which is something Zeus has always wanted for himself.
So he tells me about father’s plan to kill Iris, knowing well that I won’t stand for it. I’ll save her no matter the cost, putting me in a position where I’m opposing the king, and he’s gaining the king’s favor, making it extremely likely for him yo be next in line.
Fuck!
I look at him, and he has a coy smile on his lips.
Father raises his hand. “He will talk, or he will suffer until he does.”
The whip cracks in the air. Silence holds its breath.
The first strike lands. Explosive pain. I stagger, knees buckling, but the chains hold me upright. My vision flutters. The world wobbles.
Each lash is sharp, cruel. The stone floor presses into my knees. My muscles quake. My teeth grit. Every nerve screams.
I don’t cry out. I don’t look away. I stare straight ahead at my father, at Zeus, at the shadows dancing around us.
They strike again. My skin splits, a red bloom. Bruises rise. My back arches. I taste metal , blood on my tongue.
Father stands over me, watching. Each strike is a message, compliance or destruction.
I gasp, voice broken, “You’ll regret this.”
He leans closer. “I’ll do whatever it takes.”
Another strike. My body convulses. I barely breathe. But I don’t yield.
Zeus glances away, face strained, but he doesn’t stop them.
Father’s voice echoes down the corridor: “Answer me!”
I cough, sweat on my skin. “Never.”
The final blow lands. The whip cracks like a thunderclap. My back arches once more. I collapse forward, chest pressed to stone.
Father turns, motioning to soldiers. “Leave him. Bring food. We’ll continue tomorrow.”