"Your Majesty? Your Majesty?"

Donovan opened his eyes blearily and for a moment could not recall why someone was calling him that. Then he remembered and sat up abruptly.

The soldier who was trying to wake him up was standing outside the speeder.

"The barrier is down and the Duke of Worthingham is here."

Donovan nodded and climbed out of the speeder. He stretched first. His body felt like it was tied in a knot after sleeping crammed into the back seat. But sleep had been helpful and his mind seemed somewhat clearer.

"How long was it up?" Donovan asked.

"Nearly five hours, Your Majesty. It's three in the morning."

It was still dark, but the soldiers had brought plenty of lights with them. Donovan saw a convoy lined up on what would have been the other side of the dome. The Duke was walking alongside it. He clearly did not expect to see Donovan there.

"What are you doing here, what's happened?"

Donovan sighed. "I managed to get a roadblock set up to catch the men who had her. We stopped them, but Kieran was here. He has her."

The Duke blanched. "I'm so sorry. It was one of my men who turned her over to the Trackers, I hold myself responsible."

Donovan shook his head. "If it wasn't him, it would have been somewhere else. Or Kieran would have come and taken her anyway."

Captain Beven approached.

"Your Majesty, Your Grace, we are ready to move out at your command."

Donovan saw the shock on the Duke's face, but fortunately, he did not say anything.

"Thank you, Captain. We'll be leaving shortly."

"What happened?" the Duke breathed after Beven walked away.

"Kieran. He killed him last night. Kieran is also claiming that he's the king, and I'm dead, which further complicates matters."

The Duke nodded. "The military stands behind you, Your Majesty."

Donovan nodded. He wondered how long it would take before he no longer thought people were talking to his father when they said, "Your Majesty" to him.

"I want to reassemble at the fort. Then we'll go get Maren."

The Duke nodded. "Go sit in our speeder. It's extended, so there's room for you. Third one down. I'll give the order."

Donovan nodded, grateful that this ally was beside him too.

Maren's parents and Alec were in the speeder when Donovan climbed in. They were also surprised to see him. He sat beside Alec on a bench seat that went along the side wall of the speeder. It seemed likely three or four more people could fit inside it.

"Gods, man, what happened?" Alec breathed.

Donovan supposed he must look awful. He felt awful.

"Not just now," he said. He did not have the wherewithal to explain it. He did turn to Maren's parents and said, "She's alive, but Kieran has her. I'm going to get her."

It was all he had the energy to say. Or rather, the heart to explain. He did not want to think about the horror he felt watching Maren, barefoot and clutching his suit jacket, that awful collar around her neck, walking to Kieran.

She had been right to do it, of course. They might have been able to mount a defense against Kieran together, but with the collar, there was nothing they could do to stop Kieran. He thought he could unlatch it-he could handle most locks with his powers-but he needed just a few more moments before Kieran arrived to do it.

The Duke came back to the speeder and they set off.

"The Queen? Queen Andrea, I mean," the Duke asked once they were underway.

"At the fort, or at least she was when I last saw her," Donovan said.

"What do you want to do?"

Donovan sighed and rubbed his temples, "We need to put a team together of men we can trust to storm the Tracker headquarters. I've got at least one, and he says he's got a few more."

"We can actually help you there," Alec said.

Donovan looked at the Duke.

He smiled wryly. "The men here don't mind that the Queen's a Wielder. I think they're glad about it. I double-checked after dismissing the rest."

"How many?" Donovan asked.

"Fifteen, but they all swore to help save her."

Not a lot, but far more than one.

"Wait, Father, did you say Maren is Queen?" Alec asked but looked to Donovan for confirmation.

Donovan nodded, "The King is dead. Kieran did it. I'd really rather not discuss it further."

A shocked silence fell over them.

Fortunately, the Duke continued with the original conversation.

"What we saw at the estate was that the Trackers have no idea how to fight someone who is fighting them. We had nearly fifty soldiers come, but probably could have made do with far less. A small force could get you in and out of the facility."

Donovan nodded and asked what had happened at the estate. He didn't want to hear more horror, but he needed to know what happened.

The Duke and Alec told him about the Tracker interrupting dinner and then barricading themselves in the office and Maren saving Alec before the soldiers arrived.

"She was remarkable," Maren's mother said, speaking for the first time.

Donovan couldn't help but smile. "She usually is."

"The man who turned her over was the colonel in charge of the force stationed at the nearest fort. Everyone trusted him and followed his orders. He repositioned enough men so that he could take her out and deliver her to the Trackers. We found out because he was injured, and we left as soon as we could. We arrived at the barrier and figured Kieran was involved, so we decided to wait and see what happened," the Duke explained.

Donovan nodded but closed his eyes.

"She's tough as nails, she managed to give the man who turned her over a nasty burn. She'll be all right until you can get her," the Duke said.

"Did she?" That sounded like Maren. It made him feel a little better.

"She did," Alec said. "There's a crater in his arm almost as big as an apple where she burned him. He'll probably lose it."

Alec sounded uncharacteristically unsympathetic about someone's physical trauma. Donovan supposed he was likely as furious as he was.

"It's my fault. Saving me took so much out of her. She might have gotten away if she wasn't so tired," Alec said.

Donovan truly looked at him for the first time. He had a bandage over one eyebrow and seemed wracked with guilt. Donovan didn't have the capacity to comfort Alec, but he wanted to try anyway.

"Alec, she would never sit quietly and let you die just so that she could conserve her energy. You know that. And in any case, they put some sort of collar on her to block her powers. That's not your fault," Donovan said.

He closed his eyes, trying not to think about how awful she must feel.

"What do you want to do after you get her out?" the Duke asked.

After. It was hard to think about "after" when it felt so impossible to get there. What should he do? What could he do? They should go...somewhere?"

"I'm not sure," Donovan said.

"What I mean, Your Majesty, is do you want to fight for your throne?"

Donovan had not even considered it. But the Duke was right, if Kieran was running around claiming to be king, there would be a war over it if Donovan chose to fight him.

Donovan thought it likely that he could muster a superior fighting force against Kieran, but that mattered little if Kieran could kill them all in a few minutes. And he could. He just had to suffocate them or flatten them or snap their necks.

Donovan sighed. "You can't fight magic with bullets."

The Duke showed the barest hint of a smile. "That's just what your wife said."

That made Donovan's heart ache. She had barely been his wife. They had only had one night together.

He pushed that thought aside. He needed to focus.

"She's right. I won't drag the kingdom into a civil war we cannot win. If I have a chance to kill Kieran, I'll take it, but otherwise...well, we'll see what happens."

Donovan was grateful no one argued with him. He thought it very unlikely that he'd be able to kill Kieran. He and Maren together might make some progress, but he had to wonder if Kieran could even be killed. Kieran seemed to be more raw power than man. How do you kill someone like that?

They arrived at the fort around five in the morning. Donovan was extremely agitated. Maren had been in Kieran's hands for more than seven hours, and he felt like he might burst.

"Gather everyone who's going in the courtyard. We'll leave as soon as possible," he told the Duke.

He and Alec were beside him, and they exchanged a look.

"Donovan," Alec said very gently. "You can't go yet."

Donovan turned on Alec, eyes blazing, and glared at him, daring his friend to stop him.

To his immense credit, Alec did not recoil or back down.

Instead, he put his hands on Donovan's shoulders and looked him straight in the eyes.

"You have to sleep. You have to eat. The men need to sleep and eat. At least a few hours."

"But -"

"No. You have to. You're the only one who has a chance at stopping Kieran, and you're so exhausted you might collapse any minute. When was the last time you slept a full night in a bed?"

Donovan closed his eyes. "The wedding."

"That was three nights ago. You have to sleep."

Donovan looked at Alec and knew his eyes were filling with tears.

"I have to save her," he whispered. It was more of a plea than anything.

Alec squeezed his shoulder and grimaced in sympathy. "I know. And you will, but you're no good to her now. Rest first. You know she would want you to."

Donovan sniffed and nodded. Alec was right. He just hated that Alec was right.

The Duke had apparently been making arrangements for him to sleep, and there was a soldier waiting to take him to a bed.

"Can you check on my mother?" he asked Alec, who nodded.

"And by the gods do not call her a dowager!"

Alec nodded again. Donovan followed the soldier and reluctantly went to find a bed.

—

*Content Warning* The rest of this chapter contains graphic violence and (non-sexual) abuse. It can be skipped without losing major plot points.

It was a very long night. Maren thought she might have dozed off a time or two, but otherwise lay awake listening to Kieran snore and hoping Donovan would come for her soon.

The one positive aspect of her situation was that she knew Kieran would not be able to harm her while he slept. That was something.

Maren had no sense of the passage of time, but eventually Kieran awoke. She stared at the ceiling, not wanting to provoke him.

"Good morning, pet."

"Good morning, Your Majesty."

She spoke mechanically and tried as hard as she could to focus on courtly manners and nothing else.

"I slept very well, did you?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. Thank you, Your Majesty."

"Excellent. I am going to make ready for the day, and you will stay here and someone will come get you and take you for a walk. Can I trust you to behave while I'm gone?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. Thank you, Your Majesty."

"Good girl," he said and patted her head again. It seemed he wanted to reinforce to her that she was a dog or certainly no better than one.

He left and after a time a Tracker came and unchained her from the bed. He didn't speak to her but led her to a small washroom. The Tracker, fortunately, let her go in by herself, so she was spared some modicum of humiliation. She washed her face and hands and drank a bit of water.

She felt nauseous enough that she might have thrown up, but there was nothing in her stomach after more than a day without eating.

Maren left the washroom, and the Tracker picked up the chain connected to her collar again. She resisted the urge to sigh.

He took her to a new room. It was a very strange room. Everything was covered in marble and the room was huge. Even bigger than the bedroom in the Duchess' Suite at Worthingham. But there was no furniture.  Except for a desk and chair, there was nothing in the room.

The Tracker silently led her to the desk, where of course there was a connection to attach the chain. Then he left.

Maren briefly considered sitting in the chair but knew that the comfort of the chair would not be worth whatever Kieran would do to her if he found her in it.

So, she sat on the floor and tried not to think. She knew it was only a matter of time before Kieran came.

Stay alive. All she had to do was stay alive.

Kieran did come in after a time, looking refreshed and well-fed.

"I have work to do, you're to kneel and wait for me," he said.

Maren knelt in the spot he indicated and waited. She knew he would do something horrifying to her before long, but she was relieved he hadn't done anything too terrible yet. She tried to wait and not contemplate what he might do.

Maren still had no way of keeping track of time, but she thought it might have been an hour before Kieran got up from his desk and went to a door. He opened it, said something to whoever was on the other side, and came back.

"I've got something special coming for you," he said. He sounded truly excited, which was terrifying.

Maren reminded herself she had to stay alive.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

"Lie on your back just here," he told her, indicating a spot on the floor, and she did.

He knelt beside her and made sure the area just below her left collar bone was clear of her hair and nightdress.

Kieran patted her collar bone and then stood up. Then the door opened, and she smelled hot metal, and she remembered that Kieran had said something about branding her.

Oh gods, he was going to brand her. She started to hyperventilate.

"You're going to be a good girl and hold still for me, won't you? I'd hate for this not to come out properly."

Maren closed her eyes. "Yes, Your Majesty." Her voice wavered, and she felt a tear roll down her cheek. 

Maren had seen enough horses branded to know that it was going to be excruciating when it happened.

"You've been such a good girl, would you like something to bite down on?"

He probably didn't want her screaming that loudly in his face and hurting his ears.

"Yes, please, Your Majesty."

She thought perhaps he was dragging it out on purpose. He liked her fear.

She heard him doing something that sounded like taking off his belt, and the thing he shoved between her teeth felt like a belt.

"Now, be a good girl, and keep your eyes closed."

He wanted her to have to wait for the brand, not knowing when it would come.

She had to resist all her instincts to curl into a protective ball and shield herself from the pain. But she knew her choices were to either allow him to brand her or get beaten until she agreed to allow him to brand her.

She knew that Kieran would only tolerate so much resistance from her. She wanted to save it for something she really couldn't bear. Maren had no doubt that would come. She tried to remind herself that it was just pain. Pain wouldn't kill her any more than humiliation would.

She wondered if waiting for the brand would be worse than the actual brand until he pushed the burning metal into her skin. Then she knew the brand was far worse. It had been difficult to imagine being in more pain than just the collar alone cause, but when it came she understood, this was a different pain.

She wondered if she might pass out. It felt like Kieran was holding the brand for a very long time-too long a time.

She bit into the leather belt and tried not to move or scream. Her arms and legs seemed to twitch in outrage, but she thought she held more or less still.

Maren had no idea how long Kieran held the brand to her, but when it was over, there was a burnt smell that made her want to vomit. She tried very hard not to. She knew that would enrage Kieran.

All she had to do was stay alive.

Kieran took the belt out of her mouth.

She knew what she had to say.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Her voice sounded like something between a squeak and a whine. She could have wished she sounded bolder, but she thought he would at least stop hurting her.

She was wrong.

"Maren, you break my heart. You were being so good. But look, you've absolutely ruined my belt with your teeth marks," Kieran said.

Maren should not have been surprised he had set her up for that, but she was. Her thoughts felt very sluggish.

"I'm very sorry, Your Majesty," she said.

She was starting to not even care what she said. She wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"I can probably forgive you, but I'll need to punish you," he said.

"Of course, Your Majesty. Thank you, Your Majesty."

Vaguely she wondered if whatever he had in mind would be humiliating or painful or both. Most likely both, she thought.

She was right.

He jerked on the chain to force her to stand up, and then bent her over his desk. He lifted her nightdress. She thought he was going to rape her. She was wrong about that, though, which she supposed was a good thing. Instead, he took the belt and began beating her with it. At first, it was a furious barrage of blows on her back and buttocks. And then he wanted her to count them and thank him. So she did. And then he switched the end of the belt he was holding so that he beat her with the buckle. And she had to thank him for that too.

Being hit with the leather strap over and over again had been plenty painful, but the buckle was far worse. She knew it was cutting into her skin as well as bruising her.

Eventually, he either got tired or bored and decided he was done with that particular exercise. He replaced her clothing and told her to kneel by his desk.

She thanked him and did what he asked. Because she wanted to live to see Donovan. Even if she died in their attempt to escape, she would still get to see him one last time.