Theo listened to Xander recount the escapades of his afternoon with only partial interest. His head was still too caught up on his own activities. On Lady Sophie Lasker. It surprised him that a lady would endear herself to him within minutes. It certainly hadn't happened before, and almost...almost made him feel guilty about demanding a kiss from Lady Mask. Also stupid, since he'd never felt guilty about these things. He owed Sophie Lasker nothing, after all. They'd only just met—

"My prince, are you even listening?"

"What? Oh. Yes, yes, go on."

Xander huffed and shook his head. "You weren't. You are off in dreamland."

The door flew open. Amil, Fallon, and Idris strode in. The look on Amil's face made him immediately wary, especially when Amil said, "I hear you spent the afternoon with a certain lady of the house."

Xander's mouth popped open. "What lady?!" he demanded.

Theo sighed loudly, letting his head fall back against the sofa.

"Apparently," Amil announced, "Lord Lasker has a daughter, and our princeling spent the entire afternoon walking the battlements with her."

"And you didn't think to tell me while I droned on about my day? No wonder you were hardly listening," Xander scoffed.

Theo waved a hand. "It's nothing. We just went for a walk."

"Except it's not nothing," Fallon said, taking a seat beside him. "Because Lord Lasker failed to mention he had a daughter. Did you stop to think? Perhaps this is all too convenient. Perhaps this Sophie Lasker is our Lady Mask."

Theo barked a laugh. "Really? I doubt it. Lord Lasker wouldn't hide his daughter away to protect her identity as a rebel leader, when said rebel leader is destroying his wood trade." He paused, collecting his thoughts. "She's...unwell. I thought he was lying but...she looks as if she's hardly sleeping."

Fallon snorted. "If she's Lady Mask, she'd be up all night, wouldn't she?"

Theo's cheeks flushed with annoyance. "She was a direct opposite to Lady Mask," he snapped. "Her voice was softer, her countenance more demure."

"It could all be an act," Idris pointed out, backing up Fallon's argument.

"If it is, I'll discover the truth. I plan to see her again—tomorrow, in fact."

Later that evening, they found their way down to the dungeons. He couldn't get their accusations off his mind. If there was some way to discover Lady Mask's identity, then he'd take it. Speaking with Edric was at the top of his list.

Lord Lasker's guards glanced up from their dinners around the table in the key room and eyed them with surprise.

"I am here to speak with Edric," Theo said, leaving no room for argument.

"Edric?"

"The rebel we captured." He lifted his brows. They knew exactly whom he spoke of.

"Of...of course, Your Highness. But...surely you'd like to come back in the morning, perhaps? At a more convenient time."

"There's nothing inconvenient about our timing," Fallon said, stepping forward to glare at the guard.

"Yes...yes indeed. This way, then." He shared a nervous glance with his comrade before abandoning his food. He stood and grabbed the keyring from the wall before leading them down the corridor.

A scream split the silence, making Theo's steps falter. "What was that?"

"Oh. Just...the prisoners. Got some of them in for questioning. Like Edric."

Like Edric.

Another scream split the quiet. He knew what it meant to question a prisoner. He also knew that questioning and torture were two very different things. His stomach twisted. They passed cell after cell, each of them full.

"Are all of these rebels? Or are there other criminals here too?" Amil asked.

"Mostly rebels, sir," the guard answered. "Them that you got yesterday are down here at the end, waiting their turn. But we been capturing rebels and sympathizers for months." He came to a stop before a closed door, pounded his fist against it, then pushed it open.

The smell hit Theo first. Bile surged up his throat. He pushed it down. He was no stranger to torture. His father had dungeons beneath the great keep, complete with torture rooms, but they were only used in the most extreme cases.

A man was on a table, covered in bruises and blood. His arms were bound, fingers already crooked and broken. His face was swollen, nearly unrecognizable.

"Is this really necessary?" he drawled, attempting to hide his disgust behind a lazy attitude.

The man overseeing the torture, a large, big bellied fellow wearing a stained black jerkin and pants stood. "Your Highness."

"Well?" Theo pushed.

"Wouldn't be necessary, Your Highness, if he'd just cooperate. All I ask is he give us the location of his base, or the name of his leader. It could all be over."

"This man may be a criminal, but he isn't a rapist, a murderer—"

"All due respect, Highness, but he murdered plenty of the lord's guards."

Theo bit his tongue. While the torturer was correct, that wasn't what he'd meant. The man wasn't...evil. He certainly wasn't the kind of traitor his father would have put in a place like this.

His mind snapped back to the night before. He thought of Lady Mask, of her anguished cry, the way she'd collapsed in his arms as Edric had been captured. Then he thought of the kiss they'd shared. Of the intimacy between them, even if it wasn't real. She cared about this man, and he was standing here letting it happen—

"Get him off that table and back into his cell," he barked before he could stop himself.

"I was charged by Lord Lasker—"

"Are you arguing with an order from your prince?" Idris demanded, his voice dropping to a dangerous calm. "Because that would be a very, vary bad idea."

The guard who'd escorted them here backed up several paces. The torturer gulped. "Course, not. I'll untie him at once." He scrambled into action, undoing the restraints before motioning for the guard to help him lift and transport Edric.

Edric groaned, but didn't speak as he was moved back to a confined cell and deposited none too gently on the floor. When the guard and the tortorer stepped back, Theo said, "We'd like to speak with him alone. You can leave now."

They hesitated, then departed. Edric was motionless on the floor, staring at the ceiling. There wasn't much in the cell. A bucket and a pallet. The sight of it, the thought of being confined like this left him uneasy.

"Xander, find some water," he barked. "Fallon?"

"Yes, yes. I'll manage it."

Fallon was learning the magical art of healing.

He crouched beside Edric and began speaking hushed magical commands, closing wounds and setting bones. Edric's groans of pain, and then relief, mixed with the sound of Fallon's voice. Xander returned shortly thereafter with a pitcher and a cup. He poured water, then tilted Edric's head up so that he could get some of it down.

It took nearly an hour, but when he was mostly healed and coherent, Edric scooted cross the cell to prop his back on the wall. He watched Theo and his companions warily and said, "Doubt you came here to heal me out of the goodness of your heart. Hope you don't expect me to spill my secrets in exchange for your...generosity."

Theo considered his words carefully. "Does he treat all his prisoners this way?"

"More or less," Edric answered, shrugging. "We all knew what we signed up for."

"And yet, you do it anyway."

"Lasker's a dishonorable cheat. You would too if you was promised one thing and given another," Edric said. Theo crouched, making himself more comfortable. "We aren't making trouble for the hell of it, Your Highness. Surely you can see that."

Theo hummed, then said, "Tell me about Sophie Lasker."

Edric's brow furrowed. "Sophie Lasker. The lord's only daughter? The sickly one?" He didn't show surprise, only confusion.

"Yes. Is she leading your rebellion?"

Edric gave a bark of laughter. "If that's the best you've come up with, you might not be cut out for bringing down this rebellion, Your Highness."

"Fine. Then tell me who the leader is."

"Can't."

"Can't...or won't?"

Edric gave a raspy chuckle. "That's more than my torturer bothered with. At least you're not hopeless. Can't."

"You don't know, then?"

"I don't. She's smart enough to keep her identity to herself. Uses a go-between for delivering messages to ensure that no one ever discovers who she is."

"You mean Amelina."

A flash of worry crossed Edric's features, there and gone. "You're waisting your time, Prince. Even if you discover her identity, even if you find her, capture her, kill her. Our movement is too big now, got too much momentum. It will continue its course. You'll have to kill us all. Not that Lord Lasker isn't willing to. He's already captured plenty of us, tortured us to death. He drops the bodies in the lake, did you know? People who are just trying to stay warm, feed their families, build houses with the wood that was promised to us. They're fighting for a better life, dying for it."

Crouched before Edric, Theo adjusted his weight to hide his discomfort. "What, exactly did he promise you?"

Edric snorted. "You haven't read the contract between Lasker and your father, have you?"

"Should I have?" he asked. Edric stared at him. "All right. Why don't you give me the abridged version."

"Fine. Lord Lasker claimed rights to the forest—as if owning a forest is ethical. To keep his people from complaining about it, we were promised access to wood—firewood, lumber, and the like—for a steeply discounted rate. The cost was meant to be taken on by our king—your father—and the southerners. That tax money was then to be funneled back into our pockets."

"And Lord Lasker is instead monopolizing the forest and charging you as much as the people in the south," Theo finished, surmising the remainder of the details. "Why hasn't anyone taken this matter to the king?"

"You mean the king who lives on the other side of the kingdom? That king?" Edric scoffed.

But...he made a valid point. The whole purpose of individual dragondoms was so that they could mostly govern themselves without his father's constant interference. Just because Theo didn't want to involve himself in politics didn't mean he knew nothing about them. He probably knew more than nearly everyone in the kingdom.

"This is the lord's matter to fix," Edric continued. "He knows what he's doing. I bet when he contacted your father, he made it all sound like he was the victim. Poor Lasker. Losing all his mercenary guards to the rebellion because he can't get things the way he wants them without consequences."

Theo stood, rubbing the stubble on his chin. Edric had hit the nail on the head. The letter Lasker had sent the king made it all sound like he'd done nothing wrong. That the rebels were being selfish and unruly.

Did his father know the truth? Surely if he had, he wouldn't stand for a breach in contract. That sounded unlike King Tristan in every way.

"People are suffering, Prince," Edric said. "People have died for this, too many to count. There's no one to hold Lord Lasker accountable. No one is higher than the lord governor of this dragondom except the monarchy, and until you came, our only option was rebelling against him."

"But now I'm here."

"But now you're here," Edric repeated. "You can take action against him. Bring him to justice."

"That would be assuming I cared enough to."

Edric eyed him. "Wanna know what I think?"

Theo shrugged. "I'm sure you'll tell me, regardless."

"You might pretend that you don't care, but I think you do."

Theo sighed. Did he? Backing away, he turned on his heel and said, "Get some rest," over his shoulder. The others followed him out of the cell and down the hall. Behind him, the guard stepped from the shadows and locked Edric's door.

They made their way out of the cells, climbing several sets of staircases that would take them to the main level of the keep. Silently, he said to the others, "I think I have an idea."

"Do tell," Fallon demanded, intrigued.

"What would it take to stage a rescue?"

"Depends," Fallon said. There was no hiding the eagerness in his answer. "You want to remain anonymous?"

"I'm not ready for Lord Lasker to know that I've switched sides."

Idris chuckled. "Well, well, well, the tables have turned. So...you do care."

"I just want to get this done and over," he snapped.

They reached the top of the stairs and found Lord Lasker making his way towards them. "Well? Did you find anything useful, Your Highness?"

"Nothing at all, my lord. But I have ceased all questioning of the prisoners—for now. So that they might thinking about their willingness to cooperate."

"I...see." A frown pulled at Lasker's mouth, but he schooled his distaste quickly enough.

"If they're not cooperative tomorrow morning, then by all means, resume your efforts."

"Certainly, Your Highness."

Heart racing, he bid the lord good evening, then made his way to his chambers. If he did this, he'd do it strategically. That meant that he'd need a copy of the contract, as evidence, along with proof that the lord was breaching the terms. Rebel acts were still punishable by law, and if he ignored such actions, he'd be perpetuating illegal behavior. Thus, he'd have to turn a blind eye, and make it look as if the rebellion was responsible for freeing the lord's prisoners.

His thoughts jumped to Lady Mask. He refused to admit that he was doing this for her. And yet...he couldn't ignore the desperate desire to seek her approval. It was selfish, and he knew she'd probably hate him forever. At least this was a step in the right direction. 

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