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messenger bird had not found him.
     
    Minna tried to wriggle into a more comfortable position, the hard sandy floor digging into her hip. Her hands were shackled in front of her and chained to a ring in the floor, preventing her from standing up. Shista lay panting nearby, her eyes gleaming as she kept watch. As far as Minna could tell, the sand cat had not eaten or slept since she had arrived. She glanced at the hunk of dry bread and pitcher of stale water that were her only source of sustenance. After a few days, even the stale bread had tasted good, for there was never enough to satisfy her hunger.
    The only person she had seen since she woke here was a skinny Jashimari slave boy who brought her food and water. He had not spoken to her, despite her efforts to engage him, and she wondered if he possessed a tongue. From the crumbling buildings visible through the single window, she deduced that she was being kept in an abandoned keep. A few spindly palm trees shaded broken walls and sagging roofs. Beyond them, the desert stretched away to the horizon.
    The room in which she was imprisoned must have once been a slave pen, judging by the rings and chains on the floors and walls. At night, she shivered in her thin gown, even though Shista lay close to share her warmth. The sand cat had done everything in her power to comfort her friend, but when Minna had tried to send her for help, Shista would not leave. This was a common trait of familiars, who hated to be separated from their friends, especially in times of danger. A winged familiar would have been far more willing to go for help, due to the speed with which it could accomplish the journey, but it would take Shista many days to reach Jadaya. Instead of finding help, the cat would try to protect her, and, although a formidable guardian, she was no match for men with swords.
    Shista looked up and growled deep in her chest. Minna turned to follow her gaze as heavy footsteps came from the passage outside. A man filled the doorway, and for an instant Minna's heart leapt, despite Shista's warning. His resemblance to Kerrion was remarkable. Another of the King's half-brothers, but Minna did not recognise him. She met his eyes with a steady gaze and waited for him to speak.
    The Prince glanced around with a mocking smile. "I trust your quarters are comfortable?" He chuckled. "Kerrion is tearing the desert apart searching for you, but he will not find you."
    Minna bit back a cutting retort. Sometimes silence was the best weapon.
    He smirked. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Prince Trelath." He tugged at his pale blue tunic, frowning. "Do you not want to know why you are here? Are you not going to beg for mercy?"
    "No."
    "How very courageous of you. It would not do you any good, of course. You will never see your husband again, I promise. As soon as he has done as we wish, you will die."
    Shista growled, and Trelath smirked again. "Your familiar too, of course. Perhaps I shall kill her first, very slowly, and you can watch. That should be most amusing."
    "Kerrion will kill you."
    "No he will not. That would be high treason."
    "If I die, he will not care. He will take you and a few of your traitorous brothers with him. He told me so, long ago."
    "And you believed him?" Trelath laughed. "Only a woman could be so stupid. Anyway, he will not know you are dead. The vultures will pick the flesh from your bones, and he will never find them."
    "Then why do you not kill me now?"
    "I might need you for a while, to provide titbits to spur him into action, such as fingers or ears. They will have to be fairly fresh, do you not think?" He sniggered. "For now, a lock of hair will suffice, I think."
    A soldier stepped around the Prince and approached her, drawing a knife from his belt. Shista leapt to her feet and charged in a crouch, her battle wail filling the room. The soldier jumped back, and Shista barred the way, her fur bristling.
    Trelath said, "If you do not control her, I will kill her