The only thing I could think about as I followed Kadic out of the palace was the fact that I was relieved to be out of his bedroom. I was up for anything that didn’t involve sex and I would take just about any distraction or way out of that, especially now that I knew he was trying to impregnate me.

We went out to the Darailtar stables, where he picked one for us to mount. By now, I was becoming used to riding around on these Pegasus-looking creatures and it didn’t faze me anymore.

“Do you mind telling me where we are going?” I called from behind him as he steered the animal into the opposite direction of the waterfall where we had made love before.

“The mines,” he said and stared straight ahead.

“Um, what are those?” I asked, pressing for more information.

“You’ll see for yourself when we arrive,” he called over his shoulder and looked back at me for a moment before turning his attention back to the skies.

When we landed a few minutes later, I realized that we were at the base of a dark mountain that was actively spewing steam and smoke.

“Did you bring me to a volcano?” I asked, horrified.

“Yes,” he said flatly and tied the Darailtar to a rock.

“Do you realize how incredibly dangerous this is?”

“You won’t have to worry about that, we are going underneath.” He pointed to the opening of a cave beside us.

“You can’t be serious.” I shook my head in disbelief.

“This is where the mines are,” he pointed to the cave once again and leaned down, ready to enter it.

“I’m not going in there with you. That’s the craziest idea you’ve had yet,” I protested. I was nervous and my stomach hurt.

What if he is taking me down there to kill me for defying him? Oh shit, I am in trouble.

I only had a few seconds to decide and react because he looked ready to retreat. I glanced at the forest only a few miles away. I could jump on the animal and fly into the air to escape.

I licked my lips with indecision.

Shit, I didn’t know what to do, but I was fucking scared. If I did choose to flee, where would I go? I didn’t know anyone, couldn’t speak the language, and couldn’t leave on a ship that wasn’t here yet.

“Why should I trust you?” I finally said.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” he said and his expression seemed genuine, but I wasn’t sure I was convinced.

He could try to kill me for refusing his advances.

“I’m sorry, Kadic, I just can’t go into the dark hot mines with you.”

“Marissa, I’m not here to hurt you. Remember what I told you back at the palace?”

“What?”

“That I had to show you the reason why my brother couldn’t become king?” He acted as if I were dense for forgetting.

“Oh, right.” I stood next to him awkwardly as steam rose up from the ground underneath my feet.

“Come.” He reached out a hand and I took it reluctantly.

I was afraid of what might happen to me if I tried to run.

As soon as we crawled inside and landed on the solid floor beneath the volcano, the first thing I noticed was how excruciatingly hot it was inside. It was like stepping onto the surface of hell.

The hot, scalding, sulfurous air made me feel like I was suffocating. I choked and gasped.

I noticed that we were not alone down there. Pale blue aliens carried heavy rocks; seemingly forced to walk in long lines like slaves. Dark blue aliens stood around with whips, forcing the other aliens to work harder and faster. One pale blue alien fell over and I shouted and pointed in his direction, dismayed. The other slaves tried to help him up, but they weren’t fast enough. One of the dark blue aliens with a whip went over and began to beat the living daylights out of the one who fell. He looked so small, helpless, and pitiful that I began to cry for him.

I punched Kadic in the arm. “Make them stop!” I screamed, completely appalled he was just standing there doing nothing.

Kadic gave me a wan smile. “I can’t help him, Marissa.”

“Why the hell not?” I was emotionally distraught. I couldn’t bear to look at the alien slaves one more second. I turned my eyes away.

“This is exactly what I came here to show you,” he said.

“I don’t understand what point you are trying to make,” I snarled and lifted the hair off my neck. I was sweating bullets and was ready to strip down naked with the rest of them. The air left a foul taste on my tongue.

“My brother controls these mines,” he said and raised his arms in a gesture for me to look around.

“Okay, so?” I still didn’t get it.

“He controls everything about this place, including the workers beneath it.” He gave me a powerful look.

“Are you saying he is forcing these slaves to work under these conditions and to be whipped and beaten to a pulp?” I couldn’t imagine it to be true, but Kadic’s eyes were dead serious.

“He’s a monster.” Kadic’s eyes narrowed.

“No one could be this cruel. Maybe he doesn’t know what’s happening down here,” I argued.

Kadic bellowed in sneering laughter. “You are so naïve.”

“Well, enlighten me then, I’m not exactly a native to this strange planet and I’m becoming even more unconvinced to stay here.” I waved a hand in front of my face, panting to stay cool, but it wasn’t working.

Kadic approached me slowly and looked down at me with a warning flare. “Dakir has no regard for life, in general. He enslaves people and forces them to work under unimaginable conditions like you see all around you. He doesn’t care if they live or die.”

Kadic’s eyes narrowed again and his voice grew deep and dark, chilling my skin with prickled little bumps.

I shivered, even under the harsh and violent conditions of heat and fire down here in the mines.

“So, why can’t you just take the throne?” I still wasn’t grasping everything.

“It’s not that easy. I’m not the eldest brother.”

“So, are you telling me that, in order for you to take the throne, you have to be married first?” Now I was finally beginning to see the light, no matter how dark and dim it was.

“That’s exactly what I’m telling you,” he said with an air of pleading in his voice.

I scanned my current surroundings. The fate of these aliens hung in the balance and apparently I was the key they needed to open the gates of freedom.

It was going to be an extremely difficult situation because it was ultimately up to me to not place the final nail in their coffins.

I turned back to Kadic. “I’m going to have to think about it.”