The abrupt sound of the cell door sliding open jolted a fully immersed Kathrine from her writing.
Reflexively, she double-tapped on the plain silver band on her index finger, which transformed into a spatial ring with the initial 'C' encrested on it. The ring quickly set to work, absorbing the items on the table, and then camouflaging itself as a see-through ring, just before her guard could step inside.
"Inmate 015, it's time. Get up and follow me." He announced, staring daggers at Kathrine, searching for any sort of hidden weapon she might've kept as a desperate last retort.
For the past seven years, he had handled prisoners on death roll and knew just how desperate they got in their final moments.
Kathrine rose from her seat with an aura of dignity wafted around her, and stepped outside, where the male guards who had frisked her thoroughly last night, waited to escort her to the gallows.
One of the guards tapped on his spatial ring and took out a pair of handcuffs, special handcuffs that linked together by what seemed to be an invisible chain.
"Against the wall with your hands behind you!" The guard holding the cuffs instructed.
On command, Kathrine turned around and stuck her hands behind her, two other guards held her arms down, while the one holding the cuffs marched over.
He tapped his spatial ring and pulled out a small knife, "Stay still, it'll hurt you and not me." he warned, then unceremoniously cut one of her fingers, deep enough for droplets of her blood to get swallowed by the cuffs.
Kathrine had gotten used to the pain and torture over the years and did not even wince at getting cut, her eyes remained listless as the enemy manhandled her however they pleased.
The guard slapped the cuffs on her wrists, the moment the piece of metal made contact with her skin, a chain of lightening formed, linking both cuffs.
"I don't need to tell you what'll happen if you try to get out of these cuffs," the guard reminded her, although she had learned plenty from her streaks of trial and error over the year.
The other two released her, certain that she was no longer a threat to their jobs, and returned to the former position as escorts, standing alongside the other fifteen guards designated to take Kathrine to her execution.
"Let's go…" Her jailer was saying, only to get interrupted by the sudden arrival of one of their highest ranking officers in the army and his men, intercepting their path.
Dutifully, Kathrine's jailer and the rest of the guards placed a hand to their hearts and bowed their heads, paying respect to the man standing before them. Kathrine was forced into lowering her head, as she was tagged unfit to even cast her filthy glance on him.
"What a great honor it is to have his highness grace us with his presence. Your highness, Colonel Dominic Radcliffe."
Kathrine's jailer formally announced, acknowledging the presence of not just one of the army Colonels, but the next in line and crown prince of the Empire.
Kathrine's eyes widened in shock, she slowly tilted her head till she was able to catch a glimpse of a pair of penetrating blue eyes staring intently at her.
'Dominic?' she gasped inwardly, 'Why is he here?' Kathrine wondered to herself, only to get blown away by what the crown prince said next.
"Hand the prisoner over, she's coming with me." Prince Dominic announced firmly.
"But, the execution…"
The crown prince narrowed his eyes at the jailer who dared to talk back, "How about we make it yours instead?"
His threat caused the guards to straighten their backs, and dart their eyes here and there, avoiding the prince's cold glare.
Prince Dominic gestured his guards to grab her, which they rightly did, escorting Kathrine without so much as laying a finger on her. They brought her to stand before the crown prince, who for the strangest reason was staring at her…fingers?
He circled his feet towards the path he came from, leaving the prison as quietly as he came in. On cue, his guards followed, forming a tall wall surrounding Kathrine, seemingly escorting her away from the execution she was set to have had.
Kathrine silently followed the crown prince, until they arrived at one of the secluded exits of the area, where the prince's car was parked. Considering the crowd of people waiting at the main gates, it made sense that the prince used the secondary gates to avoid the public eye.
The doors to the black smart car opened automatically by voice command, the prince neatly sat inside, and gave the order, "Let's go."
Katherine eyes scanned the area, searching for an escort vehicle, one that the guards and her could ride in, but sadly she couldn't find any.
Fear gripped her heart when she realized that she might have to walk the distance. A cruel punishment she was once administered the day she spat on Emperor Fletcher's flag, refusing to acknowledge it.
"Why are you still standing there? Get in."
Kathrine blinked twice and looked behind her, wondering who Dominic must've been talking to. The only people around where his men and her, none who were fit enough to get in his car with him.
When Dominic saw that she wasn't moving an inch, he decided to bait her, "I have some information on your brother's condition, I'll give you a rundown on the way."
At the mention of her long lost younger brother Theo, the last surviving member of the royal family of Ashbourne, her family, before they were cruelly overthrown and executed by the current monarch, Emperor Fletcher.
Dominic's father.
With not much of a choice, Kathrine complied to the prince's order and sat inside the car, keeping a wide margin of distance between them. Once she was settled in, prince Dominic placed the car on auto pilot through voice command and drove out of the prison.
It wasn't until they had driven past the main gates, that the thought suddenly pricked Kathrine's mind. With her head facing downward and her eyes gauged at her trembling fingers, she asked the question she should've asked from the onset.
"Where is his highness taking me?" Kathrine asked, internally scoffing at the irony that she was addressing him as royalty.
How cruel fate turned out to be.
The prince slightly tilted his head in her direction and in a calm voice he gave her the answer. "To heaven or hell. Depending on what you say, you could either die now, or die later."
Kathrine knitted her brows in confusion and ran her thumb across the ring, wondering just what in tarnation he could mean by that.
Author's Note: Hi guys! This is my first entry into a web novel contest and would love your support. Please read, comment and vote, and I hope we can grow together.