As soon as we leave the canteen, my eyes wander searchingly through the room, even though it's not necessary.
"Janine, what took you so long?" demands a concerned voice. A voice that makes me feel a weight lift off my chest. Even though he could barely protect us that one time, I still feel safe near him. Nora seems to feel the same way.
She greets Moriphos with a hug, looking genuinely happy. "Oh, we were just chatting a bit," she answers him.
"I was starting to worry since you were in there for so long." His worried gaze shifts from her to me.
"If anything happens, we'll run straight to our big protector," I say with a smile.
"As long as you don't mean that Mak," he snorts. The jealousy is palpable.
Nora releases his neck. "Are you jealous?" she asks with a smile.
"Me? No way!" Moriphos quickly replies. Nora's question clearly makes him uncomfortable, but it's so obvious. "I just don't trust the guy."
"Mak is nice," says Nora.
"Still, he always stares at you two." His gaze shifts to me. "Besides, I've had a few unpleasant encounters with him."
Speaking of Mak.
My gaze shifts to the guards on the platform. I should tell Mak about my suspicion, or Marto, but I can't see either of them there. Just one of the guards, a young man with brown hair.
He looks at me with amusement. It even seems like he's waiting for something. But what?
A feeling of unease rises in me as I look at him. He's up to something. Maybe my suspicion is correct, and now he's waiting for a chance to get rid of me.
My gaze shifts to Moriphos.
The way Mak treated him, I can't imagine he'd be able to protect me much in an emergency. The other guards, I think. Marto always supervises when Kyle is here.
I start moving. Maybe he's nearby and can help me.
But I don't get far. A strong man's hand painfully grips my left wrist.
"Where do you think you're going, sweetheart?" a man's voice rings out, with a distinctly amused tone that only increases my discomfort.
He pulls me roughly towards him, and now I see the disgusting face of one of the guys who tried to hurt us back then, when Musator saved Nora and me.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" I snap at him, trying to free my wrist from his grip. But he only grips harder, causing me to cry out in pain.
But that's nothing compared to the fear that grips me when I see what he's trying to do.
He slowly pushes my sleeve up. I can't do anything, standing there frozen with wide, frightened eyes.
"Don't touch her!" Moriphos storms towards us angrily and shoves the guy away from me. Finally, he lets go of my wrist.
I rub the aching spot.
How is this possible? How does he know about the bracelet?
I immediately rule out Musator and Nora. I trust them both enough to know they wouldn't have told anyone. Or did I say or show too much during that drinking night?
But Mak surely would have ensured that didn't happen.
My gaze automatically shifts to the guards. Unfortunately, neither Mak nor Marto has entered the room. Instead, my eyes fall on Kyle.
His head rests on the railing, but his gaze is still on me, with the same amused expression as before.
When he notices me looking at him, he even blows me a kiss.
I shudder under his gaze.
He must have told the guy that I'm wearing the bracelet. Apparently, he doesn't want to get his hands dirty or risk getting in trouble himself.
"Let me just talk to the sweetie for a bit. I won't hurt her." A smile crosses his face, so eager that I can imagine what he means. "At least, not if what I've heard is wrong."
He reaches for my wrist again. But this time, Moriphos swats his hand away.
Now the other prisoners start to notice us. Curious glances are directed at us, but no one else seems willing to intervene.
"What's going on here?" demands a strong and authoritative voice. Musator approaches us, with the other prisoners making way for him. Apparently, Gasard finished work early today.
"Oh, a little birdie told me something interesting." A grin spreads across the prisoner's face as he speaks.
Musator looks surprised at first by the prisoner's words, but then his gaze shifts to me with concern. He seems to sense the same thing I do.
Once more, the prisoner tries to grab my wrist, but Moriphos stops him again.
"Leave Janine alone!" Nora interjects now. Her voice sounds threatening but also scared, not just for me. Her gaze is angry, but she doesn't dare move from behind Moriphos.
"I just want to prove that this little brat is nothing more than a cheap spy."
Some of the prisoners around us, especially those I know from the drinking night, look at him in shock and disbelief.
"She's just a kid!" protests one of them. "Even that bastard Torsos isn't crazy enough to plant a kid as a spy here!"
"This kid is woman enough to have a lot of fun with." The prisoner in front of me eyes me with interest, licking his lips. "It'd be a shame to just cut her open."
Shocked, I take a step back. The uneasy feeling doesn't stop. My heart starts pounding wildly with fear, my eyes wide open, fixed on him.
Though I'm frozen with fear, Moriphos punches the guy in the face for his remark. "Dare to touch her, and I'll kill you!" Moriphos growls at him.
The prisoner looks at a few of his comrades with a challenging gaze. Two of them step out of the crowd and follow the silent command.
They are strong and look very similar, as if they were brothers. Neither of them was blessed with good looks. One even has a large and very distinct scar across his face.The two of them grab Moriphos and pull him away abruptly. The time traveler tries to break free, but a well-aimed blow from the man with the scar brings him to the ground.
Moriphos is simply too weakened from the past few days. Nora looks around fearfully, searching for help. When she tries to go to Moriphos, one of the men blocks her way.
"Is the little one with them too?" he asks the man in front of me.
Nora is trembling all over with fear. Her gaze is fixed on me, pleading for help.
I swallow and gather all my courage. With a pounding heart and shaking almost to the point of death, I take a step toward him.
"No!" I say firmly. "She has nothing to do with this!"
"Maybe we should have some fun with you first and then see if you're telling the truth."
The disgusting grin on his face disgusts me.