In minutes, Kyle was dragged into the castle, bloodied, bruised, and barely standing. His breath came in short, ragged gasps as the guards forced him onto his knees. The grand hall around him blurred in his vision, faces swimming in and out of focus. Confusion clouded his gaze more deeply than fear; he looked utterly lost, like a man dropped into someone else’s nightmare.

Kain stood at the far end of the room, his jaw tight enough to crack. He bit his bottom lip until he tasted blood, his hands clasped behind his back to hide their tremor. Slowly, he turned his head toward Georgia, his eyes asking a silent...