I Bought the exiled king (by Natalie Winter) novel Chapter 145

Chapter 145

Valencia

I looked at the King again but he was only staring at the door intently.

“King Aecidus, are you all right?” I gently tried to nudge him but he would not say a word to me.

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I was no expert in medicine but a quick check told me he had not suffered any fatal injury during our little

escape.

But his pale face had sunken even further. He had been talking to himself all this while but now he fell silent and was staring aimlessly at the door.

I was feeling tired myself after the awkward haul and part of me just wanted to lie down here and rest.

I wasn’t even afraid of blood and death after seeing the bloodbath in the royal hall.

I was, however, afraid of dying before seeing Kililan again.

I clung to that hope that he was in the dungeons. I would not have to look for him through the forest. He was right here, a few floors below, probably.

That thought alone fueled me with energy to think again. To move my body that just wanted to give up.

‘Not until you find him‘ A voice demanded in my head. And I gritted my teeth, letting out a short, angry bark to pull my shit together.

“Fire” The King mumbled again and that is when it finally clicked.

The door would not open with rocks or blunt force.

So I hastily pulled the torch near the door, holding its flame under the lock. At first nothing happened.

The rusty metal didn’t creak or react to the fire at all. And I worried if the King was going insane and making me do some stupid shit.

I waved the torch around to look for another way out but there was none. Just this door and the steps that led upwards and downwards.

I gulped nervously, wondering how deep the dungeons would be. But then something crackled and the noise pulled me out of my thoughts.

I looked at the door’s lock to see that the metal was melting and the cracks spread through the metal like a fast growing vine.

I lifted a large rock and hit it upon the tiny piece of metal holding everything together. The clang reverberated through the dungeon but the door finally opened and I took a peak inside.

It was a stone room but there was a bed, a hearth and some other furniture, all covered in dust. It definitely

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Chapter 145

…

was some abandoned room of the castle.

“Quick, get in”

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The King didn’t move at all so I had to haul him up on his feet and make him sleep on the dusty bed that creaked due to his weight.

The King lay without a word, his eyes unfocused and staring at the ceiling.

“Please stay hidden in here. Only try to contact your trusted advisors if you think they will help you.”

I said though I was not sure if he was even listening anymore.

The shock of Martin’s betrayal coupled with the violence afterward must have shaken him bad. Or maybe it was the effect of some medicine.

However, I could not stay with him anymore. I had to find Killian.

“Stay safe” I muttered to the King and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. I hoped he understood.

And I prayed to the Goddess to not let him get hurt while I was away.

He looked at me as if he was seeing me for the first time but then blinked and laid back on the bed again.

I looked at him miserably, wishing I could help him some more but before I would act on it, I turned around and walked outside the room.

I had done everything I could to save him. Now, I had to save the one who really mattered to me.

Holding the torch in one hand and gripping the robe tightly around myself, I stepped into the dungeon again.

I had been with the King all this time so it was unnerving to be all alone in this dark place. I had no idea how deep it was or what awaited me if I were to choose to climb up the stairs.

Probably the castle.

I gulped nervously again and took my first step down the jagged stone steps. A small stone hit my foot and tumbled down the steps, its voice echoing through the large space.

I counted my breaths to stop myself from shaking because I was not sure how long the stone kept falling down until the sound disappeared into the darkness.

The dungeon swallowed sound.

But Killian was here. All alone.

I would not let him stay here all by himself.

So I mustered some courage and started traveling downwards.

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Chapter 145

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The deeper I went, the less the world felt real. My torch sputtered weakly, the flame no match for the black pressing in around me. Each step down the spiral stair groaned under my boots, the ring of keys jangling in my grip too loud, as though the stones themselves might betray me.

The shadows cast by the flickering torch danced upon the walls, making me jump as my brain imagined my shadows to be some wicked beasts.

Valencia

I tore my gaze away from it and focussed on the path ahead.

And I couldn’t help but notice how the air grew heavier, thicker.

I pulled that robe closer to myself as damp seeped into my bones, mingling with the iron tang of rust and blood. The further I descended, the less it felt like part of the castle at all and more like some ancient grave carved into the belly of the earth.

My thoughts battered me in waves. What if he isn’t here? What if I’m too late?

But another voice cut through the panic: Keep going. For him!

The passage narrowed, walls slick with condensation. My torch revealed jagged stones, crude scratch marks etched by desperate hands. The sound of water dripping echoed like a heartbeat. I forced myself forward, every sense straining for something familiar.

The first cell I passed held nothing but a skeleton shackled to the wall, its jaw frozen mid–scream. I flinched away. The next contained a half conscious prisoner who was slumped against the bars, eyes glazed. And the third cell was empty except for stains too dark to mistake for anything except blood.

I plastered myself against the wall when the corridor split. Which way should I go now?

Left plunged into near–total black. Right sloped downward, faint rattling of chains echoing from below. My palm sweated around the torch handle. And I randomly chose right.

The floor grew uneven, jagged. I stumbled, catching myself against the wall, nails scraping stone. Shadows shifted ahead–rat, insect, or something worse, I didn’t know. The air stank of moss, rot and urine. I tried not to gag as the stinking air made it harder to breathe with every passing minute.

My chest tightened, but I forced myself on.