When the guards returned to their posts, I curled myself into a ball.

No wonder they'd headed out when they did, probably obeying Stride's orders. He didn't want them around while he was menacing me, though I doubted it would have mattered either way. It wasn't like they were going to come to my defense. They'd probably stand there and laugh and take bets on how long it would be before he hurt me somehow.

I squeezed my eyes shut, ignoring them, focusing on contacting the ...