Yongye stayed leaning against the rock. He even shifted into a more comfortable position, one foot on its edge, knee slightly bent, arms folded across his chest. The smile on his face never wavered.
"I don't care who you are."
"Either agree and lie down, or refuse and I'll leave right now."
"Choose. I don't have much time. There's plenty waiting for me outside."
Atlanna's chest rose and fell sharply beneath her burlap dress. Her fingers clenched the hem until her knuckles stood out, and she took half a step forward, ready to let her fists do the talking!
But her gaze paused on his golden armor, then lingered on Yongye's young, composed face. She changed her mind at once.
She had a strong feeling she couldn't beat him!
And her instincts were rarely wrong!
The realization felt like a cold nail driven through the top of her skull and straight into the base of her spine.
She had lived long enough to meet countless warriors, assassins, and schemers. She knew exactly which opponents to fight and which to avoid.
This young man had crossed the Trench to reach this place without a single wound. Even his armor looked untouched.
"Can you really get me out?"
Her voice dropped. Her anger had been doused like a fire with a ladle of cold water, leaving only a small ember smoldering.
Yongye nodded. "Of course. I can even take you to see your sons. One wants to start a war between land and sea, and the other wants the throne. Things are lively out there."
Atlanna's pupils contracted sharply, and her breathing faltered again.
Her longing to escape grew dozens of times stronger in an instant!
Her lips parted, then closed. She looked away from Yongye, toward the distant vault lit by