All characters belong to the lovely Sarah J. Maas.

EIGHT

When Sam finally opened his eyes, it was dark. He wasn't sure if his eyes were still closed. He could smell the strong stench of alcohol in the air and he could feel rough fibres from a rope tightening his hands together behind the seat he sat on. Where was he?

A light brighter than the sun abruptly shone onto his face, he squints his eyes and he can make out the silhouette of two people. He couldn't differentiate their genders. One was tall and slim and the other lightly toned and average height of a twenty year old.

"Well, well, look who has finally woken up," a raspy voice sang from the shorter figure. Judging by his burliness, he was male.

A gloved hand grabs his chin and he is pulled closer to the taller person. The glove looked similar to the other man's glove so it was possibly him.

"Shut it Malcolm," the familiar bored voice said, moving his face from side to side, inspecting him.

"The King of Assassin's has put out a lot of gold for your body Sam, and aren't we lucky one of the servants in the castle tipped us off about a young handsome assassin always seen with a beautiful blonde lady," he continued, his eyes staring straight into his.

Now, he saw everything clearer. He could see the man still in his dark attire and only his eyes peeking out, a golden shade. The man beside him had curly orange hair and a moustache that had recently shaved. He looked about thirty and revolting like he had been living in the sewers for most of his life. How did no one notice him being kidnapped out of the castle? He just barely escaped and now he was trapped again. Just his luck.

Sam could feel his organs slowly crippling and his muscles beginning to stiffen at the thought of him being trapped again. He clenched his restricted hands, "What do you want with me?"

At that, both of the men laughed for a long minute. This was ridiculous. Malcolm locked his eyes with his, "We don't want anything Sam. Even though Abryonn Hamel has offered a whole heap of gold, you becoming the King's Champion will get you ten times more money than he has to offer."

They aren't giving me back to Abroynn? He thought as he gazed at them, dumbfounded. Now he had hope that he could see Celaena again and live but from experience, hope is just a word people use when they try to persuade themselves that everything will be fine when in fact nothing is.

Sam chuckles bitterly, "Then what, you want me to give you a fraction of the money I earn when I may become champion?"

The reserved abductor leans closer to his face until his honey-scented breath blows onto his face, "That is exactly what we mean."

"Sam, if you become the King's champion and hand us at least seventy-five percent of your earnings then we will let you live. Don't think the moment we return you back to the castle we won't be aware if you suddenly disappear, we will be watching you. The moment you lose the competition or run away, we will murder your pretty little blondie and yourself," he literally spat his last word onto Sam's face.

Stepping back, the man turns around and begins to walk away, "Oh right, don't tell anyone about this. He pauses and lifts his chin at his companion, "Malcolm, knock him out."

And at that, his world spun and went dark again, leaving him in a dreamless sleep.

The doors to Sam's chambers were unlocked but everything was bare, there was even a fishless tank. Celaena frantically opened every door, draw and cupboard for the past hour and found nothing. No sign of Sam and no sign of his sponsor –whoever it was. This couldn't happen again, not when she just got him back.

She struggled to fight back relentless tears that her eyes were demanding to release but she managed. This wasn't a time to cry, he could be anywhere in the castle. How could she have become this soft?

Sprinting out of the room, she slams into Chaol and staggers backwards until his hands catch her arms. "Sardothien, what do you think you're doing?" he growls but Celaena ignores his crankiness.

"Sam is missing, I can't find him and it's been hours since I've last seen him. The last time this happened he was captured but everyone told me he was dead. This time he might be dead Chaol," She said, glaring at him. Why is he angry at her! It was an accident that she bumped into him, no wonder none of the ladies are interested in him.

"Calm down, he probably went for a walk and got lost or he's been waiting for you back at your own room. I have more important issues to address then a petty hide and seek game you're having with Sam," he says darkly but his eyes are distant, lost in his own thoughts.

Before letting go of her, Chaol scowls, nudging past her and disappearing around a corner. What was his deal! Perhaps he's right, maybe he got lost in this maze called a castle. Her legs were sore and she was dreadfully exhausted. Sighing, she turns back and ambles to her chambers.

Everything is perfect despite the fact that she was living in the king's castle; servants to do her every need, nice meals, novels to read and of course, having Sam. He was the last burning light in her dark life and once that light burns out, she will be left with her sick self, the ruthless assassin whose arms and hands are covered in thick gloves made out of blood and she didn't want that.

A body bumps into hers and she almost doesn't notice until arms held her. Her tense body relaxes at the familiar scent of cleanliness –like how the outside world smells after it rains, fresh and clean. No matter where Sam is, he never loses this scent. "Celaena," he breathes into her hair, like she was the one who disappeared for hours.

She tries to squeeze away from him to smack him for scaring her like that but his arms held her so tightly so she couldn't budge. In a way, it felt comforting; being held so tightly in his arms but it was literally suffocating her. "Sam," she wheezed.

His eyes flew open, finally noticing her discomfort, and he releases her. Celaena gasps but recomposes herself enough to hit him. His chest was rock solid and she had to bite her lip to stop herself from screaming. Sam didn't even flinch.

"Where have you been? I looked everywhere for you, you had me worried sick!"
His eye glaze for a second but his lips break into an abashed smile, "I honestly got lost."

So, Chaol was right. How delighted he would be to know that. Celaena wanted so badly to be infuriated at Sam and lash out at him but seeing him right in front of her, smiling and safe… she found it difficult to.

Sighing, she slides her arm around Sam's. "Let's go back to my chambers then."