Page 21 of A Broken Promise

A low chuckle came out from the Destroyer General. That sound alone raised hairs on my arms.

“It is because, Inadios, we have to be taught restraint young, so the world doesn’t burn at our sight.” His eyes sharply slid down my neck, to my bony chest, to my bruised arms, fire intensifying around my face as he continued, “Yet some days, even the most patient of us are unable to resist.”

Dead silence fell in the stuffy room. Even the violin paused. My muscles locked, not able to move even an inch. Terror settled in me as the white flames circled around my waist in a thick tight loop.

“Sit,” was all he said, and with a swift motion of his hand, the fire loop now enthralled me in a cocoon of fire. I screamed, but no sound came out. It took my mind a minute to realize that the fire didn’t burn my skin. Painless, yet I could feel each ember of white and silver flames prickling my skin like a thousand needles.

I was trembling, my heart pounding loud, hands thrashing against the cold fire encircling me. I gasped for air with no luck. My vision darkened. Passing out was a mercy before my lungs collapsed, the air sucked right out of them. With another swift motion, the fire spheremoved and within seconds, disappeared completely as it dropped me straight on the throne.

Through my teeth I swallowed the loud screams that wanted to rip from me. I clenched my jaw and bit my inner lip until it painfully bled, but it did nothing to stop the traitorous tears rolling down my cheeks. I tried to get up as Inadios angrily huffed.

“Sit,” the General repeated. “What do you think, Inadios?” The General jerked his chin to the fuming Lord. “Doesn’t she look like a proper Queen?” He mocked him.

Inadios was seemingly upset by this. A slave, a Magic Wielder, sitting onhisthrone. His face turned almost purple at the sight of me.

I ignored it all. The fire was gone, yet the tears wouldn’t stop. My body shook uncontrollably as if those sobs I stifled poured through my limbs. I sunk my teeth even deeper, biting my inner lip, focusing on the iron taste in my mouth.

“My Lord Great Master, this throne has been in my Royal family for generations.” the Lord started, steam almost coming out from his ears. Before he could finish, the General sharply cut him off.

“And now there is Creator scum sitting on it. Isn’t it rather fitting?” The General stood up. His entire focus was now completely on me as he strolled past Inadios and walked up to me. His calloused hands gripped both sides of the throne chair. His large body bent close enough that I smelled his pine and smoky ash scent. I could feel his cool, steady breaths on my burning skin. I closed my eyes, trying to calm down the quiet sobs that went through my body with each breath. His large body towered over me even as he lowered his hand to tuck a strand of my hair behind my ear, to slowly wipe away my tears with his thumb.

He lowered his head all the way down to me until his lips were almost touching my ear.

My vision turned to haze, my body was shutting down, from fever or fear —I wasn’t sure. But fighting the haze, I sharply opened my eyes, seeing his exposed neck so close to my mouth, so close to my teeth.

I might look meek and broken, but I would not be his prey.

I didn’t have a chance to think, but the tears stopped rolling down my cheeks. He opened his mouth to whisper something in my ear but within a second, I sunk my teeth as hard as I could into his neck.

The overwhelming taste of his blood—almost bitter, so different from the regular iron taste—made me instantly sick.

Fire ropes tied me tight to the chair, this time exuberating heat from them, melting my flesh raw.

With a flip of a switch, pure anger took over my panicking brain. Deep inside I knew there was no turning back. No act of meekness and kindness would redeem me from what I had done.

I sentenced myself to death.

Truth was, I was doomed from the start.

At least now I knew for myself how it would end.

In a complete act of defiance, I raised my eyes to face him, snarling, his blood dripping down my chin. Sheer astonishment flashed on his face, but it was quickly replaced with a stone-cold look. Icy fire played in the irises of his dark eyes. Rage or anger or shock? I wasn’t sure. I hoped that he would incinerate me before I had to find out.

“You will have to try harder to get rid of me,Creator.” Like a cold knife, his voice sliced through me. The dark red blood from my bite trickled down his neck, down his white shirt.

“In this life or the other, I will kill you; Ipromise.” I scowled at him. My fevered brain was clawing in a desperate attempt to survive.

Inadios was in complete shock with his mouth wide open, trembling.

“My Lord. My Great Destroyer General...” he pleaded, dropping to his knees.

“Quiet,” the Destroyer General snarled at Inadios, his eyes on me, and that smirk. Gods, I wish I could cut it out with a dull knife.

“Please, my great Lord, please...” Inadios begged almost quietly behind his back.

“I saidquiet!” the General snapped at him and a large flame, like a gag, wrapped around Inadios’s slimy head.

I glared at the General, at the abyss of hell in his eyes.

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