Page 106 of Poisoned Empire

At that moment, Belisarius knew he might not survive. Even at seventeen, Mercurius had been known as a brilliant fighter, utterly ruthless, and exceptionally intelligent. The man he’d seen had appeared fit and strong. He doubted the intervening years had dulled his brother’s instincts. They’d certainly sharpened his political acumen along with his bloodthirst. It would be foolish to assume Mercurius believed himself unprepared to fight, even if he never used a single spark of flame. He knew Belisarius’ own gift, and still wished to battle him head on. If Belisarius died, he needed to know the ones he cared about would be safe. He turned to his oldest friend.

“Find Selene and take her and your fiancée across the sea. The ship we made ready for her is still crewed and in the harbour. Take Nicephorus if you can convince him to leave, though I have a feeling he won’t be persuaded.”

“I will not run like a coward!” Marduk hissed, anger furrowing his brow.

“It’s likely my last command, Marduk. If you love me at all, please don’t let that monster harm the ones I treasure most.”

“If you give up now, then hewillkill you,” Marduk retorted.

“If I fail to make plans in the event of my death, I will repeat my mother’s mistake, and doom those I love to suffer. My brother will not look kindly on you or Selene, and I fear what may happen to the empire if Iliana falls into his hands. Will you do this for me? There is no one else I trust.”

Belisarius could see Marduk warring with himself. The prince stood resolute. They wouldn’t be safe here if he died, and Marduk knew it.

“I will do this last thing for you.”

“I’m relieved, thank you. Don’t waste another moment, or it may be too late. If I survive, I will send word to you.”

“We still don’t know where Selene is, Your Majesty. She disappeared while the bells tolled. A few of the guards reported seeing her returning to my apartments, but she never arrived.”

“Your Royal Highness?” Opal interjected.

Belisarius and Marduk turned to him, both eyeing him with open hostility.

“If he took her to the same place he took my Charis, she’ll be in the dungeons.”

Chapter 37

Selenedid,infact,discover how bright a light needed to be to rob her of sight. She wasn’t proud of it, but she’d hoped her screams would be enough to sate the bloodlust of the magister. Alas, not even seeing her blinded and crawling was enough to satisfy him. He’d taken out a whip and left her back in bloody tatters. Thankfully, his stamina was greatly lacking, and she now found herself bleeding, broken and blind instead of dead. He’d invited the other captors for a drink, waiting outside their cell for Mercurius to call upon them.

“Fuck, I need a healer,” Selene whispered in agony.

She hoped one of the other dominae would speak, if only to assure her she wasn’t entirely alone in her new world of pitch darkness and pain. She could hear shuffling to her right, and she swung her useless eyes in the direction. A warm hand touched her unharmed cheek.

“I’m so sorry I didn’t do anything to stop him,” Zoe said, her voice choked with emotion.

“There’s nothing you could’ve done.”

“Maybe not. But there’s something I can do now.”

Warmth replaced the agony that gripped her. Slowly, Selene’s world brightened so that she could make out the other dominae in the dim prison cell. Exhaustion dragged her down, but she was free of the pain. All three women’s cheeks were wet with tears. Opal was the first to gasp.

“You’re a healer?! What the fuck?” Opal swore.

“Not now!” Emerald hissed.

“I’d always assumed you were an elementalist to the core. Now that I know it was an inferiority complex, your actions make a lot more sense,” Topaz taunted.

“My mother killed everyone who knew when my nanny discovered the truth, just to ensure my father never found out. If he discovers I am not an earth mage, he’ll disown me. And worse. Why do you think I did what I did to be the next empress? If you value your lives, it would be best if you kept this to yourselves.” Emerald clenched her jaw.

“Fight later! Get this collar off me before he comes back,” Selene hissed.

Zoe touched the stone at the back. The collar snapped open, and Selene tossed it aside, smashing the stone with her chains. Unfortunately, that still left her shackled.

“Damn it!” Selene cursed. “Does anyone have a good idea to get us out of here? I’m pretty sure I could take out the magister if I launch myself at him, but the teleportation mage and the two shadow mages are going to be trouble.”

Topaz sighed.

“Well, if we’re going to lay all our cards on the table, then I can drag the two shadow mages into the void, far from the shadow path. It’s unlikely they’ll survive long enough to find a way back. But I can’t do that if the light mage dazzles me. He needs to go down first.”

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