Page 100 of Sanctuary of the Shadow
He pumped his wings lazily, awaiting instruction or a chance to escape.
“But before we begin, we need to take care of your earlier indiscretions. You made quite the mess, Thirteen. I’ve got not one but two of my sisters breathing down my neck, and a piteous group of Elementals coming to stir up trouble on your behalf, including one short-sighted Seer.” She chuckled at her own cleverness.
Her humor abruptly died as she began to pace back and forth in front of him. He watched disinterestedly, his attention rapt on the cage he was trapped in. If her concentration lapsed for even the briefest instant, he would slip free and strike.
“That Seer has proven to be trouble. Oh, I’ve known about her all along, though the poor child probably thought she was hidden from me. I chose to let her live, thinking, ‘What could it hurt to let Darya have one last daughter to dote upon?’ But now she’s gotten on my nerves, planning to come here and take my wraith for herself.”
A flicker of recognition passed through the wraith. The Seer wanted him? Why? In his old life, she hated and feared him. What interest would she have in him?
He inwardly shrugged. It didn’t matter. Life was fleeting. Death could strike at any moment.
“And Darya helping her?” Furie continued her tirade, waving her arms about for emphasis. “My sister has gone too far. I must retaliate before she believes I’ve gone soft. Before she forgets what it means to incur my wrath.” She spun suddenly around to face him, a smile spreading across her face. Her eyes glinted with crazed anticipation. “You, my wraith, will remind her. Vow it.”
The wraith narrowed his eyes in loathing. She would force his vow now. The humiliation of the act never ceased to incur his own wrath, but again—against her, he was powerless.
“Vow you will remind the world what it means to challenge me.” The power stirred beneath her words, her blue eyes glowing from it. The Fire tugged at his essence, forcing him to obey.
“I vow I will remind the world what it means to challenge you.” His disembodied voice echoed around the chamber. He loathed the sound of it nearly as much as he loathed her.
Furie’s gaze lit with triumph. “You’re truly back, my treasured one. I shall be very careful with your vows this time, putting extra power into them. There won’t be any disobeying me again. Are you ready to hear your first task?”
His glare promised an excruciating death. His hatred of her burned deep.
“Vow to me you will find the Seer, wherever she lurks. You will not stop searching until you have found her. You will do nothing else but search for her.”
The Fire scalded him until he was forced to say, “I vow I will find the Seer. I will not stop searching until I do. I will do nothing else but search for her.”
“Vow to me that when you find the Seer, you will kill her.”
Deep within, a part of him cried out in horror. He knew that but a few hours ago, he would have given anything in the world to avoid such a compulsion. Yet he could do nothing about it, so why waste energy fighting it? Still, he hesitated, though it cost him dearly. The agony was quick to strike, and he knew it would only worsen until he said it.
So he did.
“I vow to kill the Seer.”
Furie’s eyes glowed with power and the light of victory. “Vow to me that you will never stop trying to kill the Seer until you are successful.”
The power behind the command hit him so hard, his essence briefly dissipated into smoke before reforming again. Again, the pain was excruciating. Quickly, he said, “I vow I will never stop trying to kill the Seer until I am successful.”
“Vow you will never disobey your vows again.”
Such a permanent promise was highly inadvisable, but again, there was nothing he could do about it. “I vow I will never disobey my vows again.”
“Vow you will kill the Seer!” It sounded more like a battle cry than a queenly injunction.
“I vow to kill the Seer,” the wraith repeated, feeling the binds tightening around him.
“Again.”
“I vow to kill the Seer.”
“Again!”
“I vow to kill the Seer.”
Finally, it was done. His words were given, and his bondage was complete. Unnecessary now, the fiery cage dissipated, and he was free to go—unable to strike at the Queen now that he was committed to another objective.
Without hesitation—as per his vow not to rest or do anything else—he shot instantly out of the room, through the walls, and into the night to find his prey.
