Page 39 of Winter Queen
“Crispin wants to talk, I’ll be back soon,” I tell him quietly, unsure if he’s actually awake. I climb out of bed and follow Crispin, who’s already waiting for me by the door. Moonshine is streaming through the high windows, illuminating his blond hair.
“What’s going on?” I ask once he’s closed the bedroom door behind us.
“Not here, let’s talk outside.”
Is it something the others aren’t allowed to hear?
Curiously, I follow him as he leads me into one of the smaller courtyards. There’s nobody around, not even guards. We’re so deep inside the Palace that nobody expects enemies here. The sky is protected with shields, stopping anyone trying to fly in without permission. I smile at the memory of when I first arrived here. There was that weird man, Bertrand, who didn’t want to let us in. I never saw him again. Did Tamara punish him for interfering with the barrier?
Crispin stops in the middle of the courtyard and I almost bump into him. I summon one of the glow balls and make it hover above our heads so I can look at my Guardian.
He’s looking at me curiously, as if he’s trying to make sense of me. Did I do something strange? Was this the first time he’s seen me summon a light? Do I have dirt on my face?
His eyes are dark, even though the light is now shining straight at him. I’ve never seen them so dark. They have almost none of their usual blue left, only black and streaks of silver around his pupils.
“Is everything okay?” I ask him, wondering if maybe he’s ill.
“Yes, everything is fine. Perfectly fine. I didn’t think it to be this easy.”
Suddenly, his arm is around my waist and something presses against my throat. Something that isn’t actually there. I don’t feel anything on my skin, but my windpipe is close to getting crushed. I try to breathe, get that pressure away from me, but it’s not working.
I fight against Crispin’s hold, struggling to get his hands off me. What the fuck is he doing? Is he having another flashback, like back at Chesca’s cottage? Or is this a test and he wants to see how well I defend myself?
Well, he’s going to get the fight he seems to want.
The pressure on my throat is increasing and my lungs are beginning to hurt. I don’t have much time. I focus on my magic, drawing some of it into me. I can’t hurt Crispin, but I will be able to make him regret this.
“Let her go,” a deep voice suddenly shouts from the other side of the courtyard, the direction from where we entered. Storm. What is he doing here?
I send some icy air against Crispin’s face, hoping it will make him lift his hands to protect himself. No such luck, if only, his grip tightens.
Stars are beginning to dance before my eyes and my lungs are screaming for air.
I wrap wind magic around his arms and waist, and pull, while anchoring myself in place with more magic. Nothing happens. It’s as if he’s not there. My magic isn’t having any effect on him.
Suddenly, there’s something on my throat, something real this time. Cold and sharp. A knife. Even having it on my skin hurts. This isn’t a normal knife. It feels evil, wrong.
“He said, let her go.”
Wait, that’s Crispin speaking. How is Crispin both behind me and standing next to Storm?
I think the lack of oxygen is making me hallucinate.
“I was supposed to capture her, but I’m allowed to kill her, so stand back,” the Crispin holding me warns. His voice is cold and impassionate, so unlike my Crispy.
The blackness is increasing and my legs are going limp. I’d fall to the ground if he wasn’t holding me tight. Still, the movement surprises him and the knife cuts into my skin.
I’m too weak to even scream as pain races through me. Even though the wound is only on my throat, it hurts everywhere. I focus on my magic and shudder as I see black tendrils run through my veins, mixing with my blood. Something is flowing from the knife into me. I need to stop it.
Thinking is getting more and more difficult.
Stop the blackness.
I reach out to my magic and let her loose.
“Get rid of it,” I tell her. “Destroy it.”
She purrs and jumps up, towards the black tendrils spreading further and further through my body.
