Page 70 of The Iron Fae
I stand myself up on my toes trying to fight to keep myself up right, trying to find a way to get another breath. Cordelia flings me to the side.
Pain twists in my ankles as I fight to catch myself, but the beads of my dress scratch against the ground as I fall in a disgraceful heap. I'm only there long enough for my arms to lift me back up. Then the world blurs as multiple pairs of arms grab at me and drag me forward. They don't care to let me get my feet under me.
I search, trying to find some sort of strength within me, some flame left of the powers I know so little about. My body is nothing but an empty shell. Whatever Kai had laced our drinks with has robbed both Lincoln and I of our strength.
Marble steps slap against my knees and shins, the only thing that can keep my focus. Cordelia's already storming ahead, she flings her hands in the air and wind whips violently around us. A dark black hole appears against the church wall and she points her guards through.
"Take them to the castle. To the courtyard. Lincoln will learn his lesson and I'll burn this church to the ground."
With her court still trapped inside, I realize. Cordelia is going to kill the members of her court.
And Rowan.
Hot tears form against my eyelids. I open my mouth to helplessly oppose the decision. But the guards run forward into the portal and my body becomes weightless.
My cries resound between the two worlds. It's filled with a defeated sorrow and cut short as my knees crash against the ground. The material of the gown tears from the power of the movement and I'm certain that without my Fae side finally being released the fall would have broken both of my legs.
"Tie her up there. She's too weak to be any more of a bother." One guard says to the other.
"No," I say, fighting to rip myself from his arms.
He laughs, pulling me along like a child.
"I am the Mortal Queen. I am your true queen. Let me go. Let. Me. Go." My words slur together drowned out by Lincoln's roar.
Looking over my shoulder, a crowd has gathered. What looks like staff from the mansion has filled the valley behind the garden. Grass stains my white dress green and the dirt below it adds a line of brown.
The guards stretch Lincoln's arms across two poles, tying him to them, on his knees. One of them points to the crowd and I can only make out the word’s 'traitor' and 'punishment' over the roaring in my ears.
Jase wrestles against a guard on the edge of the crowd. They stuff a gag into his mouth, shoving him into the dirt, pinning him to the ground under a guard’s boot. The staff look from one to the other with wide fearful eyes. I can feel their attention moving between Lincoln and me.
Rope digs into my skin as the guard ties me to a wooden stake in the ground. Everything was set up for this. This wasn't just a last-minute confession Kai had given in hopes to sway Cordelia into marriage. This had been his plan for long enough for Cordelia to set the stage.Was all of our friendship an illusion made of smoke and mirrors?
Dark curling smog follows the queen as she emerges from the portal. She dusts ash from her hands, closing her fist and the portal at the same time.
A worried sob teeters from my lips. What of Kai? What of Rowan? What of my court?
A whip cracks. It tears my focus to one spot in pinpoint clarity. Skin splits down Lincoln's back, red blood pouring out the cut. He stretches against his bindings, pulling away from the pain in his back. My back arches too. The agony of the strike so loud inside his head, I can nearly feel it burning on my skin.
No. No. No. I can't watch this.
No. No. No. She can't win.
"Lincoln Ziko. You are charged with conspiring to hide a possible contender to the crown. You have betrayed my trust and the trust of this kingdom." The queen growls.
The whip cracks again. Lincoln cries out, the ropes groaning.
I'm here. I'm here, Lincoln.I chant.
Don't watch.He urges.
But I can't tear my gaze away. I can't look away without feeling like I'm leaving him alone. He's taking this punishment for me. I'm the reason he's hurting now.
"Cordelia don't you do this to him!" I scream. "It's me you want to tear down. It's me you should be punishing."
Stop it.Lincoln's thoughts scream.STOP IT.
"QUEEN!" Cordelia bellows. "You will call me queen. And I have my plans for you." She points a long shaking finger at me. "Hit him again."
