Page 17 of Ruin
I placed my hand on his chest. “I’m not.”
“So, how will we get the sword from the king?” he questioned.
“Simple.” I twirled my fingers, and my magic smoked black, waving up through the air.
His eyes widened. “I’m confused.”
“It’s a different type of magic, one that cannot be bound by the elements or channeled using relics. It is not one that cannot be used to harm. It is unlimited, and with it, I can bring the guards of the dungeons to their feet. With it, I can force my father’s hand and win. I cannot hold off a kingdom, but I can do enough to get you what you need.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Beautiful, powerful, humble,andkind. How did I deserve this?” He smirked. “Let us get to work then. Let us bring freedom and justice to a corrupt kingdom, if only for a day.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
I prepared my good-bye to the long, dark corridors and fading tapestries, my only friends in the place I called home. “I will not miss it here,” I muttered under my breath. That was when I felt the pain in my stomach. He was fighting his way back in. As he did, a hand tugged my arm and pulled me into a corner.
“I will make you suffer.” My youngest sister, Primrose, glared at me. “I will lock you away, in unending torment.” She grabbed a fistful of my hair. “You will get no peace from death.”
“Don’t screech.” I pushed Primrose away with a gentle nudge. She was so petite. She’d always been the smallest of us all. “The spell will lift.”
“Zalia told me of your hexes and evil. How you wish wickedness upon us. I do not trust to live my life knowing a sister meaning me harm lies in the shadows, waiting to find a way to ruin my happiness.”
I grabbed her wrist and tugged her toward me. “If you come at me again, I will hurt you, for real this time. You, my other siblings, Father,” I spat, “have brought me nothing but misery, and you’re here threatening my life.” I let go of her. “Stupid girl.”
“Father says you are darkness,” she said, rubbing her wrist.
I clenched my jaw. “Then you better not get too close.”
She shifted from foot to foot, uncertainty lacing her features. “The baron is coming to court tomorrow eve. Make sure they’re gone by then.” She pointed at her spots.
“What of mine? Hmm? Yours will fade and yet I am stuck with them.”
Confusions swept her soft features.
“Leave,” I ordered before she could argue further. “Now.”
I attempted to leave the passageway, but Zalia strutted toward us. I looked up at the ceiling. “God give me strength,” I said under my breath. “What is it? Have you come to scream at me also?”
“I know you have been with Caspian.”
My heart hammered. “That’s preposterous.”
Primrose glowered, hiding behind Zalia. “She threatened me.”
I rolled my eyes. “Enough from you.” I snapped my fingers, and her mouth sewed shut.
Zalia scowled, looking from me to Primrose who was screaming behind closed lips. “What did you do to her?”
“She always did talk too much. The spell will lift once I walk away.”
Her eyes flashed red. “Why have you requested an audience with Father? You’ve avoided him all these years. Why now?”
I sensed fear in her tone. “He has accepted, hasn’t he?”
“He is less tolerant than me.”
My lips curved into an unsettling smile. “Good.” I lifted my skirts and pushed past her. Before I reached the corner, I stopped and looked back. “I never wanted to hurt you, you know. Despite what you may believe, I never killed Charleston. I know you cannot always control your powers. You gave in to delusions, and I worry you still do. Be careful, Zalia, for I won’t always be here to protect you, and the next time you let your magic overtake you, Father will have your head.”
“I would never…” She spluttered, but hesitance caught her last words.
