Page 68 of Wrath of the Fae Queen
Then he releases his grip on me completely.
As I begin to fall backward, time seems to slow to a stop. I harden the air all around me for a fraction of a second. Long enough to hold me up while I grab him by the collar. Then I use that wield to turn our bodies, knocking him off the top step. I give him a hard shove over the void, to sendhimplummeting down the staircase. That wall of hardened air pushes me securely back to the top level and I grip the railing, panting.
In this moment, I don’t care if he realizes I used magic, or if he thinks it was some feat of acrobatics. He is too busy falling, cartwheeling his arms through empty space, to truly register my actions.
Something within me snaps.
Perhaps the dam on the boiling rage I keep buried deep.
Or it could be my sanity.
I am so sick of petty bullies tormenting, maiming and killing those they perceive as weaker than themselves for their own kicks. Of their needless cruelty for the sake of a power grab. I am so fucking tired of it all.
The old version of myself would have felt sorry for this man because of his childhood abuse and trauma, but he is an adult now, and he chooses to do far worse things to other vulnerable people.
All of this races through my mind as, with an agitated wave of my hand, I disperse the network of air wields crisscrossing the staircase that was meant to save my neck if he got the upper hand and tossed me down it.
In truth, I shouldn’t have needed to put them there in the first place.
I let him fall.
Part of me relishes the ironic justice of it. Torin slams down the stone steps in the same way he envisioned for me, his body bouncing off the hard edges. Almost all fae have air magic, being universal to every court, but he uses none to save himself.
Only numbness fills me as he rolls to a stop at the bottom, landing in a crumpled heap.
Did I take it too far?I whisper across my bond to Aldrin.
Not far enough,he says darkly.
Torin groans as he pulls himself up onto all fours, cracking a bent finger back into place. His long hair drapes over his face.His lip is badly split and blood trickles from it. When his eyes fly to me, murder flashes within them.
A human wouldn’t be able to stand after a fall like that. They would likely be dead. Torin pulls himself to his feet and charges up the stairs. There must be a significant amount of fae within him to be so durable, despite all the human blood, evident in the deep cut across his eyebrow that closes before he reaches me.
I take multiple steps back, my heart beating frantically as my flight instinct takes over. I remind myself that I am still in control here. I know exactly what I need from him.
“YOU!” he roars, grabbing me by the arm and shaking me violently, making my head whip back and forth. “You pushed me down those stairs! I’m going to toss you out a window, so everyone can see your broken body on the pavers.” He drags me toward the closest opening, his arms shaking with his rage.
I swear to the gods, if he brings you anywhere near that window, I am going to remove his head from his shoulders,Aldrin spits.
Not helping, Aldrin,I send back.
“Don’t you need to ask Mommy for permission?” I purr at Torin. “It would be a horrible inconvenience for her to have to replace me.”
Torin pauses, the red flush spreading further across his face. His eyes turn glassy as he thinks, and his fingers dig even deeper into my flesh.
I lean in toward him. “If I die at your hand, my supporters will rise up in the streets. Any who are still loyal to Aldrin will use it as a cue to riot against you.”
“What supporters? You have none!” he snarls.
“Then your enemies will use it as an excuse. I will become the figurehead they rally behind. A martyr in my death. Why do you think your dear mommy hasn’t put me in a dungeon? Why doesshe expend so much effort on damaging my image, if I don’t have influence here?”
“A quick death is too good for you. I will bring you before the High Chancellor so she can arrange for you to be dumped in the dungeon. Regular torture sessions will be the only thing to break up your days.” His lips curl downward. “Don’t worry. We can get a healer to close up the wounds so you look as good as new whenever she wants to parade you around.”
I flinch, my stomach bottoming out.
This time it is not an act.
Torin is doing exactly what I need him to do. I must speak with Titania, and she would be suspicious if I tried to arrange a meeting. But there is a chance he could have enough power to follow through with his threats. By the gods, I hope my judgment is right.
