Page 33 of Ransomed to the World
The troll’s amusement faded, her eyes sparking red with anger. “The heart stones control the trolls, and she used to just give them away to anyone who wanted them.” Her meaty lips curled in disgust, and she hocked a loogie of green slime, spitting it in Annora’s direction. “Even to fucking outsiders. It needs to stop.”
“And you’re the one to do it.” Annora stilled as the scope of the plan hit her. “You plan to cheat and use the gems to take over leadership of the trolls.”
Flora gave a nasty smile, her crooked teeth taking on a green shine that made them look like they were slightly furry. Then her eyes widened when she saw the encroaching darkness, before they narrowed in rage. “Boys!”
At her bellow, eight large trolls and three smaller female trolls strode into the cavern at different entry points until Annora was surrounded. Their eyes were dull, their faces slack, their hair drooping like they were sick, but the tears trailing down the face of the smallest female let her know at least a few of them were aware of what was happening.
“If you attack me, I’ll have them snap your scrawny little neck,” Flora snarled.
Annora stopped the darkness’s advance, and it plumed up in the air, restless and demanding to be set free. It snuck behind her, then curled up her legs, and her muscles tugged painfully as they began to stitch themselves together. The bones in her shoulder creaked alarmingly, healing the worst of her wounds so slowly, it was pure torture. “Why should I stop? You have no intention of releasing me either way. I give myself at least a fifty percent chance of surviving. Fifty percent chance that I can kill you before you can even hurt me.”
“Because I still control their stones. They will obey me, even in death.” Flora’s eyes turned mean and nasty, and she held up a bright gem. The stone itself was black, but the insides swirled with a rainbow of colors. “Mason, won’t you be a dear and come here?”
Her knees nearly collapsed when Mason docilely entered the cave, and nausea churned in her stomach at the blank expression on his face. It was a physical effort to tear her eyes away from him and focus on Flora.
Or more precisely, the stones she held.
They were the key.
She needed to get the stones away from that psycho.
As if reading her intent, Flora smirked then placed the stone in her mouth and swallowed.
Aw, shit.
Annora’s heart sank as her chance to claim Mason shrank down to almost nothing. She had only minutes left before she lost Mason. Then she clenched her fists and narrowed her eyes on the bitch. Fuck if she was going to let her win.
“I was pissed when my whipping boy left, but I knew he wouldn’t be able to stay away. Imagine my surprise when you returned him to me. I’m going to enjoy breaking him.” Flora sauntered close to Mason, and placed her hand on his chest, her blunt nails digging into his flesh until he bled. “I’ve missed you, half-breed.”
Flora must be his childhood tormentor, the one who treated him as nothing more than a slave. But she hadn’t been able to break him.
Until now.
This time, she had his stone. She’d never let him escape. She’d grind him under her boot, force him to obey, destroying him physically, mentally, and emotionally, until nothing of the man Annora loved remained.
She refused to allow it to happen.
She’d do whatever it took to make sure he remained free.
Annora grabbed the sword from the sheath on her back. The blade gleamed as the darkness rose to her call, practically glowing in the shadows of the cave. The power shimmered up her damaged arm, stitching it together in a searing wave, and she nearly moaned, the pain like fangs sinking into her flesh. Fire burned along her nerve endings, and she gave herself over to the darkness. “Wrong move, bitch.”
Flora’s eyes widened, then she grinned. “Too bad you’re not a troll. I could’ve almost liked you. Kill her.”
The trolls turned their vacant eyes toward her.
Including Mason.
Before she could block it, her heart lurched that he would turn on her, and she quickly shoved the thought away, but the ache lingered, like she couldn’t quite catch her breath.
As they lumbered toward her, Annora lifted her sword, adrenaline flooding her system. She pulled the darkness toward her until she had a wall of fog between her and them. “Go ahead, but I’m not going down alone. I’d like to see you explain to the queen how I killed a half dozen or more of your trolls without her getting suspicious.”
Flora held up her hand, and the trolls halted their advance. She absently shooed away a couple of flies that had landed on her arm, and Annora nearly gasped to see the bugs had a certain glow to them she associated with the afterworld. The darkness had infected them. Even as she watched, they began to burrow into the troll’s flesh.
Flora didn’t even flinch. Either the afterworld had damaged her a lot more than Annora expected, or the bugs had a toxin in them that numbed their victims. Even the beetles began to click again as they circled. The spiders moved until the whole ceiling looked like it was alive.
“You’re right.” Flora narrowed her eyes…until an evil smile twisted her expression. “How about we see just how much you love your little Mason? Will you kill him to save yourself?” Flora jerked her head toward Mason. “Crush her.”
Mason didn’t hesitate and headed in her direction, bones snapping and cracking under his feet, and she knew he’d do the same to her if he got near. She circled him, keeping the sword between them.
