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“Oh, I would dare a great deal to get what I want—what I’ve worked and waited for all these years,” he snarled. “Besides, they’re already dead.”
“You’re lying!” I snapped. “I can see them breathing—moving!” For Sel’s broad chest was rising and falling with deep, ragged breaths and Krynn’s wings were fanning slowly in the slight breeze.
“They’re breathing for now, but they won’t be for long.” Lady Elgiana stepped out from behind the oak tree my guys were tied to, an evil grin on her face. “You see, I’ve given them both a rather large dose of bitterworm,” she added. “It’s a lethal poison and if they don’t get the antidote within the next hour, well…I’m afraid that’s the end for both our brave Captain of the Guard and our noble Court Historian.”
“You bitch!” I gasped. “You didn’t.”
“Oh, I did. Look here…” Stepping closer to Sel, she raised his chin with one hand. “You can always tell the signs of bitterworm poisoning because of the way the eyes turn brown.”
Looking at Sel’s eyes, I felt my heart sink. His normally bright bronze eyes were a dull, muddy brown—not just the irises but the whites too. They made me think of a polluted river.
“Princess…” he muttered when he saw me. “Don’t…listen to them. I’ll be…fine.”
But it was clear he wouldn’t. His breathing was labored, as though he was fighting to get enough oxygen and only the rope around his wrists, which held his arms over his head, was keeping him on his feet.
“And Krynn is in the same boat, I’m afraid.” Lady Elgiana let Sel’s chin drop. Stepping over to the lighter Fae, she grabbed a handful of his thick white-blond hair and yanked his head up. Krynn’s normally forest green eyes were the same polluted brown as Sel’s. He could barely focus on me but when he did, he croaked,
“My Lady—forgive me. I have failed you.”
“No, you haven’t, Krynn!” My throat felt thick with tears. I glared at Elgiana. “What did you do to his wings?”
“Merely insured that he wouldn’t be able to fly away.” She grinned evilly. “Not that he has the energy for it now. The bitterworm makes them weak, you see—in fact, they’ll both just keep getting weaker and weaker until they die.” She made a mock-sad face at me. “Such a shame, really—when just a few drops of this antidote could cure them both.” And she pulled out a crystal vial filled with dark blue liquid and waved it in my direction.
“Give it to me!” I exclaimed, grabbing for it.
“Ah-ah-ah, my dear Princess.” Mordren stepped between us, shaking his head. “I don’t think so—no antidote for your half-breeds until you make a deal with us.”
“I’m not making any deal with you!” I snapped. And putting my hand on his arm, I sent out a burst of electricity—or tried to, anyway.
“Ouch!” Mordren laughed mockingly as he rubbed his arm. “My, that was a nasty shock you gave me, Princess. Is that really the best you can do?”
“No!” I denied hotly. Concentrating on the ground at his feet, I did my best to send the magic I had into it. “Grow!” I thought at the seeds I could feel buried there. “Come on—do it!”
A tiny green shoot broke the surface of the earth and wound a vine barely thicker than a string around the toe of Mordren’s boot. He and Elgiana both stared down at it for a moment and then simultaneously burst into mocking laughter.
“Oh, no—it’s too delicious!” Elgiana gasped, wiping tears of laughter from her streaming eyes. “She’s absorbed the Powers of her two half-breeds but she’s too weak to use them! Her magic is positively stunted!”
I could have cried with frustration! They were right—I was weak. Too weak to save my guys or my kingdom—too weak to do anything but what Mordren said. But even if I did, he might just kill me and Sel and Krynn. After all, why would he let us live when he could just get rid of us and all his problems at the same time?
I wished I could summon up the same rage I’d felt when I had confronted Christopher but the Thirst inside me was well under control. And besides, just because it had given me enough strength to overpower a human didn’t mean I would be strong enough to overcome another Fae—especially one much larger and stronger than myself. Mordren wasn’t as big as Sel, but he was still a head taller than me and pretty muscular. So what was I going to do?
“I should kill you here and now,” Mordren narrowed his eyes at me. My heart began skittering in my chest—he was echoing exactly what I’d been thinking! “And I would too—if the people hadn’t become so ridiculously fond of you during the Public Quenching last night,” he added scowling. “So here’s what we’re going to do…”
He stepped closer to me and bent down, looking intently into my eyes. I remembered being warned that I shouldn’t look him in the eye—hadn’t Sel or Krynn told me his magic lay in powers of persuasion and making people believe his lies? But somehow it seemed I couldn’t look away from the glowing bluish-purple depths.
“Listen to me, Princess,” Mordren said. “We will go through with the Royal Coronation and you will be declared the Queen of the Midnight Court. But when it comes time to choose your Consort, you will name me as the male you wish to marry. Not only that, but you will declare me to be your King Consort and you’ll do it with a smile on your face.”
“I will not!” I exclaimed hotly. “I know what that means—if I name you the King, you’ll get half my power right away and more over time!” I wasn’t going to allow him to push me aside that easily!
“I told you that your magic wouldn’t work on her,” Elgiana remarked.
She had been standing to one side, watching with a sneer on her gorgeous face. She still had the crystal vial of dark blue antidote in one hand. I wished I could grab it from her but I couldn’t get away from Mordren.
“It’s the Jewel of Lolth—it’s protecting her from your power,” she went on. “That’s why she’s not succumbing to your spell.”
“Well then, let’s just take it off!” Mordren snatched at the filigree silver pendant around my neck—only to pull his hand back with a howl of pain. He blew on his fingers as though he’d touched a hot stove. “Little bitch!” he hissed at me. “Take it off, now!”
“No.” I lifted my chin. I might be weak and nearly powerless, but I wasn’t going to make things any easier on him.
