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The light was blinding, and I could only make out the dark outline of a figure standing atop a platform made of stone. A woman, based on the curves of her body and the dress-like shape flowing out from her waist. The platform was about ten feet tall and the stranger came slowly to the edge to stare down at us.
“Sit,” she commanded, and her two faithful pets gathered at the edge of the platform and sat, facing Emilie and me. The woman took another step forward, and I held a hand up, attempting to shield my eyes from the light’s intensity.
Her body blocked the source of the light, and I could finally make out her features. Black hair. Sharp, cat-like eyes that sparkled orange. Maroon lips and white, almost translucent skin. She wore a simple black gown that covered everything but her neck and face. Even her hands were covered with black gloves.
“Reyna,” I hissed. Of course, this was all her doing. Who else would’ve been so bold to attack one of our strongholds. “What have you done?”
She smiled with sinister sweetness. Then she took a seat on the ledge of the platform, crossed her legs and rested her chin in her palm. “So good to see you too, Ladon. Though I must admit you’re looking a little rough.”
I struggled to rise to my feet, putting most of my weight on my good ankle. I took half a step forward before the hellhounds stood at attention and bared their teeth. There was no chance they’d let me anywhere near their owner.
I glared at her, thinking of how I’d like to knock her off that pedestal and rip her to pieces. The urge to rattle the ground, split it open and let her be swallowed whole crossed my mind before recalling my loss of magic. I peered down at my hands and the vines that covered them before staring at her again.
“Ah, do you like those?” she asked. “Your body was so beautiful, so pristine and untarnished. I couldn’t help but add a little décor. Now every time you go to use your magic, you’ll think of me.”
Rage coursed through me, begging for release, but I had no outlet. No power. No weapons. No way to break through her hellhounds and wrap my hands around her tiny neck.
Emilie coughed. I’d almost forgotten she was with me.
Reyna eyed her with annoyance. “Ah, yes. You know, I was hoping for a pair of brothers to play with. Such a shame Cyrus was able to get away, but my soldiers brought back this pretty creature. I can think of some ways to have fun with you, too.”
Emilie trembled, her clothing cold and wet from the mist.
“Let her go,” I snapped. She never should’ve been at the outpost. I’d told Cyrus a million times. I’d told him that she didn’t belong with us at all. She should’ve been safe at home in Dreslen.
“Afraid I can’t do that, Ladon.” Reyna redirected her attention back to Emilie. “And who might you be, pretty thing?”
Lie, I thought.
“Emilie,” she said softly, and I pressed my eyelids shut. Even if Reyna didn’t recognize her face, she’d recognize the name. Word spread like wildfire that Cyrus was to remarry a woman, Emilie of Dreslen. Reyna would’ve heard and she would put two and two together.
Reyna huffed a laugh. “Are you kidding me? The Emilie? Well, we are going to have some fun.”
Chapter Fourteen
Emilie
I felt numb. I could see where my clothes had been tattered and my ankle had bite marks around it, but I didn’t feel any of it. I shivered—not because of the cold, but because this mysterious place chilled me to the core. Because of the woman staring down at me like I was her next meal.
She was strikingly beautiful. I’d expected her rotten soul to be reflected in her appearance, but that wasn’t the case at all. The air was still, but somehow her long wavy black hair fluttered around her round face. Her ruby red lips were bright against her pale skin. And she had an ever-present smile that whispered of her malevolence.
Beside me, Ladon was fuming in a way that I’d never seen before. Which said a lot since he’d never looked at me with anything other than disdain. I watched as his fists clenched and relaxed repeatedly, like some sort of coping mechanism to deal with his rage. He was breathing through his nose with his lips sealed shut.
I locked eyes with Reyna, who was now tapping her lips with her index finger. She squinted her eyes, and I dreaded whatever torture she had planned for me.
“What do you want?” Ladon’s voice was low, barely audible. I swallowed, then crossed my arms, running my hands over the goosebumps present there.
I wasn’t sure if it was better to let Ladon take the lead. Clearly, there was a lot of history between the two of them. I imagined all the feeble attempts at keeping an alliance between their borders. The way he’d spoken about her before made it obvious he didn’t trust her.
For good reason.
Reyna looked at him with devilish delight. There was something about her demeanor that was unhinged. She wasn’t just evil. She was crazed. Which made her even more dangerous.
A sane person would kill us. Or torture us for information before tossing us into a cell to rot. Somehow, I didn’t think that was what Reyna had planned.
“I want Cyrus to abdicate his throne and bow to me. For too long, you’ve kept us in these dark and cold mountains, waiting for us to perish. I want the prosperity that Osavian has enjoyed for centuries, leaving Murvort to fend for ourselves through famine and droughts.”
She had a point there. Wasn’t that why I was sent to marry Cyrus? To gain his favor and help my people back home in Dreslen?
