Lord d’Refan turned from our box, not giving my father a chance at rebuttal, and turned his eyes to me. “Ellowyn, please join me.”
I was frozen to my seat as every eye in the square turned toward me. I heard a ringing in my ears, blocking out all other sounds except for the rapid beating of my heart and shallow breaths. My father’s sad eyes were trained on mine, my mother’s were furious. They were saying something, but I couldn’t hear. My father gave me an almost imperceptible nod, something glimmering in his eyes that looked an awful lot like relief and even hope.
The thought that he was relievedIhad to make this decision threatened to send my earlier breakfast back up.
My breaths were coming in shallower pants, Lord d’Refan’s stare becoming more murderous the longer I sat without complying. I was jostled out of my panic, enough to move, by a rough hand pulling me from my chair and guiding me from the box.
One of the Mages from the stage roughly maneuvered me out of our box and to the stairs at the back of the stage. The Warlord turned to face me,removing the Mage’s hand before replacing it with his own. His touch burned me, and I tried to shrink away, but he just held tighter.
“Behave. Or I will execute your whole traitorous family, you included,” he hissed in my ear. I went still, my feet numbly following where he dragged me. We stopped just behind the kneeling figures of Peytor and Finian. They were almost close enough to touch, but just out of reach, and the proximity without the comfort of touch nearly brought me to my knees.
“As your acting leader, I must not let the defiance and treason shown today go unpunished. As such, I will be transferring the decision to Ellowyn d’Aelius. She Awakened as both a Creation . . . and Destruction Mage—another secret your traitorous leaders tried to hide from me and you.” My blood ran cold, and I began to shake at his words.
Please, no. Please, no.
“She, like her family, now has the opportunity to prove her loyalty to me and the Northern Territories by choosing one of these traitors to execute by way of her Destruction Magic. Whoever survives will be sent to work in the Northern crystal mines for the remainder of their days.” The crowd murmured words of discontent and disbelief but were still subdued by the potent Pleasure Magic snaking through their ranks.
How I wished they would storm the stage or provide a distraction long enough for me to sneak Finian and Peytor from here.
“Choose, Ellowyn,” he whispered in my ear. “Do not make the same foolish mistakes as your family.”
He released me and stepped back. My hands were shaking as I gazed at the crowd, willing them to riot. But nothing happened, they simply stared back at me with slightly dazed expressions.
I hiccupped a cry as I shakily brushed the hair on both Finian’s and Peytor’s heads. The Mages released them after the Warlord’s declaration in preparation for the execution.
I collapsed next to them with a sob as we all clung to each other tightly.
“Please, Ellowyn, please. I love you, but I love him. You have to kill me,please,” Peytor whispered brokenly, his eyes trained on Finian. “There’s more happening, Ell, that I can’t explain.Pleasejust trust me. Ithasto be me.”
Finian was silent as he caressed Peytor’s face, pressing a small, chaste kiss to the side of his mouth then on his lips. “I love you,” he said confidently. There was sadness in hiseyes, but also resolve.
“I-I can’t do this. I can’t,” I said to no one in particular as I felt hands pull me up and push Peytor and Finian apart.
“You must,” the voice said.
The General, I think?
I couldn’t distinguish between voices anymore, my mind was compartmentalizing, distancing my consciousness from the whole situation.
“Do it quickly, he grows restless,” he whispered in my ear before releasing me and stepping back, just out of reach.
Peytor and Finian knelt in front of me, Peytor’s head was bowed, and he was shaking in his grief. Finian, in contrast, raised his chin high, making eye contact with everyone and no one at the same time as silent tears dropped from his cheeks and chin, saturating the collar of his shirt.
How do I do this? How do I pick between my brother and my friend? How do I sentence one to death and the other to a life without their best friend and lover?
“Ellowyn.” The growl was a warning and I pawed at the wetness on my face.
This wasn’t like the fairytales I so stupidly read and believed.
There was no getting out of this.
There was no one coming to the rescue.
No Southern prince on a white horse to save me.
There was only me and an impossible decision, one that would alter more than one life today.
I heard steps from behind me and I panicked.
