In a fraction of a second, I slam her against the wall, my hands at her throat. My face is an inch from hers, my eyes carrying a calamitous warning. "Think wisely about your next sentence, Lynna. It could well be your last. Say it out loud and I swear I'll kill you."
Her turquoise eyes meet mine, steady and unwavering even as my fingers flex around her delicate neck. "Who told you that?"
"Told me what?" I hiss, hot tears trickling over my cheeks. I want to die.
I don't want to kill her.
I have to kill her.
I don’t fucking want to kill her.
Ihaveto kill her.
"Who told you that you have to do this?” She continues, so close that the turquoise glow of her eyes illuminates my face. “To kill people who know who you are? Was it your parents? Was it them who cut your ears too?"
"Ihaveto kill you," I grit out, tightening my fingers. She shakes her head, tears welling in her eyes now too. I know her well enough now to know that she is not crying for her life. These tears are not forged from fear. They’re liquid empathy trickling over her pale face.
“You don't, Renna. I haven't said it aloud. I don't know what you are yet, not until I go and do some reading in the library. You don't have to kill me."
"You swear you won't tell Rexxan?"
"I can't promise that, Renna. He is my best friend and my King. I'd lose my job and possibly my life."
"Then I have to kill you!" I shout, my sanity fraying at the edges. This is the monster my mother created. She’s here now; laid bare for Lynna to see. Once more, the grip of my hands on her neck constricts, my parents’ voices urging me on. She shakes her head as much as my hands allow.
I tell my body to snap her neck, but it does not comply.
"You don't, Renna. Don't let them win. I’ll walk out of here now, and I will not rest until Espan and I get you out of this cell and out of this kingdom. What I tell Rexxan after that won't matter because you'll be far away."
"No one can know!” I scream. I’m going insane. No, I’ve always been insane, but now the mask is slipping.
"I think I know what you are."
"Don't fucking say it!" I shout, crying harder as she desperately fights for air. She doesn’t fight me back, even though I know that she has the power of the gods in her blood.
Badly timed as ever, Lana and Kelen appear at the door and Lana screams for some guards. I release Lynna, who immediately bends over, frantically drawing air into her starved lungs. In a split second, I drag King Kelen through the doorway, snatching the dagger that is attached to his belt. I slam him so hard into the wall that I know he’s seeing stars.
"This was your plan all along, wasn't it, you snake," I whisper, my lips against his ear as Lana shrieks like a cat in a bathtub. Kelen twists in my grip, hitting my face hard, but there is no pain that can stun me now. I am unconquerable, and his hit doesn’t penetrate the pain in my mangled heart. The dagger in my hand draws a red bead of blood at his neck.
"Renna, you know what killing a King would do to the world order. Think about it," begs Lynna, trying to de-escalate all of this.
I release Kelen, digging my heel into his back and shoving him forward just as the guards arrive. His betrayal is a bitter pill to swallow, but the revenge will be oh-so-sweet when it comes.
"She was trying to kill the Lady Lynna!" Screeches Lana, at the three guards in gold armour.
"She did no such thing," says Lynna, calmly. There is no doubt in the guards’ eyes. They believe anything Lynna ever says, like everyone else in Yterras. “Commander Renna was simply distressed about the way she has been treated today."
"She tried to kill Kelen!"
"There's not a scratch on him," states Lynna, softly. "She made no attempt on his life. The only person hurt here is Renna," she gestures to the blood that I can feel dripping out of my nose and over my mouth. I lick my probably-bloodstained teeth, grinning at the river king as the guards hold me back. “Your days are numbered, Kelen. When the last breath leaves your lungs, I swear I’ll be there to watch.”
Lynna pinches the bridge of your nose. “Renna, stop that. Please remove these two, Hallen.”
The guards leave with the River Monarchs in tow, and her eyes flick from me to the door. "Don't run. The King’s guards are famous for a reason. You'd be dead before you stepped out that door."
"I can't stay."
"What happened with Kelen and Lana?"
