Page 170 of Taken By Shadows

He wanted Kaed to tear through the city? Why?

“Eryk …”

Huxley was a piece on his board to that end. I just didn’t understand why.

Agony shot through me like roaring fire.

“But … you helped me?”

“I helped myself. I put Kaedian in a position where the moment he steps out of line, they will come for him, with force. They would never punish me over him, if given the choice. And he won’t be able to resist fighting back. Not when you’ve gone missing and there is no one to blame.”

I was sobbing now. Each one rolled out of me like a boulder in an avalanche. My bones were going to be crushed. “Please …” I rasped.

Eryk faltered for a moment. “Shouldn’t she be in less pain? This doesn’t happen.”

Huxley didn’t answer.

All I could hear was my heart and the blood that was threatening to leave through my ears. Everything sounded wet as though I was underwater.

“There’s something different …” Huxley sounded confused. “There should be a well of magic to pull from, but my own magic is hitting a wall and drawing from her instead.”

He sent out a probing tendril of magic that blinded me behind the eyes, and my blood curdled at the scream that broke from me.

“Enough!” Eryk pulled Huxley up, and I felt the briefest sense of relief.

“What are you doing! Stop it! She’s mine,” he snarled.

“Huxley, I agreed you would get her. It helps me with Kaedian. But we never agreed you would kill her.”

“I don’t want to kill her!” he snapped, like a beast that had been beaten.

“Well, you are!”

“That’s not my fault. She’s different.” Huxley pushed away from Eryk and was back kneeling over me. “What are you?” His fingers gripped my face, forcing it side to side as he examined me. He wasn’t looking for any answering words but screams as more yellow light seared into me and drowned any hope I had of staying conscious.

“Killing her isn’t part of the plan. Not yet, at least.”

It sounded like Eryk was speaking, but all I could see were dark shapes towering over me, lit by the hideous yellow light that gouged into my body.

“What do I care what he wants?”

Who? Who were they talking about?

“Because neither one of us is strong enough to best him. And we need him. I need him. Keep her alive.”

Alive. Something in me rocked. They weren’t going to kill me, despite what it felt like. Their voices were muffled now, my ears ringing from the pressure building in my head. “Get her out of here, before you do damage.”

The magic Huxley had been pouring into me stopped.

“All you have to do is get her out of here so the prince plays his part.” Eryk’s voice finally rang clear in my head, and he knelt down to me. “I’m sorry it had to end this way, Lady Imogen. I’d have taken you with me. All he wanted was for Kaedian to retaliate. You could have been by my side instead of his …” His voice trailed off as he stood.

A fresh wave of raging yellow magic engulfed me and I wailed.

And then it went black as shadows reached for me, blocking out the world.

Chapter fifty-three

Asickening blast of yellow warred with an impenetrable wall of black. But the darkness held me.