AllFreeNovel
Share Us
15
NORAH
“What have you done with Bree?” Norah demanded, shoving a finger into the center of Lord Dagen’s chest. Fury burned through her. Her best friend had been missing for days now. Dagen insisted he didn’t know where she was, but she could see the lies in his beady eyes. “Tell me now, Lord Dagen.”
His lips curved into a vicious smile. “I have no idea where she is, Norah.”
“Queen Norah,” she snapped.
“You’re not my queen. Therefore, I have no need to use your title.”
“I brought my army to stand beside yours. I can very easily take it back.”
He chuckled. “You can, but you won't. You would never do anything to jeopardise the safety of your worlds.”
Damn him, he was right. Her threats were nothing more than balloons, full of empty air. A poke with a needle, and they pop away, leaving nothing but forlorn pieces behind. She could not take her army away now.
Narrowing her eyes, she sidled up to him. “Tell me what you did with Bree.”
Another figure suddenly appeared behind Dagen. Muscular, tall, brimming with anger. One of Bree’s mates, as Norah liked to call them, even if Bree didn’t do it herself.
Eurig scowled at the back of the lord’s head. “Answer the queen, Dagen.”
Lord Dagen stiffened, casting a wary glance over his shoulder. “You again.”
“Yes. Me again,” Eurig said stiffly. “I’m running out of patience, Dagen. Tell us where Bree is. Now. Because unlike kindhearted Norah here, I will have no problem withdrawing my people from this castle. Let the demons tear it down.”
Norah pressed her lips together. She did not like the idea of putting an entire realm in danger, but perhaps Eurig had the right idea. “We can leave your castle to defend itself. Once the demons are done with it, Eurig and I should have enough forces to fight them.”
Lord Dagen shocked her by smiling. “Your fighters don’t stand a chance without this fortress.”
An unfortunate truth. If they met the enemy out on the battlefield…
Eurig whipped a blade from his belt and pressed it against the lord’s neck. Dagen’s eyes went wide as blood bloomed on his skin. “I think I’ll take that chance. Goodbye, Lord Dagen. Enjoy your time in the Realm of the Dead, where your soul will be tortured for eternity.”
“Fine,” Dagen grit out. Eurig paused, only slightly releasing the tension from the blade. His neck bobbed as he swallowed hard. “Truly, I don’t know where she is. I fought with her in her quarters last week.”
“About what?” Eurig growled.
“She redid her bond with Taveon,” Lord Dagen sputtered. “She threatens the safety of this entire castle by plotting to release him. I tried to stop her. She transformed into her beast, killed my men, and then vanished into the Forest of Fireflies.”
Norah’s eyes widened. Bree had told her everything, of course. They’d had lengthy conversations about the bond, the champion fight, the magic that still coursed through Bree’s veins. Through it, she had accessed Taveon’s powers. And she could speak to him, their minds inexplicably linked.
Eurig smiled. “Take us to see the king.”
* * *
Norah was surprised that Dagen led them into the dungeons without complaint, though she remained on guard. After everything he’d done, it would not surprise her if he tried to put both her and Eurig in a cell. Then, he could take command of two new armies, or so he would hope. She knew her people would never follow him.
Maybe he realized that as well.
Taveon paced the small cell, feet hitting one side and then the other in less than a second. He looked like a caged animal, driven wild by captivity, even though he’d been there less than a month. For a moment, Norah couldn’t help but think he’d earned this. Karma was a bitch.
“Well,” she said, stepping up to the bars. He paused in his steps, snapping his gaze her way. “How the tables have turned.”
He pressed his lips together. “Don’t tell me you’re still angry at me for that.”
“Depends.” She cocked her head. “Do you love Bree?”
