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“Me?” He laughed.
With the Borderlands Agents dead or gone, the remaining guards began circling us, including Baine’s head guard. The dark skinned fae eyed me and Lord Demious, weapon drawn, but making no move in either direction.
“You killed my sister, and you’re stealing the life force from the south. Our people are dying because of your plague!” Alicia screamed, tugging at the black tentacle holding her in place.
Thunder boomed and I prayed that rain didn’t follow.
Lord Demious laughed, the sound wicked and booming. “You have no proof of such ridiculous claims.”
What if Alicia was wrong? I didn’t really think about what she said. I’d been so upset, any common sense disappeared with the idea he could’ve been the reason my parents died.
But the shy, silent girl we had known didn’t stop her accusations. “I’ve followed you around your home at night, in the shadows, when you think no one is listening. If I show the guards where you keep your poison totems that would be all the proof needed.”
“Is that true?” One of the guards stepped forward, blood dripping from a wound on his head. “I have family near the plagued south.”
“Lies!” Lord Demious screamed. He lifted the sword and shoved the blade into Alicia’s neck.
With a vengeful roar, I shot fire out of my hands, blasting Lord Demious. He quickly pivoted, throwing up a wall of shadow, stopping the fire from reaching him. He growled and shoved the shadows at me, but my fire burned hotter, an endless stream of flames that began to cover my arms and burn the sleeves off my dress.
Sweat dripped from Lord Demious’ forehead. “Kill her!”
The guards made no move forward, all seeming to wait for the head guard’s direction. Marco held up a hand, stopping them.
“Marco!” Lord Demious yelled as our magic blasted against one another.
“If you can’t kill this human then you’re not powerful enough to be the magistrate of Farrow’s Gate,” the fae replied with a stern expression.
“Fine,” Lord Demious growled. “Seems I need to prove my worth.”
Black shadows reached around my fire, too many directions for me to concentrate on. The ground beneath me shook as the grass wilted and black smoke wafted into the air to converge with the shadows surrounding me. Shifting my hands, I tried to create a ball around myself, going on the defensive, but as the ground rumbled and the sky boomed with thunder, Lord Demious’ magic seeped through my defenses.
Fear pumped through me, the realization everything Alicia said had been true.
He had killed my parents.
And now he was going to kill me.
Smoke snaked up my nose like that night in the garden. Tears filled my eyes as pictures of my family and Baine flickered through my mind. With trembling hands, I fought to push the smoke away, to be more powerful than him. I coughed on the dark magic as it slithered down my throat, trying to destroy me from the inside.
Lord Demious came nearer, his complexion slithering with shadows. “It’ll be a shame to kill a creature like you.”
His mouth opened wide, a stream of dark magic pouring out and coming closer. I threw a punch, and he grabbed my arm, my flames dissolving under his shadows. With his other hand, he clutched my neck, holding me in place as he moved to put his mouth on mine.
Suddenly, he stopped. His eyes shifting back to his normal brown, a shocked expression dawning on his face.
“Baine may be loyal, but I’m not,” Marco snarled from behind Lord Demious as he shoved a sword through the magistrate’s chest.
Blood trickled from Lord Demious’ mouth and when Marco yanked his sword back out, the magistrate fell over. I stepped back, heaving, confused, tired, dizzy.
I swayed on my feet as white spots blinked in my vision.
“Whoa.” Marco slid an arm around my waist. “I’ve got you. You’re safe.”
“Did you . . . is he?”
Marco smiled. “I did and yes. I never really liked him.”
Relieved, I relaxed into Marcos’ embrace, and he scooped me into his arms and off the ground.
“You can rest now. I may not have been loyal to Lord Demious, but I am to Baine. You and the prospects are safe. I swear it. My men and I will protect you and get you all back home where you belong.”
Safe.
For the first time since my brother left, I actually believed it.
