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The evil queen’s voice goes silent, but she still has a hold on me, locking me to the floor. It’s weaker, though, and I manage to get back to my feet and take a labored step back toward the cockpit. Where is Gliss? Where isanyone?
“Kye!” I shout over comms. “We need to find Fiona, she’s in danger.”
“Get down,” a voice hisses in my mind.
I’m thrown to the floor, my whole body spasming in pain. I roll over onto my back and stare at the ceiling, trying to focus on anything but the pain wracking every limb. “I can’t hurt him physically from here, but I can tear his fragile mind toribbons,” Lamia’s voice says. “And if you don’t stand down, that’s exactly what I’ll do.”
“Don’t!” That second voice belongs toFiona, and all I can think is that no,no, she’s going to do whatever she can to help me.
She’ll give herself up.
“Ner!” Footsteps hammer on the metal floor of the corridor, and then Kye is looming over me. He scoops my head into his lap, but all I can do is stare up at him as my eyes go dry. He starts to panic, stroking his hand over my hair, his eyes tearing up. “Nereus–what the–what’s going on?Please, talk to me.”
“Fine,” Fiona’s voice says. “I’ll do what you want. Just let him go.”
I breathe.
The pain ebbs.
I sit up, clutching Kye’s shoulders as tears well in my eyes. “Where is Ryker? Have you heard from him again?”
“They just breached the palace doors,” he says. “What’s wrong? What’s going on?”
“Lamia was just in my head,” I tell him, and his eyes go wide. “She’s going to kill Fiona…and it’s all my fault.”
CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX
FIONA
There’s something I always remember from history class: people are most dangerous when they’re backed into a corner.
When the world’s worst war criminals have the end in sight—when they’ve realized they’re going to lose—that’s when they’ve done the most unspeakable crimes. Like caged animals, they’ll lash out at anyone they can, unafraid to kill or maim in their quest to inflict as much pain as possible before they go out. Every resource available to them will be used for maximum punishment.
And that’s where Lamia is right now.
Our plan has been more successful than we thought. The Hunt is closing in on her. The people of Homeworld have welcomed our forces. There are more rebels than people faithful to her.
She’s backed into a corner, so she’s going to use every resource available to her, including tormenting and slaughtering my men.
I can feel Nereus’s pain shooting through my skull, can see him convulsing on the floor through Kye’s panicked gaze. It’s like I’m only partially aware of what they’re seeing and feeling, but I know it’s true–not just a trick played on me by a sorceress. And her power holds Orion to the floor, the Mlok hunter I’ve always known to be more powerful than anyone I know starting to convulse.
“Fine,” I say. “I’ll do what you want. Just let them go.”
I didn’t expect Lamia to be beautiful after everything I’ve heard of her, but she is–curvy and lush, even if she’s got the complexion of a corpse. Still, it looks like she’s aging right in front of me, and I have the passing thought that it must have something to do with Elixir.
She lets up her grip on Orion just a touch as she regards me, her eyes narrowing. “And what is it you think I want, little girl?” she says.
“You want…” I gulp, staring up at her and lifting my chin, pretending I’m not afraid. “You want to escape.”
“Hmm…a simple response,” she says. “From a simple girl.”
My temper flares out of nowhere, but I tamp it down as I try to maintain my composure. It would be easy to get angry and draw my blade, but if Orion couldn’t take her out, then I won’t be able to either.
I need to buy myself some time. We have friends in the palace.
And at least it doesn’t feel like Nereus is in pain anymore.
So I play her little guessing game.
