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Lysandra’s smile faded. “I don’t want to keep you locked in these chains. I want you to help me, help rebuild the Order to what it was before Agnan ruined it by trying to become a king himself. He lost sight of the vision, but he needed to remember that the first Order of Souls was responsible for eliminating the Original Family.”
Not all of them,I thought grimly.Queen Mirielle is still a descendant, remember?
I again kept my thoughts to myself.I had no doubt that she remembered her nemesis. The queen was the last living descendant from the first family of rulers in the world.
“I just want you to sleep on what I’m saying,” she begged and looked at me with so much imploring, my heart almost broke for her.
She’s so lost, so helpless. Agnan screwed her up so badly, using her and the other orphans. I can’t blame her for being this way, and yet I can’t feel sorry for her, either, or she’ll kill me. Of that I have no doubt.
Was it the sibling bond that was softening me toward her? I couldn’t hurt my own flesh and blood, could I?
Could I?
“What about the others?” I asked quietly. “Do they live here? Are they here now?”
“On and off. They’re in different parts of the kingdom and scattered through Mystara, searching for threats. Right now, I have the house to myself, but that could change at any time. I never really know when anyone is coming back. We don’t really keep one another in the loop.”
“Are the others looking to restore the Order of Souls, too?” I pressed, determined to find out how many I was up against.
Lysandra shrugged miserably, her eyes dropping, and for the first time, I felt a surge of relief.
She’s on her own with this harebrained scheme. She’s the only one who went off the rails.
“I’m putting out feelers, but they don’t have the same blood as we do. Agnan’s DNA runs through us, Elix. We’re true-blooded Order… even if he was led astray by power. That’s what being too close to the kings will do. Not to mention that the queen manipulated him.”
Good gods. Queen Mirielle was a child when she was picked up from the orphanage by Agnan. How could she have ever manipulated a fully grown fae?
“You’re lucky you got away when you did. The other orphans are just as sucked in by King Zen as everyone else. They forget that he almost killed us all.”
Because you all deserved it!
I licked my lips, my thoughts so fast I could barely keep up with them.So the other members of the Anti-Order are really doing good work. It’s only Lysandra who has gone rogue. That’s something… Isn’t it?
One wayward fae was much easier to deal with than a half dozen or more. I had no idea how many former Order of Soul faeries the king and queen had rehabilitated.
“You and I could make so many changes in this world, Elix. Don’t you want that for us? For this continent?”
“Yes!” I agreed, nodding urgently. “I do.”
Hope ignited on Lysandra’s face, but there was still skepticism. “You’re not just saying that to appease me, are you?”
I exhaled. “I want these chains off me, yes. But I also am madder than hell at Jace for abandoning me. Maybe it is time for a change. This isn’t working.”
My sister cocked her head to the side and peered at me for a long while as I met her eyes.
“I’m not sure if I believe you,” she admitted. “But I’ll free your hands for now. Your feet chains are staying on.”
I sucked in a breath and bowed my head. “Thank you, Lysandra.”
She closed her eyes, laying her hands over my wrists to expel a burst of light, and warmth shot through me as the weight lifted off my arms. I sighed happily, more because I realized my theory had been right: it was the chains that were weighed down with the magic blocker. My energy surged back through me in a torrent.
“Thank you!” I laughed again, bolting upright before she knew what was happening. My own hands splayed open, and the windows smashed as bursts of wind roared into the room, knocking down everything in sight.
Blood drained out of Lysandra’s face.
“Elix!” she shrieked, realizing too late that she’d been conned. “STOP!”
My right hand spiraled to bring the chandelier down onto her head, sparks of light splashing over the blankets to catch fire, and I broke through the last of the magic block to free myself from the chains on my legs.
