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My gut twisted. “No one was there when the fire happened.”
“I was there!” she hissed. “You could have killed me!”
Shame washed through me. Could I have lived with that? Killing Lysandra? She was my blood, even if she was loaded with dark magic and hellbent on destroying Jace.
“Don’t you intend to kill me if I don’t do what you want?” I shot back, shoving aside my guilt. The car slowed almost imperceivably, and Lysandra didn’t answer me. My pulse quickened. “Lysandra, let me out of the chains.”
“Hell no!” she cackled. “Are you kidding?”
“You’re only making me mad,” I insisted. “Let me out so we can talk sensibly.”
“I don’t trust you now.”
I pressed my lips together, uncertain about how to persuade her. My opportunity to win her over with charm was ruined when I attacked her during our last encounter. Without the element of surprise on my side, I was useless.
“At least tell me what your plan is,” I begged. “You’re bringing me to Silverhold, and then what? You’re going to tell everyone that you kidnapped me and that I’m Agnan’s daughter?”
Her chin jerked back, dark eyes narrowing. “You don’t think Agnan’s name still has some pull with the orphans? Some of them respected him a great deal. You could be revered, Elix. Both of us could be.”
My frown deepened. The last time we had spoken of Agnan, she had talked of how he had lost his way, that the true vision of the Order of Souls was not what our sire had wanted. The Order of Souls had one quest only: to bring down the monarchies. Agnan had wanted to rule himself, by marrying Queen Mirielle and coasting off of her lineage. Lysandra was talking like Agnan now.
“I want to go back to Goldhaven,” I said coldly. “Haven’t you learned your lesson yet? Jace isn’t going to let you get away with this.”
She tittered, the car slowing more now, turning onto a much bumpier road.
“Jace doesn’t have a choice in the matter. He’ll have to wait until we’re ready to come for him,” she replied.
A shiver slid down my spine as I understood her implication.
“You put up a blocker,” I muttered.
“Of course I did. What am I? An amateur?”
Gnawing on my lower lip, I stared up at the roof of the car and wracked my brain for a way out. I would have to play along convincingly if I was going to get out of this, but Lysandra was onto me this time.
Jace wasn’t coming to my rescue with a blocker in place. I had to figure a way out for myself.
Contrary to Lysandra’schatter about help and getting into Silverhold, when the car finally came to a stop, we werenowhere near civilization. In my mind’s eye, I had envisioned screaming or making a fuss to attract attention, but my sister had anticipated that, it seemed.
Instead, she opened the backseat to reveal a farmhouse surrounded by acres of cornfields.
“Gotta love online house shares,” she chuckled as a chicken waddled by.
“You’re kidding,” I muttered, but I knew she wasn’t as she grabbed me by the collar of the shirt and dragged me through the dirt. “Lysandra!” I yelped. “Just let me out of the chains! We’re nowhere around anything!”
“That didn’t stop you at Homage.”
“Homage was close to Silverhold Tower… are we close to the castle?”
She grunted and ignored my obvious attempt to pry information out of her, pulling me up the pretty front steps of the charming farmhouse. Several more chickens scattered with her efforts, their clucking startling me.
“You shouldn’t have run in the first place, you ungrateful brat,” she muttered. Goosebumps prickled my neck, but before I could comment on her tone, I was being hauled into the front room and tossed haphazardly onto a blue and white floral couch.
The interior of the house smelled of potpourri, matching the rustic farmhouse look, but I was feeling anything but cozy as Lysandra paced the floor in front of me, and I tried to get comfortable against the magic chains.
She’s acting really erratic. She’s going to do something stupid. I need to calm her down.
“Why did you take me now, Lysandra?” I asked gently. She scoffed and stopped, scowling at me.
