AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Jasmine
FIONA WAS STANDINGbehind the queen. She did not show any weakness as the soldier tightened his grip on her and moved his blade to her throat. He seemed very disturbed about what he was doing and I guessed it was because Fiona was giving him guilt about it.
Cari released Kieran’s tongue.
“Stop,” Kieran said to Qai, even though Qai hadn’t moved an inch since the queen’s threat.
“I will kill her,” the queen said.
I knew she meant it. There was no hint of hesitation in her dark gaze.
“My beast can kill your mind magicker,” Kieran said through gritted teeth.
“It can,” the queen replied. “Is that a good deal for you, prince? Your sister for my magicker?”
Cari shifted on her feet awkwardly. I knew what she must have felt. Here she was, working for the queen and giving her almost everything she ever wanted, and the queen did not even blink before signing her death sentence.
Don’t empathize with me,Cari said, her tone full of anger as her voice echoed in my mind.
You don’t have to listen to my thoughts, you know, I replied tersely. I can’t help my thoughts.
You pity me,she said.
I do, I replied.
Why?
You know why, I replied.
And she did. I did not have to put it into words for her to understand what I was feeling. She was here, in my mind, like she had been for a while.
Cari looked. In the split second, before Kieran could respond to the queen, she saw it all.
She knew at once that I could tell how much she’d suffered, that even though I blamed her for the trap she’d lured us in, I knew how brainwashed she would be after spending years under the queen’s control. She did not have any friends, nor did she have a family to teach her what was wrong and right.
And she was young. Too young to realize the consequences of her actions...
I could not help it. I pitied Cari, if not for losing everything to the queen’s quest for power, then for having been stuck here for years without any meaningful contact.
She was a victim. I was angry at her, but that did not change the fact that I also pitied her.
“You already have my sister,” Kieran replied. “And if we are going to fall victim to you, I would rather die knowing you cannot make any new monsters. I bet my sister would too.”
“I would,” Fiona said, her expression determined.
The queen was taken aback.
She didn’t know that we learned how she makes the monsters, I thought. I wasn’t speaking to Cari, but she was there and heard me nonetheless.
She didn’t, Cari said.
Because you weren’t supposed to tell me? I asked.
Cari did not reply, but I felt her affirming it.
There was a short pause and some movement on the other side of the portal. I could not see who it was, but someone entered the room where they all stood. The queen’s eyes darted toward the movement, and as though someone had given her great news, her face lit up with joy.
“But I am not going to kill your sister if you submit,” the queen said, her tone taking on a sly manner. “I shall simply keep you and her hostage. I will also not kill the light fae champions whom you consider friends. I just have to have them.”
