“Please… please,” she whispered, over and over, her shaking hands reaching once more for her beloved as she moved them frantically across his body, begging him, pleading with him. “Please!”
A movement across from her startled her, and she fell back, her ass hitting the stone hard, jarring her out of her stupor. She looked up to see Isher mumbling and working to sit up. At last, he lifted his head and stared back at her. As their eyes met, he blinked at her.
“What are you doing here?”
Terena stared at him, then back down at Lerek.
“What did you do?” she whispered. Isher’s eyes widened as he stared at her.
“WHAT DID YOU DO?!” she roared as she sprang to her feet.
“Wait!”
Fire raced up from her belly, along her arms and up her chest. Her vision tunneled. She flung out her hands and roared.
Blinding light filled the terrace. Isher screamed as he rose in the air and crashed against a pergola beam, his head cracking loudly against the wood. Terena’s hands lifted higher, her left hand curling as if to choke him. Isher struggled against the force holding him against the beam, his legs kicking wildly as he clawed at his throat.
There were shouts and running feet behind her, but Terena was focused only on Isher. She tightened her fingers and was rewarded with fresh, guttural sounds from Isher. Hands pulled at her, nails gouging into the skin of her arms, leaving bloody welts, but Terena did not relent. More hands pulled at her and she lost her control of Isher. He crashed to the ground.
Terena turned with renewed rage and shook off the hands holding her in place and whipped out her arms. A great force whooshed from her hands, arms glowing bright white, and three guards flew across the terrace. Two more guards rushed forward, followed by three others. Swords held high, they ran at her, yelling, but she snapped outher left hand, curling her fingers. The two guards closest to her dropped to their knees, hands clutching at their throats in agony.
She was about to turn her attention to the others when something cracked against her head and she fell atop Lerek’s body.
Terena held her eyes open long enough to see her love’s dead eyes staring back at her.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Sonah sighed, following behind Lady Maranou as she whispered with Lady Serle, Matron to Lady Tollis. Usually when they strolled after dinner, Lady Maranou walked beside Sonah, freeing her from having to converse with any of the other ladies.
Tonight, however, it seemed the events of the day—the delay in departing for the north, Terena Luca’s arrival and most recently the arrival of Prince Isher—was too much fodder for gossip Lady Maranou could not ignore.
A commotion near the palace reached them and Sonah looked up. She thought nothing of it until she saw an Imperial Guard rush over to Captain Cortis, who had been standing near a few guards at the bottom of the steps to the lawn. Sonah watched as he then motioned for three others to join him.
The captain then turned his head every which way, his gaze finally landing on Sonah and, even across the distance, his eyes locked on her. She slowed her steps and frowned, staring back. A second later, he strode toward her, his face like thunder.
Something uncomfortable slid down Sonah’s chest, and she took several steps back, clutching her cloak.
Lady Maranou turned, noticing at last something was amiss, andmade to step in front of her, but the captain pushed her aside as he snatched Sonah’s arm, his grip so hard it made Sonah’s knees buckle.
She cried out, even as Lady Maranou shouted in protest, and dragged Sonah along until two Imperial Guard reached them. The matron’s shouts and even Lady Tollis’s cries did nothing to stop him.
“Take her down to the dungeons and place her in a cell,” he bit out, dropping her arm to grab a fistful of her blonde hair, shoving her at the two guards.
Sonah saw stars, the pain on her scalp draining the color from her face, her mouth dropping open.
As the guards led her away, dread washed over her and she dug in her heels, screaming for Lady Maranou as the guards tightened their grip, almost lifting her as they carted her off.
Sonah could hear the matron somewhere behind her, yelling at the captain, at the guards, at everyone as more voices shouted behind her.
When they burst through a side door into the palace, Sonah paused her screaming for a heartbeat as she saw the chaos around her.
Servants ran as if they were headless chickens, some wailing or hugging others who sobbed uncontrollably. Others looked angry or frightened.
Frankel, one of the kitchen boys she’d befriended last summer, spotted her and she called out to him for help. The look he sent her was so filled with hate, Sonah could only gawk as he launched himself at her. He screamed obscenities at her as other servants and guards grabbed him, Sonah’s own captors hauling her off in a direction she’d never gone, through a door she never knew existed.
She sobbed as her confusion and terror mounted, dragging her feet as they pulled her along, bruising her arms with their grips. Sonah begged and cried, but still they half-dragged, half-carried her toward some unknown destination.
Sonah had no idea what she was saying, nonsensical words pleading with her captors while they dragged her down a stairwell, the steps turning from marble to stone as the surrounding walls became damp.
