The priest’s gaze shot to Emeric, but Anna saw that he stood frozen, his eyes blazing with barely contained rage yet unable to move a muscle. A plea for help reflected in the old man’s terrified eyes but all Emeric could do was grit his teeth in obvious frustration.
Maria, who had been watching the whole scene with an amused smirk, stepped forward, her dark gown rustlingagainst the cold stone floor. “Priest,” she said smoothly, “this is yer duty. Perform it.”
“I... I canna. Not under these circumstances,” the priest stammered, his thin shoulders trembling under Duncan’s heavy grip.
“What did ye say?” Maria’s voice dropped to a dangerous whisper as she turned her fiery gaze on him. The poor priest whimpered and looked away, shrinking under her towering figure.
Anna tried to resist, but her arms and legs felt like they were filled with lead. “I won’t do this,” she said, her voice weak and wobbly. “I won’t do it.”
They all ignored her. The priest swallowed hard, his hands shaking as he faced Anna and Duncan.
“Duncan MacDonald, do ye take Anna Webster to be yer lawfully wedded wife?”
Duncan glanced at Maria and for an instant Anna could swear she saw a flash of hatred in his gaze. “Aye. I do. Just hurry up will ye?”
“And do ye, Anna Webster, take Duncan MacDonald to be yer lawfully wedded husband?” The priest asked turning to Anna.
“No!” she croaked. “Never—” Her mouth suddenly snapped shut. Her eyes bulged as she tried to speak, but no words would come out.
Then, to her horror, she found herself nodding.
EMERIC WATCHED IN MUTEterror as Anna nodded to the priest’s question. Nobody was paying him anyattention. The priest’s eyes were downcast, his face pale with fear as he mumbled the words of the ceremony. He could not see Anna and Duncan’s faces as they had their backs to him, but Maria stood off to one side, her expression avid as she witnessed the ceremony.
Witness.
The only reason he was still alive was because Maria needed him. Without him, this marriage would not be binding.
His service with the Order of the Osprey had taught him a great deal about the Fae and how they operated. Although beings of immense power, they were bound by rules. Without those rules, they were powerless.
Like now, when the rules of a marriage contract must be obeyed in order for Maria to gain power over Anna.
So the answer was simple: he had to break those rules.
Emeric rallied against the invisible force imprisoning him. Gathering every bit of his willpower, he struggled against the pressure as sweat trickled down his forehead and his muscles strained.
He managed to move a finger, then another. The strain was excruciating, as though he was dragging chains around each digit with every twitch. Encouraged, he clenched his fist, feeling unexpected tremors shoot up his arm. His limbs still felt like they were made of stone yet slightly more pliable. Inch by painful inch, he began to move his hand towards the handle of the dagger at his side.
He could hear the priest’s voice, distant and shaky, reciting the final rituals that would bind Anna to Duncan forever. Emeric felt a desperate rage consume him.
Gritting his teeth against the pain, he managed to hook a finger around the hilt of the dagger, and then wrap his hand around the age-darkened leather grip. He dragged it free from its scabbard, the rasp of metal echoing through the silent room.
The priest was finishing the vows, an ancient benediction. “May ye be blessed by God almighty...” He droned, visibly shaking.
“Stop!” Emeric’s bellow echoed off the stone walls.
All heads turned towards him, even Maria’s. Anna’s terrified gaze met his own.
His hand holding the dagger rose shakily. “I willnae be yer witness, Maria! I break the rules!” Then, quite deliberately, he pressed the blade of the dagger against his own chest.
Maria hissed. “What are ye doing ye fool?”
“Without me as a witness, this marriage is invalid. Without me as a witness, ye gain no power over Anna. Ye fail.”
The point of the blade dug into his chest, just above his heart, splitting the fabric of his tunic and grazing his skin. The cold steel was unforgiving under the pressure of his hand, but Emeric barely noticed. His gaze remained locked on Maria’s. He could see the moment when she comprehended what he was about to do, her eyes growing wide and round before her lips curled into a sneer.
“Ye wouldnae dare.”
Emeric stared her down. “Try me.”
