“Who shall we test first?” he asked, his voice booming. “Accused criminal one,” he pointed to the first woman, tanned skin, with blond hair that reminded me of Naria’s, “accused number two,” he pointed to the woman in the middle. She had a long narrow face, sleek black hair, and her entire body was shaking. “Or accused three?” The man. Not a mage I realized as I looked more closely. He was built like a soturion, with brown hair and eyes, the same color as mine.
Everyone in the room began to call out different numbers. Most seemed in favor of the blonde woman. And I had a sickening feeling why.
“Well?” he asked. “Who will it be? Where do your instincts lead you?”
“Three,” I said. The male soturion. Immediately the men in the room began to boo and show their disapproval. Several of the wolves even howled.
The Bastardmaker huffed in obvious disappointment. “Interesting choice,” he drawled, his voice low. Then he shrugged. “Remove the ropes, keep the binding. And take his robes.”
The man began to shake, his eyes wide. “No. Please.”
But a mage, one in Ka Kormac colors, was already taking the ropes away with their stave, and then one of the soturi ripped his robe right off his back, leaving him completely nude. There were a few gasps. My grandmother had the decency to turn away. But Arianna looked delighted, her eyes sparkling as she took in the man in his current form.
Breathe. Breathe.
I walked forward, unable to look him in the eye. If I did, I’d give it all away.
“Please, please don’t.” His voice shook. “I don’t have vorakh. Or any magic. I’m just a soturion. Please.”
Vomit rose up my throat, and I swallowed, placing the nahashim against his face.
It slithered up to his eyes, and then its body vanished within.
The man screamed in pain, his body convulsing as a black mark in the outline of the snake appeared in his cheek and began to slither. He screamed, convulsing, and the two women beside him started to cry in fear.
And I could do nothing, couldn’t stop it, couldn’t help. I just had to watch as it moved through him, violating him, hurting him, searching deeper and deeper. Until at last, the snake began to slither its way back up to his face. His neck reddened, his body breaking out into sweat that dripped from his forehead.
Suddenly the snake flew out of his mouth, landing, slippery in my hands. I stared down at it in horror. It turned its head,and I swore it stared back at me. That it was reaching up, trying to touch my face, to slip inside me and expose my secrets. Its tongue shot out, black eyes shining, its head rearing. I rushed it back to the Bastardmaker, throwing the snake into the box as the man retched, vomiting on the floor. Several nobles backed away, making horrified sounds of disgust.
I was going to vomit next. I was actually going to vomit. But the Bastardmaker stared at me firmly. “Swallow,” he commanded.
I did. My throat burning. My stomach twisting.
He examined the snake, looking into its eyes, a sudden frown on his lips. The man was innocent. The nahashim found nothing.
“Guilty,” he announced.
“No,” groaned the man.
The vomit came up again. “I-I’m going to?—”
The Bastardmaker rolled his eyes. “Go then.”
I ran from the room, Bellamy and Eric on my heels, running to the nearest bathroom I could find. I was barely inside, before I collapsed on the ground and heaved.
Chapter
Twenty-Five
JULIANNA
The next morning, Dario and I took our ashvan from the cave and headed into the nearest town, keeping our heads down, to look for food.
Because I’d been taken, that meant our safe home was once again compromised. Dario said that Meera and Aiden were already preparing to flee when he’d run out after me.
We had no idea where to go, or where they were. We’d run out of options forEl Zan Vylettein both Cretanya and Korteria. Which meant Meera and Aiden had to find another solution. A safe place to go before we could reunite. Dario said the plan was to send nahashim to find us once they had things in order.
But there’d been no word from them yet, which I tried not to read into.
