Still, amidst all that pain, he sent a feeling my way. A bit of encouragement, a bit of strength he needed far more than I did at the moment but he gave it to me anyway. My lips quivered at the gift, at the depth of his feeling for me.
Another crack of bone, this time louder. The sound reverberated through the cavernous throne room, vibrating in my ribs, clenching around my heart. Silent tears trickled freely down my cheeks. I pulled against my manacles and then collapsed back into my makeshift chair. She was going to kill him. She was going to kill him right here and now, in front of me, in front of his family. I almost caved when she snapped her fingers again and he writhed wretchedly, this time too tortured to even cry out, but then Ariadne released him, snatching her fingers away and letting him fall to the floor.
“Lark!” I cried.
But I could feel him, like a caress against my soul. He was alive. He was breathing. And he even turned his face slowly so that I could see him. I hated the hurt in his expression, the pain there that was all my fault.
“Fine then,” my mother snapped, turning and strolling down the line of my friends. “She will do.”
She gripped Cass by the shoulder and dragged her forward.
“No!” Rook screamed.
He snarled, pulling feverishly against his bonds. Lark’s eyes widened then, for the first time, in terror as my mother raised her fist, intent clear in her eyes.
“Can’t finish the job?” Lark wheezed, coughing another spot of blood onto the polished marble as he raised his head with some effort, blood streaming down over his eyes. “You mean all of this wasn’t to get your revenge on me? For what I did to you? For what I took from you?”
My mother’s lip curled into a snarl as she dropped Cass right in front of where I sat shackled on the dais. My eyes flicked from Cass to Lark. I knew what he was doing. I wished he would stop.
“This is between us, Ariadne,” Lark told her, rising somewhat, spitting blood at her feet. “It always has been. Let the others go. I’m the one you want.”
“Oh, yes,” my mother snarled, spinning around and glaring at Lark. “I will kill you. I will tear you limb from limb and flay you until you beg for the sweet mercy of death. But first, you’re going to watch me take the ones that you love. First, you’re going to know what it means to lose someone precious to you.”
Ariadne curved her fingers and a gleaming blade appeared in her hand. She lowered it slowly to Cass, lifting it against her perfect, porcelain cheek, until a drop of blood fell from the prick onto the shining dagger. Ariadne smiled, baring all of her teeth, as she turned to the thrashing Rook, toward Lark who was making every effort to rise despite his legs and one arm which were splayed at unnatural angles, obviously broken.
My mother lowered that dagger, pointed it straight at Cass’ heart, dangerous eyes glinting in the light of that bronze chandelier. Cass heaved a shaky breath and waited, not daring to move. Rook howled in rage, in agony, pulling viciously against his bonds, swinging wildly. Lark’s mist coiled around his waist, up his broken arm, slithering across the floor. Ariadne stared at them, surprised, for a moment before making a slicing gesture with her hand. They blew away in the breeze like smoke on a pile of ash.
“Enough of this,” Ariadne spat and reared back with the knife poised to strike.
“I’ll take it,” I said.
Everything froze. My mother stilled entirely, turning slowly to face me. My father closed his eyes and gave that same minuscule shake of his head. Rook gaped at me. Cass’ lips quivered. Gemini was glaring at me. And Lark, that man it had taken me far too long to realize I was falling in love with, he crawled slowly forward, leaving a trail of blood behind him, one word whispered on his cracked lips.
“No.”
“Swear it,” Ariadne spat. “Make a vow.”
My gaze flicked to Lark and then back to hers.
“You’ll let them go?” I asked. “All of them. You’ll let them leave in peace and you won’t hurt any of them again.”
“If you’ll drink the Elixir,” she nodded in promise. “If you’ll stay. I will vow it. We will make this bond with magic so that it may not be undone.”
“Ren, please,” Lark rasped from the floor.
“I will,” I vowed and that was it.
I felt the weight of my promise seal me within it and knew that Ariadne had used her magic to seal the bond. I didn’t know what that magic was, didn’t recognize it. But it felt old and ancient, like the final nail in my proverbial coffin. All hope of escaping vanished from my heart and from my mind as she rose back up those steps to take her throne once more, smiling down at her captives, victorious.
“Get the goblet, Richard,” she ordered and my father hesitated, meeting my gaze once before hastening off to do her bidding.
“Let me say goodbye,” I said then, pulling at my manacles as I looked out at my friends.
“Fine,” she replied, rolling her eyes, and raised a finger.
My manacles vanished and I rushed forward, falling onto my knees in front of Lark. I lifted his head until his gaze met mine, ignoring his blood staining my gray pants beneath him.
“I’m so sorry,” I told him through my tears.
