“And the witnesses,” Constance said smoothly, “who have been listening to your treason and now know I am the power behind you. They must die.”
Emiana held her gaze unflinchingly. “Kill them.”
“Hhhhm!”
Constance snapped her fingers, and the world ripped away.
A jolt resounded through my chest, twisting my stomach. It was like falling from a sudden, unseen cliff. Blinking, I found us on the other side of the drawbridge, standing at the edge of the burned-out, smoking village. Us being me, Alisdair, Constance, Emiana, and a large, glass orb—filled with seawater, and the siren within it.
I couldn’t even marvel at the sloshy, cold puddles everywhere I could see. The ice was melting—beaten down by the humid heat sweeping freely through the green, verdant trees—chasing the stars across the horizon.
I couldn’t even move.
Alisdair reached for me, his eyes frantic. I couldn’t respond as his wrist manacles snapped together, then plunged to the floor—dropping him to his knees.
Something living—something powerful—slipped inside of me. Racing through my pores, it surged through my body, filling me to bursting, latching on the chains around my soul, and taking hold.
“Pay attention, Alisdair,” Constance called. “I want you to watch this.
“Nabud Kardan!”
The ground rumbled beneath us. I had no idea what she’d done, until the first tower came down.
“Hmmh!”
Castle Riagin imploded. The walls crumbled, the windows blew out, and the towers collapsed—tumbling down on the people inside.
“Hmm! Hmmhh pghh!” Alisdair threw himself side to side, near wrenching his arms from their sockets.
It was no use. Our home. Our people. Our friends.
Gone.
And I registered none of it.
Tipping my head to the sky, the moon peeked through the clouds, took hold of my bindings...
...and tore them free, shattering my chains—erasing the clamps around my magic.
I exploded.
My magic roared like a wildfire, burning all in its path. Incinerating my insides. Scorching my nerves. Decimating my bones. Wiping out my mind. Breaking the manacles.
Emiana nodded, folding her arms. “Unfortunate, but it had to be done. What about the books?”
“Those will be easy enough to fish from the wreckage. It is the rat woman who will be hard to track down. And her daughter,” Constance added. “We will find and take them both.”
“What about her?” Emiana’s hateful gaze turned on me. “We don’t need a Gutter rat. Why did you take her?”
“It was necessary. The worm only serves one more function now, but it is an important one,” Constance said. Once again, she did not deign to look me in the eye. “Torturing her in front of Alisdair will bring him endless pain, and me endless pleasure.” She turned. “I think I’ll start... by...” Constance trailed off, eyes widening as they landed on me—rigid and shaking. “Meya, help me...” she breathed, daring to call upon our deity.
“What?” Emiana snapped. “What are you—? Oh, her hair. Revolting, isn’t it? You don’t know how it disgusted me to wear the skin of a moon-kissed whore, but thankfully, her affliction didn’t pass to me.”
Constance didn’t seem to hear a word Emiana said. She backed away from me, eyes rolling in her head raking me up and down. “You’re moon-kissed?!” she shrieked. “A worm like you? Bestowed such an honor? How? Ho—!”
Ripping open my jaw, my screams let loose.
I screamed. I screamed and screamed as overwhelming, unnatural power consumed its weak and fleshy wrappings—the poor, little woman ill-chosen to be its host. My little body couldn’t contain it.
