She won’t let them kill you. Not yet. She wants you to suffer first. You have to wait. You have to find Gerard. You have to see what they have planned. You have to work out what the fuck is going on and stop it!
Elias squeezed his eyes shut, fighting the urge to retaliate. Still, he reached to the core of his power, ready in case they did not let up soon. He wouldn’t let them kill him.
His fingers tensed. Sparks danced along them. But he held back. He wouldn’t release his power. Not yet.
“That’s enough,” the empress said, voice calm.
The pain stopped. Elias sagged onto the ground. He gasped, pulling breath into his aching lungs. He released his power.
“Was he just doing his little sparkles?” Anais laughed. “Did he really think he could fight back?”
“Stand up, Elias,” the empress said.
Elias didn’t move.
“I said, stand up!”
Trembling, Elias staggered to his feet. He wanted to say something clever. Something cutting. Something brave. But he was doing everything to resist killing the empress.
She reached with her strange black metal claws to her belt. She pulled out one of the daggers. Her left fingers danced in the air, weaving and signing. Meanwhile, she held the dagger between two of her clawed right fingers.
“What are you doing?” Elias stepped back.
The empress smiled. Her clawed metal fingers glowed a bright blue. Empress Emmeline flung the dagger up, straight into the sky. It flew. Then it spun, circling around and around in the air above. At the same time, Empress Emmeline spun her left fingers.
Then she swooped her hand. The dagger swooped, coming straight at Elias. Elias jumped back and turned, trying to dodge. Air whisked passed him as the dagger sliced through his sleeve over his shoulder, cutting fabric and skin.
“Ahh!” Elias cried out, trying to grab the wound, but he couldn’t with his hand bound. He stared at the blood seeping into his clothes. Despite the sting, he didn’t think it was too deep.
“What do you think, Elias?” Empress Emmeline held up her black-clawed fingers, no longer glowing. “This new invention works rather well. It allows me to harness my wind magic in a rather useful manner. I can even use it without any assistance from other sorcerers.” She smiled at him. “I’m sure you can appreciate the brilliance.”
Elias breathed heavily as the blood soaked his clothes.Then he saw a group of wind sorcerers, fingers weaving. Elias braced.
The wind knocked into him. He flew through the air. He grunted as he smashed against the ground, bones and flesh knocking together. He lay still. He felt warm blood trickle down his face.
He groaned.Fucking wind sorcerers!
It seemed they were using both old and new techniques to torture him tonight.Footsteps approached and stopped beside him. He opened his eyes and stared up at his stepmother.
“I’ve wanted to watch you in pain for a long time, Elias. I wanted to wipe all those smug little smiles from your face.” She rested her hand with the black metal fingers across her chest, as if showing off her new bit of magic jewellery. “I’m going to enjoy tonight. Now stand up.”
Elias struggled to his feet. But then he stumbled, crying out and letting himself crumble to the ground.Maybe if she thinks me too injured, she won’t attack me again.
“I said, stand up!” she bit out.
Once again Elias made a play of stumbling to his feet. Once again he pretended he lacked the strength. He collapsed into a heap. “I can’t,” Elias whined as pathetically as he could.
She exhaled. “You two. Bring him.”
Two soldiers gripped his arms, yanked him up, and dragged him towards the tower. Elias hung from the soldiers’ arms. He pretended to try to get his feet under him before going limp.
The empress paused before entering the building. She pointed at a dragon harness. “What is that dragon harness doing here?”
Beau stepped forward, chest puffing up. “I am going to ride Albert into battle.”
“You can’t cast on your own,” she said simply. “Albert can fly alone. You ride with the other wind sorcerers.”
Beau’s shoulders drooped.
