“Ah, there you are,” she purred, her focus trained on the two males under my thrall. “Do we have an agreement?”
Opening my hand, I slackened the hold of my magic. “They have been Commanded.” The velvet of my voice was scraped raw, as it always was after.
My sister grinned like a feral cat before the pounce, all teeth and cunning. “Good.”
She approached Rhael Thesariin and rose to her tiptoes, fingers pressing into his temples. With a subtle nod, I released all of my hold over him, doubling the effort on Mannore Liraeviel.
Rhael thrashed, sinking to his knees, as Iaoth’s power sank into his mind. More radiant white poured from her fingers and filled his mouth to muffle his cries.
“There,” she said, stepping back and letting him collapse into the dirt.
“For Goddess’s sake, Iaoth,” I snapped, stepping forward and jerking him upright. “Do you want them to think they passed out drunk in the garden? For your future reference, Rhael doesn’t drink alcohol. You couldn’t be more obvious with your meddling unless you shoved a dagger in their skulls.”
I planted him on the bench my sister had vacated and dusted off his jerkin. His eyes were glassy and vacant, like themale was nothing more than an empty shell. It would take a few minutes for him to return to himself.
Iaoth made a noise like she disagreed and moved onto Mannore Liraeviel, repeating the process.
This time I was prepared to catch him when he collapsed. I arranged the males in such a way that they would awake from the magic facing one another, like they’d been mid conversation the whole time.
“Let’s go,” I snapped at my sister, striding toward the palace and the private door that led from her rooms and into the garden.
She lifted her silk skirt and rushed after me.
“Is it true that the Manipulator unit is collapsing?” I questioned as we reentered the cool marble.
“And where did you hear that?” she sneered, walking away from me without looking back.
In two strides, I’d caught up with her. “That is what the two were discussing when I cornered them.”
She tossed her head, long hair whispering over her lower back, and tiara glinting from the light spilling through windows that framed this hall. “They have no idea what they’re talking about.”
I followed her back into her room. “Don’t lie to me, Iaoth. I can’t help if I don’t know.”
“Oh, so now you want to fulfill your obligations again?” she tossed at me like I’d even abandoned them in the first place.
My nostrils flared. But I would not let her barb me like she had upon my return. “You know my duty always comes first.” It wasn’t a lie. But what that was currently shifted like the sands on the beaches of the Hatha Islands.
She arched a critical brow. “Fine. Yes, there seems to be some sort of sickness spreading now too. But it isn’t plague-born. The dry air seems to have quite an impact on some of ourmore delicate soldier’s lungs. They’ll adjust the further south they go. And then they’ll be all better when they return to the forests.”
Delusional.
That was the word to describe my sister. She was going to drag all of the Angels down with her. I could no longer stand in the shadow of her willful incompetence.
“If you’ll give me leave, I have other matters to attend to,” I said through clenched teeth.
She waved me away like I was nothing more than a fly. “Yes, go. And don’t be late for the council meeting.”
Like I needed a reminder.
“Give my regards to the Seers. I’ll be seeing them againverysoon. The latest two you brought me are so very pretty too. Makes me think what all the Goddess has in store for them.”
Ice slithered down my spine. Ashen light gathered at the tips of my fingers, begging to be released. To wrap around my sister’s neck and strangle until life bled out of her. Not a muscle twitched in my face, expression determinedly calm when I was anything but beneath the mask.
Something devious glinted in Iaoth’s eyes. The corner of her mouth twitched up.
Did she know about Sylaira and me?
The thought wrapped vines around my ribs and squeezed.
