Page 11 of Of Gods and Pain

“So today, I give you a choice. Submit to me willingly, or face the consequences.”

Willingly? As if he would trust anyone to be voluntarily loyal to him; well Imogen is, I suppose. But he even has his soldiers being forced to do his bidding, so there’s not a chance any of the Ceross residents will bend for him. My thoughts are confirmed as each fae in the crowd moves around, attempting to find an exit. When they realize one doesn’t exist, angry, panicked voices sound around the room, scraping under my flesh and embedding it with pure terror. I know what Andras plans to do next, but I can’t think about it. I need to stop it.

Bodies run back and forth around the space and Andras steps forward, calmly inserting himself in the middle of the chaos. Before I have a chance to make a move for him and try to stop what he’s about to do, a hand grabs my arm and yanks me backwards. I catch myself, spinning to see who the fuck thinks it’s okay to touch me like that, and come face to face with some fae I’ve never seen before.

“Nell, thank the gods you are alive.” He bows lightly. His dark hair curls around itself with no pattern, and his clothes speak to days of travel. “Please, we must hurry. I need to get you back to the prince.”

He attempts to pull me further, towards the back of the room, but I’ve learned my lesson. I’m done blindly trusting males just because their intentions seem genuine. I’ve accepted that I’m not a great judge of character.

I jerk my arm out of his grasp, and sharply whisper, “I don’t think so. Who are you?” His panicked eyes glance behind me quickly before meeting mine again.

“Apologies, this must be difficult for you. My name is Seb. I am here at the request of Prince Casmir.” He reaches for my arm again, and this time I let him pull me along. “I can explain the rest to you once we are far enough away from the city, but I must get you out of here first.”

“Wait, there’s no way out! Andras has all the exits blocked.”

He peeks over his shoulder at me as he continues in his original direction. “Each throne room has a hidden door for the royal families, should something like this ever happen.”

I’m practically being dragged as I attempt to keep up; but my body is so weak from the lack of magic, food, and movement. He reaches a part of the wall that looks attached to the rest, but when he presses on it, a small section opens inwardly, revealing a dark hallway. He turns to say something to me, and his eyes widen past the point of natural.

“Seb?” I whisper, but he doesn’t respond. In fact, he’s not moving at all…

No.

“What is it we have here, my sweet?” His voice is higher pitched, sounding almost crazed. “Surely you weren’t attempting to escape with this male, were you?” Tears well up in my eyes as I watch Seb realize what has to happen next.

“I’m sorry,” I mouth, before roughly yanking my arm away from his; he was holding onto me so tightly that his nails scratch my skin deeply, causing me to bleed. That will only help with what I need to do. I can’t afford to have Andras lose all trust in me again.

I spin slowly towards my enemy, glaring at him and letting the tears flow freely. “Do you think I’m that fucking stupid, Andras? I have no magic and barely enough energy to keep myself standing.” I spit at him, knowing my hatred will work in my favor here.

His eyes narrow as he decides whether to believe me; I adjust my arm, allowing him to see the blood dripping down. Sweet, inexorable relief coats the decrepit taste in my mouth when he concludes that I’m not lying.

“And who is this that was attempting to take you?” He asks no one in particular, stepping towards Seb, the terrified fae still in the same position. “To steal a weak, fragile female, especially one that is not yours, is despicable. But to steal from a prince?” He’s directly in front of Seb now, who has his own tears falling out. “That is an act of war. So tell me…who. Are. You?”

I jump in before he allows Seb to speak. “He’s just some power hungry fae. Not unlike others I’ve met.” I let the venom in my words coat my answer, attempting to pull the attention back to me. It works. He whips around, rage floating off the hidden scales under his suit.

I must not be hiding my intentions very well, because a smirk takes over his face as he steps towards me. The trembling in my hands must be from a lack of food and the sudden silence that’s taken over the rest of the room.

“Alright, my sweet. I’ll give you the honors then, since it was you he tried to wrong.” He holds out his sword, and I hesitate.

If I don’t do this, Andras will torture him, and most likely find out who he actually is. Things would get a lot messier if he figured out the role Casmir and Emrys play in my life.

But…if I do this? I’m killing an innocent male who was risking everything to help me. I didn’t even know he existed until a few moments ago, and now I’m to take his life because of his kindness?

There’s only one choice.

I will bear the burden of this decision. I will ensure he is properly recognized if I return to Anloria.

I grab the sword, not taking my eyes from Seb’s as I walk forward and Andras moves away. Smart, because I wouldn’t have hesitated to behead him, as well. Breathing becomes as difficult as seeing, and sweat coats my palms, sticking them to the steel in my hands. I brace my feet, holding the sword to one side, telling myself over and over that this is necessary. It will be much worse for him if I don’t do it. I see the gratitude in his eyes, which pulls a whimper from me.

This isn’t right. I pause again. I’m holding Andras’s sword, though he still has my essence. I’m weak, but all I need is one thread of luck to have the sword pierce him before he moves out of the way. He’s standing behind me, to my left; close enough that I’m sure I could whip it at him with an accurate aim, though far enough that I wouldn’t be able to hold on to the sword and reach him before he reacted to my movements.

But if I fail? I wouldn’t have time to kill Seb before Andras got to me, which would cause a chain of events that cannot happen.

“I wouldn’t attempt what you’re thinking, Anellah. You’ll only make it worse for yourself,” his quiet voice dampens all hope I had.

I sputter in a deep breath, and try to convey how sorry I am to Seb through my eyes. I only receive understanding and contentment in his. He should hate me. I’m about to tear his soul from this realm.

It’s okay, though. I’ll hate myself enough for the both of us.

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