Page 100 of The Last Heir of Elsewhere

“Better that than torn to bloody shreds.”

I had no clue what he was referring to, until a guttural growl echoed through the dungeon.

I gasped, and even the veiled queen seemed to falter as Bael’s body contorted and stretched, his skin bulging and shifting into the form of a massive lion. His powerful muscles rippled beneath his tawny fur as he let out a fierce roar.

For a fraction of a second, I wondered how Bael was able to wield magic within the castle walls. Then, I realized that the only individual allowed to use magic in this fortress was King Gancanagh. It seemed Bael had inherited more than an ability to open doors.

“I need to help him,” I hissed at Scion.

“If that bitch doesn’t kill you, Bael will,” Scion yelled back. “He’ll kill all of us. It’s not…him when he’s like that.”

As if to illustrate the point, Bael let out a fierce roar and charged after the queen with lightning speed, his powerful paws pounding against the ground as he closed in on his target.

Furious, I kicked harder against Scion. “He won’t hurt me. Let me fucking go.”

Scion ignored me completely, and as I thrashed and screamed, the fight in the dungeon hallway only grew more intense. The queen dodged and weaved, seeming desperate to get to us—to me.

Bael’s powerful claws sliced through the air, narrowly missing the queen’s head. Despite his strength, the narrow pathway of the dungeon was a hindrance, making it hard for him to stand to his full towering height, or land a fatal blow.

With each swipe, the queen deftly blocked or evaded, her sword glinting in the dim light. Panic began to rise in my throat, and I hardly noticed when the bars of our cell seemed to crumble, Bael’s magic tearing through the prison and causing total destruction.

Then finally, with a swift motion, Bael slashed his claws across the queen’s abdomen.

There was a beat, where she seemed to realize she was hurt and looked down. Then, for the first time she made a sound. A piercing shriek of pure agony escaped her lips.

My ears pricked up.

I knew that scream. I’d heard it over and over again in the back of my mind for half my life. Ever since…

no…it couldn’t be.

“Wait!” I screamed. “Stop! Bael!”

Bael turned his enormous feline head to look at me, and in that moment the queen struck.

One of her hands was clutching her stomach, as if she were holding her inners inside her body with her fingers alone. The front of her red robe looked slick with blood, and I could hear her breath, gasping and ragged, as she stumbled forward. She raised her shaking sword, and with what seemed to be her final burst of energy, she sunk her blade into Bael’s shoulder.

He whirled back around, hissing, and swatted her with an enormous paw. It was like she was nothing more than a fly, her blade merely an annoyance, as she went flying backwards against the stone wall.

As she slumped to the ground, her veil slipped.

Red hair tumbled out from beneath the crimson silk, and my eyes bulged with horror. The confirmation of what I’d already known when I heard her voice struck me like lightning, sending electric pain through every inch of my body.

It was my mother, and she’d just tried to kill me.

41

LONNIE

UNDERNEATH

“We need to get the fuck out of here,” Scion yelled.

I felt a surge of energy pulsating in the air, followed by a deafening roar. The ground beneath us began to shake violently as cracks formed in the walls and ceiling. Bael’s immense powers were ripping through the dungeon and castle, leaving behind nothing but destruction.

But I couldn’t see any of that.

All I could see was my mother, bleeding and unconscious on the floor, dust and debris from the crumbling ceiling falling on top of her. If she was not already dead, she would be in a matter of seconds.

---