Page 115 of Wings of Death

She simply laughs at my reaction. “Your powers are no match for mine, but you can try if you like,” she taunts.

A rush of energy flows through me as my powers build, and I scream as they burst out, breaking the wire from around my wrist. It drops to the ground when I aim my hands at Hethenos and focus a blast of powerful energy toward her, causing her to fly back and smack her head on a chunk of stone. Her eyes blaze with anger as she swoops into the air and lands on her feet before me.

Releasing my wings, I take off into the air, but she’s faster than I and uses her powers to wrap around my ankle and pull me back down. I slam hard into the soaking wet ground, and pain sears up my side and into my shoulder. I wince and roll onto my stomach, gritting my teeth as I try to endure it.

“Oh, you’re not getting away that easily. I have plans for you,” she says while she walks toward me. She stops next to my head, and I look up to see a pair of red heels.

White spots dance in my vision as I press my hand against my chest and allow the dark magic to seep into my body, healing me instantly.

“Don’t you just love that?” she asks excitedly. “It’s the best perk by far. But you know what else I love about it? It grows stronger with time.”

Her tone is cold as she wraps her hand around my throat and hauls me to my feet and into the air.

Water drips down my face as she tightens her grip. I choke, clawing at her hands, but she ignores my feeble attempts to stop her.

“This reminds me of something,” she taunts. “Oh, that’s right. I did the same to your mother before I killed her,” she whispers.

I thrust my fist out and clip the side of her face, and she loosens her hold enough for me to escape her grasp. I crouch down on the ground, gasping for air while she pats her cheek, seeing blood on her fingers.

“Lock her up,” she instructs before disappearing into the sky.

I glance up as the twins move toward me, evil smirks curling their lips. I shuffle back and stumble to my feet.

“Do not touch me,” I warn them, holding my hands out in defence, but they continue to advance.

I send a blast of power into Rimel. He flies back, but before I can do the same to Yimel, he grabs my wrists and yanks me into his chest, pinning my arms down. I struggle against his grip, and he throws me into the ground. Pain slices through my shoulder when I land at an unnatural angle, and it gives them the window they need.

They grab my broken body as I scream and wrap some sort of magical band around my wings, pinning them, along with my arms, down. They each take me under the arms and fly up into the air, carrying me across the Kingdom.

I have no clue where they’re taking me at first, and then I notice the cliffs up ahead. Are they taking me to the cells?

Panic surges as I struggle against their grip, and they drop me. Probably not smart on my part. I’m unable to fly.

I scream as I plummet toward the ground, but they swoop down and catch me.

“I wouldn’t do that,” Rimel warns. “It’s quite the drop. And next time, we’ll just let you fall.”

I don’t respond, knowing it’s useless to argue with these two. We finally reach the cells, and I notice there are no guards outside. They drag me through the crimson tunnels and down the stairs, where we eventually reach the same open space of cells where they held Finlay. I shiver at the thought of being locked in the same cell as he was and am thankful when they throw me into the one next to it.

It’s dimly lit down here, with just a few lanterns scattered along the walls. I scan the cell, feeling claustrophobic already, and am thankful to find there’s a small window lined with steel bars along the back wall. My focus snaps to the twins as they step inside the cell after me, and my heart hammers in my chest.

“Do not touch me,” I warn them again.

They both laugh, and Yimel leans up against the wall to my left, crossing his thick arms over his chest and watches as Rimel moves toward me.

“We’ve really enjoyed pretending to protect you and your father all these years. And by the gods, we’ve enjoyed watching you grow up,” he says, reaching for a lock of my hair.

I turn my face away from him, refusing to allow him to touch me if I can help it.

“You know, we might just let you live after all this, if you agree to give up your powers. Hethenos might let us keep you as a pet.”

Nausea rolls inside me at the thought. I would rather die than live a lifetime with them. At least then I would be with my mother. I try to hide the disgust on my face, not wanting to give them the satisfaction.

“What has she promised you?” I ask, staring into Rimel’s hazel eyes. “You know once you’re no longer of use to her, she’ll kill you both.”

He narrows his eyes at me, and I can see I’ve hit a nerve. Wow, did they actually care about her?

He takes a step closer until we’re merely inches apart. “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he says with a hard tone and then grabs my chin, squishing my lips between his grasp. “I’d keep that pretty little mouth of yours shut if you know what’s good for you.”

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