Page 74 of The Throne's Undoing

When she had awoken, she had been moved to a new room with two strangers. Kallie had tried to get answers from two women, but they had ignored her. When she tried to use her gift, she found herself utterly drained.

One of the women sat in the darkness, her sharp black nails tapping along the wooden arm of the chair.

Click.

Click.

Click.

And even though the woman sat in the shadows, not saying a single word, power oozed from her fingertips.

Meanwhile, the second woman with striking white hair glided around the room, placing crystals between the candlesencircling Kallie. With a swift brush of her hands, she declared, "We're ready."

The hairs on Kallie's arm stood on end as the woman cloaked in darkness nodded.

"Ready for what?" Kallie asked, looking between the women. She shifted on the hard metal seat beneath her, and the restraints around her wrists and ankles dug into her flesh.

The white-haired woman finally turned to look at Kallie then. Her piercing black eyes narrowed as if she were peering into Kallie's soul. The woman's eyes were the darkest hue Kallie had ever seen, as dark as the pits of the Beneath.

Kallie couldn't help but wonder how her manipulation would affect them.

Would the haze of her gift look like a cloud sweeping over the night sky?

Or would the darkness consume it and swallow it whole?

Even though Kallie knew her well had been used up, she tried to test her theory and reached for her gift, pulling at her core. But as Kallie felt for the source of her gift, there was a wrongness that coated her veins.

She was not merely empty but completely closed off from her power as if it wasn't even there.

"Do not think about using your mind tricks on us, Princess," the white-haired woman said with a satisfied smirk. "They will not work here."

Kallie stared at the woman, panic coloring her face and heating her cheeks. She scanned the room.

There had to be a way out.

There was always a way out.

She pulled at her restraints, but they didn't budge, only rattled and dug into her flesh.

The woman with black eyes stepped closer to her, a haunting look glistening in her gaze. She brushed a hand across Kallie's hair. "This will only hurt if you fight it."

"Fightwhat?" Kallie demanded, tugging on the restraints again. "What are you going to do?"

The woman dragged her nail across Kallie's cheek before tipping her chin up. Then, in a soft, chilling voice, she whispered, "We're going to set you free."

"Unhand me!" Kallie roared, shaking and fighting against the bindings. "You do not know who you are messing with. He will come for you! He will come for you all!"

"No can do, Princess," the woman said, releasing Kallie's chin and taking a step back. "You see, your friends have reason to believe your mind is not your own."

"They arenotmy friends," Kallie hissed, already knowing who the stranger was referring to.

The woman shrugged and grabbed a torch from the wall. "Makes no difference to me what you consider them. Either way, Domitius has dug his claws into your mind, and we intend to release them once and for all."

"You have no idea what you are talking about!" Kallie screeched as the metal cuff dug deeper into her skin, rubbing it raw. "My father has done nothing. My father--"

"--is not the man you think he is," the older woman said, standing from the chair across Kallie. She took a step forward, and the light from the torch kissed her face, illuminating her features.

The woman's eyes were nearly white, and the flames bounced off her raven-black hair. She wore a gold crown with black and translucent crystals woven through the metal. A single emerald stone dropped from the center point and sat against the woman's forehead.

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