Page 57 of Their World

“I understand.”

After taking a deep breath, she entered my mind once again and as she neared the slippery magic, she started to sing.

Her voice was beautiful normally, but this song was haunting and had all my body hair standing on end.

Her tone changed, and a searing pain shot through my skull.

Clenching my hands in my lap, I grunted, but stayed still. Taking deep, slow breaths, I reminded myself this was my at request, and she was only doing what was necessary.

She began to sing louder as she tried to squash the magic, but it wouldn’t be squashed. Switching tactics and tones, she instead began to tear the magic apart.

Images, bits of memories, began to unfurl and my mouth dropped open.

With an exceptionally high note, one I was equally shocked and impressed by, she fully destroyed it and the memories flooded into me. There had been at least a handful of times that the Grand Advisor had visited me, asked me questions, and then tried to bury the memories. He’d also altered my perception of him, making me like him more and more.

One specific memory stuck out the most.

The Grand Advisor sat next to me, his hand on my head, and asked, “What magic powers do you have, Lily? What is your most dangerous magic?”

I shook my head. “I don’t have dangerous magic. Just a dangerous temper. Or at least that’s what Mom always says.”

He sighed and rubbed his temples. “Even under my spell she’s sarcastic and resistant. They really did train her well.” Clearing his throat, he asked, “If I swore to leave your world alone, would you marry me and crown me as King of the Demons?”

“Eww, no!” I gasped. “You’re so … old. And evil. So evil.”

“If I swore to leave your world alone and let the demons revive their world, would you agree to carry my child?”

“I just said I wouldn’t marry you and now you’re asking me to have sex with you? Are you senile!” I snapped.

“I never said you had to have sex with me. We can use artificial means.”

“Why do you want to have a child with me?”

“I need royal blood. I need to break this damn curse!”

I flinched back, but he took a breath and said, “Don’t worry, child, I’m not mad at you. I’m angry at the former Queen of the Demons, Third to Reign. She is the one who cursed me, who ruined my life! As her descendent, I think you’re the key to breaking this, but I don’t know how to break it, except make a deal with another, even more terrible being.”

“What were those drinks you gave me? They tasted weird.”

“Truth serums,” he explained.

“Why would you give me truth serums?”

“I need to know about your adoptive family. Tell me their powers. Their strengths. Their weaknesses. Tell me everything about them.”

Instead of answering him, I asked, “Why did my demon nana curse you? You probably did something bad.”

He sighed and ran a hand down his face. “If no one you know can break this curse, then I need a royal child to raise and train.”

“You can’t use a child like that!” I gasped in horror and tried to move away from him, but my body wasn’t reacting.

“I’ll use whatever means I must, including taking over your world so I have even better access to magic users. Focus, Lily. I need you to tell me everything about your family.”

“I can’t betray them.”

“Don’t worry,” he smiled evilly, “you won’t remember a thing tomorrow.”

“Fine, here’s what you need to know. My family are going to beat you into a bloody, pile of pulp. They will do far worse things than whatever curse my demon nana placed on you. My soon to be mates are going to rip your arms off and beat you with them for suggesting I carry your child.”

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