Page 11 of To Claim a King

“All you need to do is lay a telling serum on his tongue and he’ll be compelled to speak the truth. Please.” Xandrie didn’t want to beg, but Darsen couldn’t go free - he just couldn’t. Who knew what he’d do next if he wasn’t punished now?

She hadn’t noticed her elder sister until her voice betrayed her presence. “Perhaps we should,” she said cautiously, and Xandrie’s jaw fell open.

Aleria had stopped talking to her thirteen years ago - she didn’t even look at her, refusing to acknowledge that she had a magicless sister, yet there she was, her green eyes narrowed as she stared directly at her.

“Alexandria has never been a liar.”

She moved without thinking, taking her sister’s hand and kissing the back of her palm. She would never have seen this coming.

It wasn’t enough, though.

“We’re not going to insult a man who’s broken bread with us, who sits on the Council, who brings honor to his family name,” her mother’s voice rose to a shout. “The man wants to marry you, girl. Chances are he tried to kiss you, but you, as you always do, made a fuss about nothing.”

Xandrie was about to launch a counter-argument when the front doors swung open with such force the walls shook. Darsen glowered in the doorway. The coward had brought an entire contingent of the Guard to back him up.

“Arrest this woman,” he said.

“On what grounds?”

“Consorting with the Demon.”

Xandrie snorted. She couldn’t help herself. The man was a joke.

Darsen turned towards her parents. “It pains me to do this, my dear, dear friends.”

Really? He was going to suck up to them and tell a bunch of lies?

“Your daughter cornered me by the outer walls of the village. She broke curfew, but that’s nothing compared to what came next.”

Xandrie folded her arms. What nonsense was this jackass going to try to sell them?

“Her emerald eyes, which you tout as one of her finest features, Kari, blazed gold before she laid her hands on me.” Darsen tore open his shirt. “She did this.”

Xandrie stared in disbelief at the hand-shaped burn on his chest. Could those marks really have come from her? She knew of mages who only showed their skills under duress, but surely, she would have known if she’d cast a spell. Then again, the scene had been so blurry, and happened so fast, perhaps she’d conjured up a simplesui-defensorspell without knowing what she was doing?

Then, she remembered the power rushing to her arm.Fuck.Shehaddone something to him. But it was in self-defense, and magic wasn’t exactly outlawed.

The guard crept towards her, fearful no doubt that the so-called Demon would rise up through her and smite them. It would have been laughable were it not for the fact that most of her family seemed to be swallowing Darsen’s horseshit.

“If you won’t lay a telling salve on him, lay one on me. I’ll tell you what happened!” her voice was becoming desperate.

“I think both of them should be interrogated under oath,” Aleria said, supporting her again.

Everyone ignored her.

Her father approached her, and for a second, she wondered if he would stand beside her, but instead he suddenly flicked a smidge of green powder over Xandrie.

“You can approach the suspect now.”

Xandrie couldn’t believe her own father would restrain her with some of his famous Stock Still formula, but her arms were rooted to her side and the Guards swarmed and bound her with no effort. “The man tried to rape me. He forced himself on me. Will no one believe me?”

“I believe that’s entirely possible, and should be investigated.”

Again, no one paid any mind to Aleria. Xandrie had seen it happen before, and she hadn’t cared much. Her sister was the pretty one; no one cared about what came out of her mouth.

“We recuse ourselves, naturally, from the proceedings,” her mother announced. “It would be unseemly if her family were to be involved in any way. The law dictates she be tried in the manner proscribed.”

“You’d let them torture me?” Xandrie couldn’t believe it. She’d known she wasn’t wanted or welcome in her family - she had no idea her parentshatedher.

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