Page 179 of The Forsaken Heir
“Come on then,” Bastien said with that cocky smile I so desperately wanted to slap off his face.
When we were almost upon each other, I decided to try and use surprise to my advantage. Without warning, I swung out my fist, trying to catch his chin. Bastien must have seen something that gave away my intention, because he pulled his head back at the last second.
Once I was overbalanced from the missed strike, he slammed his knee into my stomach. Air burst out of my lungs, and I fell, tumbling aside. In my agony, I still had enough sense to stay outof his reach. Righting myself, I sat on my knees and retched, but I kept an eye on Bastien, who preened for the crowd.
“You see? Weak as a human from the looks of her. Worthless! I’m sorry you all won’t get much of a show. This shouldn’t take long.”
Growling in anger and frustration, I shoved my pain aside and stood.
“We aren’t through yet,” I hissed as I rushed him.
He saw me coming, and easily side-stepped my attack…which I anticipated. Instead of tackling him, I dived at the ground, kicking at his ankles and sending him sprawling on the grass.
“Fuck,” he grunted.
Before he could begin to stand, I kicked out as fast as I could, catching him in the chest. The blow sent him onto his back, and I straddled him, driving my elbow down.
Bastien’s hand moved, lightning quick, to knock my elbow shot away, and instead of landing on and breaking his cheek, it hit the grass. My brother reached up and wrapped his arms around my neck.
“I got you, sis,” he hissed in my ear. “All you need to do is relax, and I’ll put you down real quick. Okay?”
“Fuck you,” I grunted as I slammed my knee into his crotch.
A gust of air exploded from his mouth, and his arms relaxed enough for me to scramble free. Aurelius stood at the edge of the circle, staring at me with an apprehensive look of dismay.
“You fucking bitch,” Bastien said, his jaw clenched in pain while he cradled his balls. “Enough of the easy stuff. Let’s show everyone exactly how worthless you really are.”
He rose to his knees and shifted, falling to four paws and rushing me, jaws open and teeth gleaming in the sunlight. I dived aside at the last second, rolled, and jumped to my feet.
Bastien sprinted, circling the ring of onlookers, and angled for me again, his tongue lolling from his mouth. Ten feet from me, he feinted to the left. When I stepped aside, he turned, leaping and slamming his paws into my chest. As we fell to the ground, I could distantly hear Aurelius screaming my name.
All the air in my chest huffed out as Bastien drove me to the ground. All that stopped him from tearing my throat out was my left arm, which I barely managed to shove up into his chest. Teeth snapped less than two inches from my nose. People were shouting and calling out from the crowd, but all I could really hear was the sound of Bastien growling and snarling. Strings of saliva dripped from his jaws as he pushed forward, trying to tear my face off.
With my free hand, I dug into my pocket, fingers fumbling until they found the vial. Sahalie said I’d know when it was time, and if this wasn’t it, I didn’t know when it would be. I was seconds away from my brother tearing my throat out.
With one twist of my shoulder, I pulled my arm free and raised it as Bastien lowered his teeth to my neck. I smashed the glass against the side of his face, and it shattered, engulfing both of us in a misty cloud. Magic surged around us, filling my nose and eyes. A sense of power and control unlike anything I’d ever experienced before crackled through my mind as I took controlof the magic. Everything around us vanished. Bastien let out a howl of surprise as I dragged him down into the dream walk.
42
BRIELLE
Bastien rolled onto the ground and shifted into his human form. He shook his head, trying to throw off the effects of the magic, but it was too late for that. We were in it now. Just like Jolon had dragged me into the deepest recesses of my mind, I’d done the same to Bastien. Even as Bastien tried to right himself, he paused, staring in confusion at the ground. No longer green grass and dirt, but a solid inky black, like polished onyx.
“What the hell is this?” he asked, his eyes wary and flashing dangerously.
It was strange, at least for me. I could still see everyone standing around us, but it was through a weird haze, like smoke or fog obscured them. I’d initiated the dream walk, and the magic of the wellspring allowed me to control what happened. My brother was at my mercy, at least mentally. Physically, he might still be able to hurt me, especially since I had no experience with controlling something like this. I was learning as I went, but if it was like mine had been, most of what happened would come directly from his mind.
Bastien let out a low growl and sprinted in my direction. I planted my feet and raised my hands, ready to defend myself, but before he reached me, the scene around us transformed. The obsidian floor became hardwood planks and plush carpeting. Our father—a couple decades younger—stood with his hands on his hips, glaring down at Bastien.
My brother skidded to a halt and fell on his ass, staring up at our father in confusion.
“Dad?”
“Don’t you understand how much we need from you, boy?” Dad said, his voice low and menacing. “You’re the oldest male in our line. You need to be a fuckingman, and I find you playing withdolls!”
Dad threw a hand aside, gesturing to his right. Out of nowhere, a small pile of action figures appeared. Bastien looked over, and his look of confusion morphed into recognition and fear. This had actually happened to him. At some point in his life, this exact moment had played out.
Bastien rose to his feet, recovering from his shock, and glared at our father.
