Page 60 of Of Vows and War: Special Edition
“What is the meaning of this, Ash?” Xavier asked. He was on edge, ready for the battle he knew I was sensing. Mia watched in utter silence. Like always, she was waiting for me to root out any flaw in the system she wished to be perfect.
“Well, I became quite adept with poisons,” Sterling answered. Warden Zaden blanched, his pale skin going a sickly green.
“And tell me, husband, would you eat the food before you?”
“While it looks divine, it smells quite like sugar of lead and I prefer not to die today.”
Right as Sterling leaned back in his chair and shoved his plate away from him, Warden Titan dropped his fork.
“You must be mistaken,” Warden Zaden cut in. “We would never do such a thing.”
“Or perhaps it was the staff!” Warden Titan shouted, pointing to the male behind him. Around us, every servant gasped, leaning into the walls as if they could disappear. Mock outrage wrinkled the warden’s face, and my patience met its limit.
Gripping my fork, I swung my arm to the right, stabbing the cutlery so deeply into Titan’s ear that it sunk halfway into his head. I ripped it out and shoved it into his neck next, just forgood measure. The Earth collapsed, his forehead smacking into his plate of food and his blood spraying my face. Red stained my golden gown and dripped down the edge of my white plate.
Shouts erupted, the wardens across from me backing their seats away as if that would save them. Warden Ivy shouted, rather shrilly, “You are crazy!”
My smile stretched until I wondered if my skin would split. Slowly, I reached over and gripped the fork, ripping it free of Titan’s throat. Bringing it to my lips, I let my tongue flick some of the blood. It tasted foul, but the effect was worth it. Even Mia gasped in horror.
“I have not begun to show you crazy.”
“Why would you do that?” Zaden asked, his eyes watering slightly.
“I was just putting the poor thing out of his misery. If the servants were really the ones who poisoned the food, then he had already consumed so much he was probably about to face a slow and cruel death.” I yanked the food from beneath the dead male’s head, placing it in front of Sterling.
Sterling sniffed it, terror there in his eyes. I did not mind his fear, he was smart to keep me at a distance. Shaking his head, the prince confirmed that Warden Titan’s food had not been poisoned.
“Odd, it was free of poison,” I said, quirking my head to the side. “Tell me, Warden Zaden, what do you think of the rebels?”
Zaden froze, sweat beginning to trickle down the side of his face.
“I think they are disgusting. A blight to our realm.” When I did not show any emotion to his response, he added, “Their message is deplorable.”
“And what is their message?” I inquired.
“Well, it is…um…death to the royals.” There was a hesitance and shake to his words, as if he had to force them from his lips.
“Since you think their fight so foul, then surely they poisoned your food as well. Sterling, check it for him, please.” I gestured to the plate, watching with glee as Sterling reached forward to grab it. With a sniff, he looked my way and shook his head.
“Wait, please, I can explain!” Zaden shouted, standing from his seat and running a hand through his sweaty hair.
“Sit back down,”I ordered. Abruptly, he sat once more. The entire room went silent, the sounds of breathing only faintly registering through my haze of rage. I saw it all there in their thoughts, my magic punishing me as I dug into their minds. They did not join the rebellion for the betterment of the realm. These fae only wanted the power that would be available if the Mounbettons fell.
Xavier smiled to Sterling’s left, placing his chin on his folded hands and letting his elbows support the weight. Mia remained stoic, unphased.
“You see, this is the problem. Your fight for supposed freedom is truly just a selfish desire to rule. At no point in your self-centered plight did you stop to think about what you were doing to the innocents around you. Blaming your staff? Truly, how low can you sink? You do not care about them,” I hissed, gesturing to the servants that still remained standing near the walls around us. “A real leader would have faced us, fought us. Instead, you wardens sit here in your comfy manors, smiling prettily and waiting for others to do your dirty work.”
Quicker than normal, I lost complete control of that anger inside of me. It burst like a volcano, erupting and letting that red-hot heat scorch me from head-to-toe. Relaxing my clenched fists, I grabbed my plate and tossed it onto Zaden’s. It hit with a loud clatter, pieces shattering.
“Eat while I talk, I am sure you are starved from making everyone else risk their lives.”
The lower tenor of The Manipulator seemed to send chills through Ivy, but I still had eyes for Zaden as he began shoveling the food into his mouth. Snot and tears ran down his face, and all I could think was that it felt so horriblygoodto force this man to poison himself after he was ready to watch servants die for his crimes.
“None of you have the intelligence or the loyalty to lead your respective lands. Having more power in your veins does not make you worthy of a title if you are a fucking idiot, it just makes you a target and a problem to eradicate.” Ivy started to cry as well, only Carmella remaining calm in the face of my magic. “You are not better than those you are meant to serve.”
With that, I tore into his mind, stomping my way through every memory and thought. Tearing apart his life and stealing his joy. He convulsed within his seat, his head falling back in a scream as I took and took from him. When I grew bored of the sound of his pain and the slow work of the poison, I shattered his mind, watching as he collapsed into a heap upon the wooden floors.
“Asher, you must stop. We need them for interrogation. Get that anger under control!” Mia shouted. Ignoring her orders, I stood, looking down upon the final two wardens. Ivy leaned away, her mind trying and failing to hide the selfishness that plagued it. But Carmella did not cower. Instead, she stared right back, her chin high.
