Page 5 of Feral Guardian
“I’m getting ready to go home is all,” I say.
“But you weresquatting,” she says, glowering at me as she stops before the wide double doors into the foyer.
I take another step back, trying to lure her closer, and shrug innocently. “My legs were tired.”
“You are without hope,” she says in Seterian. “You find a chair and sit like a proper lady when your legs are tired, or youbearit.”
“Just like I’ve had to bear you?” I ask, taking one more step back.
Rage flits across her face but is quickly replaced by cold stoicism. “You are an ungrateful mess who will never sit on the throne.”
“Oh, I know.” I pull her judgement scroll from behind my back and flip it in my hand.
Her lip curls back again. “You cannot change that, child. It is final.”
“I already did.” I shimmy my shoulders and unfurl it, showing her.
She charges forward, her fists clenched.
Gotcha, bitch.
The runes flare around the door as she passes through it. Strings of power snap out and wrap around her wrists and ankles. She gasps, having only a second to look down and assess her predicament before it’s too late. My magic rips through her clothes, leaving her completely nude as green power cocoons her. She tries to scream, but the magic slaps over her face with awhipthat makes her wince.
I grin and give her a little wave. “Toodle-oo, headmistress.”
The strings of my painstakingly surrendered magic drag her up the wall as the cocooning continues. I wish I hadn’t been forced to see her naked, but the only way to get her key and seal was to strip her. I didn’t want to let her rebut or unweave my magic.
The headmistress comes to a rest next to the other victim I dragged out of bed in the night to test my trap. Angelina writhes as the headmistress bumps into her, then rolls over her.
“Don’t worry, the spell will drop you in about five hours.” I leer up at them.
A tiny pang of guilt hits me at the fear in Angelina’s eyes, but then I remember what she did to my bed, my clothes, my hair, and my food. That was the last straw. No one fucks with my food.
And the headmistress…I don’t want to recount all the ways she wronged me. She deserves every second of having to soil herself while hanging from the ceiling.
I pull my skirts aside and transfigure one of the hidden pockets open, then remove my notebook. I flip to the page I had prepared just for this occasion and clear my throat.
“Your tiny eyesdon’tsee all, they missed the writing on the wall. The runes that have just captured you, I crafted lovingly brand new. But you don’t value my contributions, can’t comprehend my retributions. For all the pain you’ve given, there is one lesson driven, straight into myidiotskull: Playing pranks will always be droll.
“I know—not my best work, but it was early when I wrote it.” I snap the notebook shut with a sigh. “Well, I have things to do, places to be, kingdoms to diplomat for. Best of luck to you both.”
I tuck my notebook away in my pocket and seal it up, then give my most graceful curtsy, keeping eye contact. “I hope to never see you again.”
The headmistress wriggles and I can tell by the bunching of the cocoon around her mouth that she’s cursing at me. The magic silences and renders her and Angelina mostly immobile. I couldn’t achieve full immobility without a blood sample from the victim and I didn’t want to jeopardize the whole plan, or, you know, getexecuted for casting dark magic runes against them. But I will next time, if the little shits ever feel like showing back up in my life.
Well, that was grim.
Time to collect my things. All my things. Especially the ones the headmistress stole from me.
I grab her clothes from the floor and rifle through them until I find what I want: her key ring. “I’m surprised you didn’t shove these up your ass with how closely you guard them,” I say with a laugh as I jingle the keys.
“There’s definitelysomethingup your ass, though, isn’t there? Or maybe you haven’t been getting any sex?” I look up at her and watch her cheeks flare red.
“Yes, that’s probably it. I can get quite grumpy when deprived, too. You should masturbate more, headmistress. It’s good for your health.”
I find the scroll seal, tucking that away in another secret pocket, and set aside a few other trinkets I have no use for before shrinking the headmistress’s clothes and hiding them under the same chair where I left Angelina’s nightgown. Golden sunlight spills through the windows and the sound of servants moving through the house draws my attention. Breakfast will be held soon. Someone will most definitely find them before I have a chance to escape and Alastair isn’t supposed to be here until just before noon.
Perhaps my plan wasn’t as well-thought-out as it should’ve been.
