Page 143 of Of Spindles and Nightfall
Thoughts ran through Aryana’s mind like a storm, each one conflicting, each one tearing at the fabric of her beliefs. At least the demons were loyal to their own kind. They might be ruthless, drivenby their darker impulses, but they never turned their backs on their own people.
Aryana fought every single day against the instincts that were built into her. A demon, born with an unquenchable thirst for power and violence, but she resisted, always striving to be more than what her nature dictated. Neri was human, with no such internal struggle to hold back. No curse, no instinctual compulsion to fight for a darker cause. And yet, she’d done far worse than Aryana ever had.
Aryana had fought her demons, and Neri... she had become one.
“Pohan may win the trials.” Aryana lifted her chin. “But there is no way that the council will allow it.”
Neri laughed, enjoying herself. “The council will be hard-pressed to do anything once they discover that we have replaced the guard with shapeshifters.”
Gods, this was bigger than the Demon Trials.
This was a full-blown takeover.
Chapter 48
Aryana
Aryana fought the nausea in her stomach. How could she have missed so much? How could she and Zarathos not have realized all that was going on? They’d been tricked. Betrayed. Neri and Pohan had every step planned out ahead of time.
Neri paced back and forth. “Where is she?”
As if on cue, a woman faded in from the trees. She was hunched and had gnarled and wrinkled hands.
“Ah, and here she is.” Neri’s smile grew even wider. “Welcome, fairy godmother.”
Aryana took in the woman’s face. “Enela?” What was her mother’s giver doing here? She’d just barelyseen her at the castle.
The old woman looked Aryana over, something steely that she hadn’t noticed before within the woman’s gaze. She turned to Neri. “Do you have what we agreed on?”
“I was just in the process of retrieving it.” Neri walked up to a guard and held out a hand. He drew his sword and set it into her palm before she stepped up to Aryana.
Aryana pulled against her ropes, attempting to snap them, but they probably contained magic that resisted vampire strength as they didn’t budge.
Neri gripped Aryana by the hair and sneered at her as she sliced the blade downward, cutting off a chunk of Aryana’s hair. She walked over and offered it to Enela. “And my bean?”
“Yes, dear, as agreed upon,” Enela handed a white bean over in exchange for the lock of Aryana’s hair.
Neri studied the bean in her hand. “And this will get me wherever I please, instantly?”
“As promised. All you have to do is think about where you want to go and cast it from you. Although it won’t get you past any magical wards that are in place.”
“Enela,” Aryana gasped. “Please, tell my mother…” It was a last desperate plea, as it was clear Enela was working with Neri. But if she didn’t make it back, Zarathos was for sure going to die, either at the hands of Pohan, or those seeking to overthrow the demon alliance.
Neri gave a cruel smile. “Poor vampire. Did you not know that fairy godmothers aren’t for monsters? They’re for humans.”
Enela pressed her lips as she regarded Aryana. “We both have what we want. We are done here.” And with that, she lifted a white bean,threw it at a tree. The world split apart, and an opening appeared, showing a beach with crashing waves. The woman walked through the opening and in an instant it disappeared into nothing.
The stories Enela had told about a fairy godmother that distributed magic beans to maidens while she searched for her lost love had been aboutherself. And now the woman—or whatever she actually was—had a lock of Aryana’s hair.
Neri watched with rapt attention, her own white bean held in her fist. “It works.” She spun to the other shapeshifters. “Pick her up. We are taking her with us.”
The demons guarding Aryana grabbed her by the ropes and yanked her to her feet. She stood awkwardly unable to walk due to her bound ankles. Enela was yet another human who had betrayed her. Not that the woman owed loyalty to Aryana or her mother, but she’d thought she’d had it all the same.
“But before we go, everyone, take your daily dues,” Neri said. Each of the shapeshifters standing around took out a vial of clear liquid and downed its contents. Neri looked at Aryana. “You didn’t fool us with that silly potion Zarathos takes to hide his scent. It was evident that it wasn’t Neutrolisis. We recognized it on the spot.”
“You did?”
“We decided we’d play along. We figured you were going after the scepter for your precious Zarathos. You see? How would it be possible for shapeshifters to replace guards and kalators, unless we had a way to hide their scent?”
