Page 48 of Beneath the Flames
Elonara flicked her hand.“Give up, Rhydian.Your death is waiting on the wings, and there’s nothing that can be done now.”
“Kill the girl, and let what’s going to happen, happen.”The words sounded strange and brutal coming from Valianna’s beautiful lips.
“Aren’t Pure Fae supposed to be against senseless murder in favor of giving life?”I asked.
“Not when it comes to you.”
I mustered every bit of hatred into my glare as I said, “What did Carrow do?Come running to you with his tail tucked between his legs?Did the girl scare him that much?”
Elonara rolled her eyes, pursing those red lips.“Carrow did what he should have done, which was warn us what you were trying to do.”
“I’ve been trying to free myself for centuries.Why do youcare now?”
“Because—” Valianna began and Elonara cut her off with a look.
I didn’t have time for their games.“Say it,” I demanded.
Valianna hesitated, biting her lip as she cast a nervous glance at the other queen before finishing her sentence.“Because Carrow thinks that this time might actually work.”
It was a good thing there was a chair right next to me or I might have collapsed to the ground in shock.I steadied myself with a hand on the back of it.
“Val,” Elonara scolded.“Stay your tongue.”
Queen Valianna didn’t look remorseful in the slightest, and anger radiated from Queen Elonara in waves.
Whatever Carrow had seen in Maren must have concerned him.She worried him enough that he went straight to the queens.That dying ember of hope that was nearly extinguished within me suddenly flared, burning white hot.
If the three of them were worried about this girl and the possibility that she might be the cursebreaker…
I felt the need to move, to go, to take Maren and run to Mount Kharos.Their fear had fueled my drive to fight one last time.But for the sake of her safety, I needed to play dumb until the queens left the castle.I couldn’t afford for them to take matters into their own hands.I couldn’t let them hurt Maren.
So I shoved my hands in my pockets and drawled, “Well, you three have worked yourself up over nothing.The girl is not what you think.She loathes me.”
Elonara wilted ever so slightly in relief, but Valianna’s stare intensified, the blue ring around her silver eyes flaring, searching for the lie I was trying so hard to hide.
I would say whatever it took to keep Maren safe if it meant finally breaking these queens’ hold over me.And then whenI was free, I would finally get revenge for these centuries of death and decay that they’d forced upon Eroth and me.
And if I were honest with myself, I would lie through my teeth to protect Maren just because…I felt drawn to her.It was inexplicable, like a strange tether between us that kept tugging me toward her.The further I tried to pull away from her, the stronger my desire to get close to her was.
It made no sense, but in the end it didn’t need to.Not as long as she freed me, saved Eroth.
“That’s extraordinarily good to hear,” Elonara said.She gave a fake look of pity.“Too bad for you though.”
Valianna didn’t look convinced, but she didn’t say anything either.
Why were they still here?They had overstayed their welcome, and they weren’t even welcome in the first place.
“You can go now,” I bit out, waiting for these heinous queens to leave my domain.I fervently wished my magic was what it once was so I could put them in their place for daring to enter Eroth, and my castle, at all.
Before the curse, they never would have dared.
Elonara scoffed, not even waiting for the other queen or uttering a goodbye when she disappeared in a flash of white.
I waited for the flash of blue to come, signaling Valianna’s departure, but she didn’t move for several heartbeats, her fingers tapping the front of her dress as she stared at me.I tried not to fidget under her glare.
“I hope you are being truthful, Rhydian,” she said a moment later.
“Excuse me?”
