The demon ignored her, and the woman bowed her head as he dragged her out of the cage, her feet scraping against the hard floor.
“Mary, are you her?” she shouted one last time as the demon in her cage pulled her arms behind her and trussed up her hands.
The woman and the guard neared the door. The demon opened it and at the last second before the woman disappeared, her face lifted completely, the hair free from covering her face for the first time, and Lily saw her sister's eyes.
“Mother!” she screamed as the door slammed shut.
CHAPTER 18
Telal braced himself as two guards came into the throne room. One marched ahead while the other dragged a fighting woman behind him. She faced away from him, but he recognized her size and hair color in an instant.
“What is she doing here?
Alrik watched his expression. “You should know. She came here with you.”
“No she did not. The idiot came here alone, probably thinking to help me.”
“Help you do what exactly?” Alrik said.
Telal leveled his hard gaze on his brother's. “To convince you to open the rift.”
Alrik smirked, his dark lips twisting. The guard stopped at the steps of the dais and shoved Lily to the ground. “Move and we'll make you regret it,” the guard said, releasing her.
They had her wrists tied behind her back, and Telal could see the strain it took on her body. But she didn't cry out, didn't make a sound. A small part of him...was pleased with her. Even though her own action brought her here, at least she handled it well enough.
“What do you plan to do with her?”
Alrik crossed his big arms across his chest. “She's fresh, young, and pretty. And she's trespassed. She'll be sentenced accordingly and I believe will become quite popular among the guards.”
Telal kept his expression blank as rage exploded inside him, making his blood race; his muscles tightened with the need to fight. He avoided her searching eyes; he couldn't look at her now or he might lose it and get them both stuck here.
“She's coming with me, Alrik.”
“Is she?”
His mother stepped forward and laid a manicured hand on Alrik's shoulder. “Let me touch her and get a feel for her.”
Alrik nodded and Telal tensed. His family always had strong magical powers. His mother's power was different, she could touch someone and sense things about them, though what good that could do her, he didn't know. Her powers didn’t end there, she had other darker abilities. They weren't made to be dark, but Telal had witnessed her vicious attacks with magic since he was a boy.
The queen took the steps down to the ground floor, her dress glittering in the candlelight like hundreds of little diamonds. She kept her shoulders pushed back sharply, her chin held high, her hands held loosely together. She wore her hair pulled back into an elaborate design that looped at the back of her head and trailed down in a mixture of intricate waves and weaves to her waist. She might look innocent, but he knew better.
She bent over Lily, a small smile playing on her red lips. She held out a slender hand to touch Lily. Lily jerked back, falling onto her bottom.
“Hold her,” the Queen demanded. The two guards came forward, each holding one of Lily's arms as she fought them like a wildcat.
Telal didn't entirely understand the response inside him, but some mixture of rage and possession roared through him like a battle shout. Before he knew it, he was walking towards her. Lily looked up at him with wide, frightened eyes. The sight nearly killed him. He actually wanted to cradle her to him and tell her he'd get them out of this. Even with talks of jaheera demons and other things which would frighten most people, she'd never batted an eye. Now he saw real fear there and he was ready to pummel his fist into those who caused it. Starting with the guards holding her.
“Hurt her and you'll answer to me,” he told the guards, his voice low and steady.
The guards eased their grip on her arms. His mother turned to him with shrewd eyes. “This one means something to you?” Unsure whether to agree or not and not knowing which answer may make shit worse, he didn't say anything. His mother smiled as if she thought of something funny. “And to think Lady Arianna has been saving herself for you this whole time.”
Telal glanced back up at the dais to see Arianna perched delicately in her seat. She watched him with concerned eyes. When he spoke, he made sure to do so loud enough for everyone to hear. “That marriage proposal was created by my father who's dead now. The contract is void and very, very old. I have moved on.” He never even knew Arianna. He and Alrik had spent some time with her, mostly formal dinners with both sets of parents around. He couldn't particularly remember much about her, except that his brother used to watch her when he thought he wasn't looking. He'd felt bad about it at the time. He'd have gladly switched to be in Alrik's place if it meant making his brother happy. But things had changed since then.
“Get it over with,” he said.
The queen arched a thin brow at the order then pressed her hand to Lily's forehead. Lily's eyes squeezed tight, her lips meshing together as if in pain. Telal tensed. “Hurt her and you will regret it,” he warned again, softly this time for his mother's ears only.
His mother suddenly cried out and ripped her hand away from Lily like she'd been burned. Her eyes glowed wide, frantic. “She's strong. There's magic in this one,” she said to Alrik.
Alrik came forward. “I think we'll keep her.”
“Do it and die,” Telal growled.
Alrik sent him a chilling look. “Do not...threaten me, brother Telal.”
A cracking, sizzling energy tapped along his skin like spikes of electricity. The sensation grew along his throat and chest until the choking reflex kicked in. A warning from Alrik.
“I left the proposal in the study. Read it. I'll be back to learn what your decision is.”
Alrik took a seat at his throne, his chin on his fist. “You know what my decision is.”
Frustration crept in until Telal wanted to shout. “Just think about it, please!”
He could tell he'd surprised his brother, and for a moment, it looked as though the darkness recessed from his eyes. But just as soon as he saw it, it disappeared again.
“I will let you leave with the girl under two conditions.”
“What are those?” Telal's hands curled into fists. It wasn't just having someone else make orders of him, but that another held power over him that made him want to claw out his own hair.
“Vow to reject the contract between you and Arianna.”
“Done.” The woman meant nothing to him, and she obviously still held Alrik's attention.
“And never come back here again or I will kill you and any who enter.”
“Fine.”
The guards and queen stepped away from Lily, and Telal didn't hesitate, he strode towards her, wrapped his arm around her, felt her sag against him, and then he ported them the hell out of there.
Colors dissolved before Lily's eyes like a puzzle made of sand and all the pieces streamed coming together in little increments. She was in Telal's arms standing atop the black ashen rift; trees surrounded them, massive oaks with heavy branches and big green leaves. The air smelled different, colors looked different—they were home.
“Are you okay?” Telal said in his familiar deep voice.
Was she okay? Something hot and tight pulled in her chest until a sob broke from her, then another. Tears flowed down her cheeks in fast rivulets. He made a gruff sound and wrapped his arms around her, crushing her in his warm embrace. She felt him cut through her bindings at her wrists and then she wrapped her arms around him, squeezing him to her like a child does a teddy bear when they're scared.