Of Blood and Deceit
Page 33
Theia
Johan straightened, cursing beneath his breath. My eyes narrowed at his reaction. “So you knew?”
“What?”
“You knew my true lineage?” When he didn’t answer, I smiled, but my insides swirled with a torrent of emotions. “The Wraith Queen’s not very happy with you is she, Uncle? I wonder why?”
Johan glared, then pointed to Deylah. “If that thing bleeds, that means the Wraith Queen has deserted her.” He combed one hand through his thick hair and again moved to the window to view the ongoing battle. “Kill the woman. Sever her head and leave it as a gift for Riaan’s men to—”
A deadly screeched shrilled through the night, rattling the very windows of the throne room.
My breath caught. Ketrina. The youngest of the falcry threw herself into the battle. Maybe now the Anolynians would have a fighting chance, but even then, fear for the mystical beast twisted my heart.
My uncle’s eyes widened. “Lucan, we leave now.” He turned to see that no one had yet fulfilled his instructions. “What is this?” he asked.
The soldier closest to him stepped forward, his voice lowered. “Your Majesty, we should just leave.”
Johan glared. “Do as I command.”
My guard with the shorn head spoke next. “But if what the princess says is true, we’ll incur the wrath of the Wraith Queen. She’ll kill us in our sleep. She’ll kill our families.”
Their leader’s face deepened to an ugly shade of red. “I’ll kill your families!”
The men glanced to each other, but still, none moved.
“Fine.” Johan spat then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “I’ll do it myself.”
He crossed the distance and grabbed Deylah by the hair of her head. She screamed and flailed so frantically that he soon gave up and tossed her over his shoulder instead.
A chill settled in my bones. Fear coated my heart. She was once an innocent child—she was still innocent. A victim of a twisted and dark evil.
Johan moved to the throne and tossed Deylah down. Her head smacked against the seat of the chair, knocking her out cold. Her body went limp. On instinct, I grabbed the shorn guard’s wrist with my bound hands and flipped him. He landed on his back with a thud. I dropped low and spun, knocking the redhead to the ground, but I didn’t kill them. The Demon Daughter didn’t care about them. They could keep their lives.
Fire singed the binds from my wrists as the Demon Daughter reclaimed my body. Black flames engulfed, wrapping me in a cocoon of protective warmth. She ripped both assassin’s blades from the other carcasses littering the ground.
Ignoring the distraction, Johan lifted his sword to hack off the pryor’s head.
My uncle had never seen the Demon Daughter. He thought it was only an absurd nickname, but it suited his needs to create a fearsome leader of a powerful army, so he promoted it. It was so much more than that. Today he would witness it. It was almost too easy to call upon her—she was ready.
The Demon Daughter took aim and threw. One dagger impaled the king of Eira at the wrist, the other his exposed side. He cried out, dropping his sword to cradle his injury.
The three remaining guards rushed the demon. She almost pitied their reckless courage—until she remembered it wasn’t courage she’d seen when they watched their ruler beat an unprotected niece. They didn’t deserve pity. Their blood called to her, eager for the release only she could bring. Seconds later, their bodies toppled lifeless to the ground with the others.
She looked for Cyris the wraith, but the coward had fled, the double doors of the throne room flung wide. A smile grew as she focused on her true prey, stalking forward.
Johan staggered, barely managing to keep his feet, but instead of fear, triumph lit his eyes. His lips twisted into a grin. “At last,” he said, his voice smooth. He jerked the knives from him with a grunt and cupped the wound at his side, letting the blood drain freely from his arm. “My daughter has shown me her true self. Finally, you are the magician I prayed for.”
Her steps slowed. Her head tipped to the side. “This is not magic you see, King of Eira, and I’m not your daughter.”
He blinked. “But you are, Ilianna.”
“And neither am I Ilianna.” The Demon Daughter warmed to the shock in his eyes, but Johan didn’t cower as the others did.
That wouldn’t do.
“Do you speak for her?” he asked.
“I speak when Ilianna needs more than she can give,” she snapped, then her head jerked toward the discarded weapons. “Pick up those blades and defend yourself. I won’t kill an unarmed man, no matter how deserving he is.”
“The beast is honorable?”
The Demon Daughter snarled, offended at the remark. “What do you know about honor?”
“No much, but you do, don’t you Ilianna,” he said, taking a step closer. He looked deep into the Demon Daughter’s eyes, to my eyes, as if he could see straight through to my soul. “I always knew you’d be powerful, my niece. How could you not, the creation of a magician and a powerful sorcerer. You’re even more beautiful than I could imagine.” He checked the excitement growing in his voice. “Our kingdom needs you, Princess Ilianna.”
“You speak to me, Johan,” the Demon Daughter hissed, but even then, I drew away from her protection. Fought her control. “And don’t pretend to do anything on behalf of the kingdom. Its citizens hate you.
“That may be true, but I have raised you—”
“I am not Ilianna! And you didn’t raise her. You exploited her!”
His voice elevated to match the level of her voice. “I taught her. Trained her. From the fire of adversity, I forged her.”
The Demon Daughter opened her arms and smiled. “And from my fire, you shall burn.”
He held out his hand to stop her advance. “I made her what she is, beast. She would not have been strong enough.”
“To do what?”
“To become Eira’s salvation. My salvation.”
Her steps halted. “What blasphemy is this, old man?” Cyris had once said something similar, but I had refused to believe it.
Johan swallowed hard. A look that could be described as pain transformed, almost softened, his features. “The Wraith Queen forced my hand. I told her I’d raise you up as her next conquest, but truly I’ve been raising you to submit to the will of your kingdom. I’ve made you a warrior to battle an evil we could never face on our own.”
My breathing spiked. I reeled inside my shield, fighting the Demon Daughter’s hold upon me. She wanted to take over completely, not believing I could handle his twisted reality, but even as I thought it, I knew the truth. I pressed outward, testing the powers the creature used.
The Demon Daughter held out her hand, and Siana’s knife flew into her waiting fingers.
Johan’s eyes grew wide.
In an instant she was there. Her fingers slid though his greasy hair and she yanked back, hovering the blade over his exposed throat. “I’m not your savior.”
His breath came in gasps, his voice strange. “You don’t understand. You’re my only hope against the Wraith Queen. The only one who can kill her.”
“Is that so?” But it wasn’t the Demon Daughter’s honeyed voice that spoke the words. The blood drained from Johan’s face.
Deylah now sat in Riaan’s throne, her chin leaning comfortably against one delicate palm. Instead of silvery-blue eyes, red ones peered back. Even as my guardian fought it, a chill coursed through to my heart. Theia watched me from the depths of her pryor, a queer smile lifting her lips too high on her cheeks. A dense pulse of dark emotions vibrated from her strange soul—an odd concoction of admiration and vexation that infected me with its energy.
“Is that your master?” the Demon Daughter asked low in Johan’s ear, but his gurgled response gave no confirmation. She hissed. “You’re pathetic.”
Theia’s gaze flicked to my uncle. “Indeed, he is,” she said, her smoky words soft and much too high. “I’m disappoint
ed, Johan, that you plotted against me this whole time. But not shocked, mind you. Despite your treachery, I’m vastly grateful. She is powerful.” She paused to scrutinize me. Her dark, disheveled hair framed her pale skin and devilish eyes. She hummed a bizarre tune and sat up taller, rolling her neck as if it pained her. Her gaze trailed the length of my body. “Ilianna. How I’ve longed to see you.” She hesitated when I still didn’t respond. “Oh, that’s right. I’m not addressing my daughter, am I? Then who are you? Can you offer me a name?”
Elyn, it answered inside my head, shocking me, but outwardly the Demon Daughter only smiled.
“Nothing?” Theia’s gaze narrowed. “How fascinating. I sense my blood flowing through you, but something more. Something protects you. From me. In that way alone, you are far more powerful than all my children.”
“And I sense nothing coming from you,” the Demon Daughter said. No additional strength. No magic. The entity was weak and not worth her time. “And nothing to stop me from killing you now, or your counterpart.” She held Johan closer, pressing her blade against his skin.
His breath caught.
Theia shrugged. “You’re correct. In Deylah, I am limited in my powers and the time I can spend within her frame. But you’d not be killing me. Her blood would be on your hands. As for him”—she flicked her fingers—“kill him. What do I care for the king of Eira? His death would have come soon enough.”
Johan grumbled beneath my steel. “We had a deal.”
She ignored him, turning to the sound of combat in the distance. She laughed out loud, one short burst that ricocheted off the walls. “It sounds as if Anolyn might fall without any assistance from me.”
Trepidation burned at my conscience. I didn’t have time for this. The Demon Daughter—Elyn—she wasn’t what I needed. Locating that point where I paced inside my own consciousness, I focused on regaining control. Shock coursed through my guardian, but before she could react, I locked her away. The heat from her blaze cooled, leaving goosebumps trailing in her wake.
Johan’s weight fatigued my strength. He dropped from my grip, folding to the ground. A wet cough rattled as his breath hissed through his lungs.
The Wraith Queen purred. “Hello, Ilianna. So nice to see you,” she said. Her white teeth flashed in the darkened room.
“Anolyn will not fall,” I said, my voice stronger than I felt. “I’ll make sure of that.”
“But it will, because of you. Your uncle made sure of that.”
Johan stirred to his knees, and I pointed my knife to him. “Move from there and I’ll cut your throat.”
He jerked back as if shocked. His eyes searched mine for some understanding I couldn’t give. “She—” He glanced from me to the Wraith Queen, then back again. His words rambled on a bloated sob. “You don’t understand. She was never going to stop until she got what she wanted.”
My face twisted in disgust. I choked on a foul word; the muscles in my neck twitched. “So you thought you’d serve it to her on a silver platter?”
Theia cleared her throat, regaining my attention. “He said he could give me a child, a magician like me. A two-hundred-year lifespan is very tempting—I do so hate having to change out of my host frames as often as I do. And your father was very handsome. The men I’ve taken in the past were only the ones that ever came my way, or ones my servants could procure.”
I straightened, peering down at the Wraith Queen. “You mean your slaves?”
Theia smiled. “No, servants. I keep no slaves.”
My brows tipped high. “Deylah?”
She tsked. “My older daughters are no longer my hosts and therefore not consigned to my fate. They may come and go as they please. It just so happens that my will is their will.”
“And my father’s will?”
A giggle escaped her lips. “Your father freely and quite eagerly came.”
“Liar.”
This time, her melodic laughter rang through the room.
My hands clenched into fists.
She tipped her head to the side. “It took very little seduction to convince him he was madly in love with me. In fact, we only met once, but your uncle had already persuaded him I was the perfect match. We were married the next day and left for our honeymoon that afternoon. I took him to my home.
“After that, it was harder to convince him to stay. Ardenya is not the land it once was, so we did have to keep him locked up until you were born. Then, we slipped you into a bassinet and sent you home with my Pala.” Her eyes flicked about the room. “And where is she, that darling girl?”
“She’s dead. And you’re next.”
She grimaced. “My child, you can’t kill me.”
“Yes, she can,” Johan said. He lifted his hands, as if in surrender, and rose to his knees. “Come with me, my Ilianna. Come home. Together we will prepare our armies against this whore. We can repair the damage done to our neighbor country. I can protect you from this monster.”
“He’s lying, Ilianna.” Riaan’s voice sent a wave of relief coursing over me.
The king of Anolyn entered the throne room carrying a torch, flanked by a dozen soldiers bringing additional light. The flames cast evil shadows upon the walls and sent a chill up my spine. His men were armed with swords, spears, and crossbows. All were soiled and some even bloody, but relatively uninjured. They fanned out to the left and right of their leader, with three taking a defensive stance directly in front of him. Riaan’s gaze traveled my face, landing at the dagger in my hand, but his attention snapped to the creature who occupied his throne.
The archers aimed their crossbows at the Wraith Queen and the fallen leader of Eira, who still kneeled in front of me.
I peered past the king for his brother, but Castiel didn’t follow and my heart dropped. Others were missing too. I swallowed, barely able to form the word. “Castiel?”
Riaan’s gaze snapped to mine. He passed his torch to the closest guard. “He went to find you. Although, why he assumed you’d be where he left you, I have no idea.” He extended a hand. “Why don’t you come with me, Princess Ilianna?”
But I still couldn’t bring myself to move. “And Melia?”
“She had to subdue Ketrina.”
I nodded. The bones in my legs creaked and I staggered on the first step, but I forced myself forward. When I was nearly there, Riaan motioned to his men.
“Archers. Kill the Wraith Queen.”
I froze when his men lifted their crossbows, aiming it at the entity on his throne.
My voice shrilled from my lungs. “Stop! It’s not the Wraith Queen!”
“What?” Shock infused Riaan’s features and his men paused.
I took a deep breath to calm my overexcited heart, but it didn’t work. “You wouldn’t be killing the Wraith Queen. She only infests the ambassador. You’d be killing an innocent.”
He half-smiled, one brow raised. “Is a pryor an innocent?”
I swallowed, taking a cautious step forward. I controlled the hysteria in my voice. “A pryor is my fate, is it not? And is it the life I would choose, good king?”
Riaan’s eyes narrowed as he searched my face. “Hold your fire until I command otherwise.”
A laugh carried across the room, raising the hairs on the back of my neck. “Well done, Ilianna. And as much as I’d love to witness this ending, I see I’m out numbered. I believe I should take my leave.”
At the head of the line of soldiers, Riaan prowled forward, stopping midway. “Lady Theia.”
She smiled, her head cocked to the side. “Yes, King of Anolyn?”
He smiled in return. “Tell me, why did you send your messenger to my kingdom if only to flee? Why not deliver the message yourself?”
“Oh, I do not flee,” she said, her voice sickly-sweet. “And I never meant to send a message. I only wanted to see what there was to see, and you were most accommodating.”
Next to me, I could sense the tension rippling from him. “And what was that?” Riaan asked.
“And you still don’t.”
At Castiel’s voice, my heart leaped within my chest. I scanned his frame for any signs of injury but found none. His dark locks were mussed. Dirt smudged his cheeks and blood coated his knuckles and stained his steel, but the strong warrior was whole and tensed for battle. His heavenly blue eyes caught mine before he stepped in front of me, both blades drawn for an attack. I swallowed the emotion that gathered painfully in my throat and mirrored him as adrenaline throbbed through my veins.
Theia smiled, taking the time to examine him head to foot. She hummed her approval. “You look like him—your father. More so than your elder brother, but it seems he’s as big of a fool. I once offered the Great King Cassius a chance at life, but he refused.”
“And you will get the same refusal from us,” Castiel said through a clenched jaw, shielding me from her line of sight. “We don’t want anything you have to offer.”
Her red eyes narrowed. She tipped her head to the side. “Oh, no. You don’t get the same gift. I only offer a suggestion. Leave. Leave before I return and destroy you, your family, and your kingdom.”
“We’re not afraid of you, witch,” Riaan said, pointing the tip of his knife her direction. “We know the curse by which you are bound. You have no power here.”
She leaned back in the throne. Was that a look of surprise? “Ah. Can it be that my once good friend Cyris has whispered in your ear? Is he here now?”
But Riaan did not answer her.
“Foolish king. It’s true there’s not much I can physically do here, but that does not mean I won’t send my armies and hellfire to rip your land apart. I have followers not of my kingdom and not bound by such a curse, and they will inflict your citizen’s souls, haunt their children until they beg for reprieve. And when they do, I will be only too happy to give it to them. Ilianna comes of age soon. None of my heirs has ever ignored my call, and neither will she. She is my daughter and therefore my property.”