Dark Waters by Liia Ann White Page A

barely had to use any magic,” Adora laughed. “His mind is so weak it was like controlling a child.”
    Randor backhanded her, just enough
to sting. Though his face showed fury, his eyes showed remorse. When they got
out of this, Adora would thank him for his show. She’d
rather be manhandled by him than the elf.
    “Why so defensive, Assassin? Do you not appreciate your
masculinity being rivalled?”
    “You will speak when spoken to, you piece of Seelie filth,”
Kiel
sneered as they reached the end of the long hall. He looked at Randor and opened the door. “Here we are.”
    Adora had never seen the Unseelie queen before. She’d heard she was beautiful, but
those rumours had been definitely exaggerated. With a crooked, pointed nose,
thin lips that were pursed into a straight line and the big eyes of an owl. Nobody
could call her beautiful. The wiry black hair piled on top of her head did
nothing but accentuate the hard angles of her face.
    “
Kiel
,
darling,” she spoke in a soft, almost peaceful voice as she approached the elf.
“I was wondering where you’d gotten to.” Her red gaze landed on Adora and Adora felt as though
her eyes were burning. “We’ve been waiting for you.”
    Randor let go of her and stepped
forward, hands behind his back as he bowed quickly. “ Your Majesty.”
    “My dear assassin,” she walked in front of him and touched
the side of his face gently. “What took you so long?”
    “This…princess”—there was that sneer again—“tried to escape
by using her magic on me.” His eyes almost glowed as he looked at her. “I
request the services of Maleficent. Her magic needs to be bound before I can
hand her over to the guards.”
    “Oh?” The queen raised her brows and sat on a nearby lounge,
holding a hand out as a servant brought her a drink.
    Adora scoffed. The woman seemed
exactly like Adora’s father. She couldn’t even manage
to get a drink for herself.
    “Shut your mouth,” the queen snapped at the sound of her
scoff. “You think you can just waltz into my castle…”
    Adora blocked out what she said
next. Overcome with an overwhelming sense of power, she couldn’t concentrate.
Someone was using an enormous amount of magic as they approached the room. It
had to be the witch. She was coming.
     
     

 
    Chapter Seven
     
    All hell broke loose around Adora .
Guards stormed the room, half guarding the queen, half aiming their weapons at
her and Randor . He grabbed her and pulled her against
his back before handing over her sword. Adora grabbed
her sword, snapped her cuff chain, and called to her magic, forming a defensive
barrier around the two of them. The shimmering black aura shifted around her as
she moved into a defensive position.
    A whirlwind entered the room and encapsulated Adora’s entire body, ripping her from Randor and shutting down her defences. Acting on instinct, she used her magic and
counteracted the whirlwind until it stopped. Standing before her was a wiry
woman with long black hair and emerald eyes that sparkled like the gem.
    “So you’re the one causing all the trouble,” she commented
with as much interest as most people would give a blade of grass. “You’re a
mere child.”
    “I am Lady Adora Belira , Princess of the
Seelie Court
,
daughter of King Polara , and future ruler of the
Water Lands,” she recited her entire title as she prepared to either fight or
take the witch captive. “Either you step down and we take you into custody of
the
Seelie Court
, or I’ll deal with you right now myself.”
    A half smirk spread across the witch’s thin lips and Adora tensed her muscles, holding her magic to the surface
as she prepared for the onslaught.
    “You’re just like your father,” the witch sneered as a bolt
of light shot from her fingers.
    Ducking and rolling, Adora managed
to avoid the bolt aimed for her chest and crouched, glaring at Maleficent. “I’m
nothing like my father.” Maybe talking to her wouldn’t completely