utter agony. But that wasn’t her business. She’d done what her mistress required.
Stiffening her spine, she walked through the door and closed it tight, then glanced at Narishka, who appeared proud of her accomplishment.
“Will you continue his torture now?” she asked, as the tray dissolved out of her hands.
Narishka shook her head. “We’ll let him heal a bit. Right now he’s so sore that he’s most likely numb to any more pain. Besides, he’s got enough magick left to make himself feel better.” She stopped as if considering that thought for a moment. “I wonder why it is that my spell didn’t remove all of his powers? Perhaps I should have made it stronger. Although I gave it enough of a charge that it should have depleted even the Kerrigan. Amazing really. I guess I underestimated his strength. No more of that, eh?”
Merewyn was aghast at Narishka’s coldness, but she made sure she didn’t show it. She wanted to ask her how she could do such a thing, but she already knew the answer. Narishka was evil to the center of her dark soul. She didn’t care for anyone. Really. If Morgen were to fall from power tomorrow, Narishka would just as easily serveanother. So long as she could spew her venomous cruelty, she was happy. She didn’t care who it was against or even who she aligned herself with.
Narishka looked at her and tsked. “We’ll have to hide you for a bit.”
“Hide me?”
“Yes. To look as you do now is to invite nothing but trouble from the others. And the fact that you’re a virgin…too tempting. There are many dark spells that call for the sacrifice of beautiful virgins. It would do me no good to have you sliced open right now for someone’s play for power. And it would take me too long to replace you with another human. So, hiding it shall be.”
Before Merewyn could even open her mouth to speak, she found herself alone in a windowless, doorless room. “Mistress!” she called, but no one answered.
She felt her way around in the darkness, only to learn she was in a very small, empty room with no blanket, pillow, or anything else. Once again, she was at Narishka’s mercy, and she hated it.
Shrieking, she slammed her hand against the black wall as her eyes strained to see something. Anything. But it was hopeless. Narishka had left her with nothing.
That lying bitch!
Merewyn slid to the floor as her ragged emotions tore through her. Anger, hurt, hopelessness. Yet underneath that, she realized that as bad as this was, she was still better off than Varian. Atleast she wasn’t chained to the wall for their cruel pleasure.
And with that came a wave of despair so large that it rolled over her and left her breathless.
“There’s no way out,” she whispered, her chest aching with the truth. Magda had been right. Narishka had no intention of letting her leave. Ever. She was going to die here. Somehow that bitch would trick her again and keep her in this land of viciousness.
“No, she won’t,” she swore to the darkness with angry conviction. She was smarter now than she’d been as a girl in Mercia. Having lived with Narishka all these centuries, she’d learned much from her mistress. She knew this game, and by all that was holy, or not, she was going to win her freedom. No matter what it took, she would leave this place and never look back. She didn’t care who she had to sacrifice or what she had to do.
“I won’t ever be a fool again.”
Chapter 5
Two days later
“It’s no good, my lady. So long as his armor’s in place, there’s not much else we can do to him.”
Varian took pride in the scream of frustration his mother let out at the mandrake’s words.
She coldcocked the mandrake hard enough to send him straight to the ground before she raked her nails down Varian’s swollen cheek. He hissed from the pain but refused to make any other sound in response.
Her eyes snapping fire, she turned on the other mandrake, who cringed in fear of what she’d do to
Stiffening her spine, she walked through the door and closed it tight, then glanced at Narishka, who appeared proud of her accomplishment.
“Will you continue his torture now?” she asked, as the tray dissolved out of her hands.
Narishka shook her head. “We’ll let him heal a bit. Right now he’s so sore that he’s most likely numb to any more pain. Besides, he’s got enough magick left to make himself feel better.” She stopped as if considering that thought for a moment. “I wonder why it is that my spell didn’t remove all of his powers? Perhaps I should have made it stronger. Although I gave it enough of a charge that it should have depleted even the Kerrigan. Amazing really. I guess I underestimated his strength. No more of that, eh?”
Merewyn was aghast at Narishka’s coldness, but she made sure she didn’t show it. She wanted to ask her how she could do such a thing, but she already knew the answer. Narishka was evil to the center of her dark soul. She didn’t care for anyone. Really. If Morgen were to fall from power tomorrow, Narishka would just as easily serveanother. So long as she could spew her venomous cruelty, she was happy. She didn’t care who it was against or even who she aligned herself with.
Narishka looked at her and tsked. “We’ll have to hide you for a bit.”
“Hide me?”
“Yes. To look as you do now is to invite nothing but trouble from the others. And the fact that you’re a virgin…too tempting. There are many dark spells that call for the sacrifice of beautiful virgins. It would do me no good to have you sliced open right now for someone’s play for power. And it would take me too long to replace you with another human. So, hiding it shall be.”
Before Merewyn could even open her mouth to speak, she found herself alone in a windowless, doorless room. “Mistress!” she called, but no one answered.
She felt her way around in the darkness, only to learn she was in a very small, empty room with no blanket, pillow, or anything else. Once again, she was at Narishka’s mercy, and she hated it.
Shrieking, she slammed her hand against the black wall as her eyes strained to see something. Anything. But it was hopeless. Narishka had left her with nothing.
That lying bitch!
Merewyn slid to the floor as her ragged emotions tore through her. Anger, hurt, hopelessness. Yet underneath that, she realized that as bad as this was, she was still better off than Varian. Atleast she wasn’t chained to the wall for their cruel pleasure.
And with that came a wave of despair so large that it rolled over her and left her breathless.
“There’s no way out,” she whispered, her chest aching with the truth. Magda had been right. Narishka had no intention of letting her leave. Ever. She was going to die here. Somehow that bitch would trick her again and keep her in this land of viciousness.
“No, she won’t,” she swore to the darkness with angry conviction. She was smarter now than she’d been as a girl in Mercia. Having lived with Narishka all these centuries, she’d learned much from her mistress. She knew this game, and by all that was holy, or not, she was going to win her freedom. No matter what it took, she would leave this place and never look back. She didn’t care who she had to sacrifice or what she had to do.
“I won’t ever be a fool again.”
Chapter 5
Two days later
“It’s no good, my lady. So long as his armor’s in place, there’s not much else we can do to him.”
Varian took pride in the scream of frustration his mother let out at the mandrake’s words.
She coldcocked the mandrake hard enough to send him straight to the ground before she raked her nails down Varian’s swollen cheek. He hissed from the pain but refused to make any other sound in response.
Her eyes snapping fire, she turned on the other mandrake, who cringed in fear of what she’d do to
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