He didn’t know what had come over him. In fact, Emeriel wasn’t thinking at all. But as he witnessed her head whip to the side and heard her gasp, he felt a strange sense of fulfillment. Yes, it was undoubtedly worth it.
At least, that was his initial thought until the mistress’s claws began to emerge, her eyes turning completely yellow, her body starting to transform.
Oh, shit.
Emeriel thought fast, his mind racing. “Does Grand Lord Vladya and Grand Lord Ottai know that you came here to murder me?”
Mistress Sinai froze midway through her transformation. Emeriel truly believed she would complete the shift, but to his surprise, she reverted to her full human form. Her eyes blazed with fury. “I am going to kill you.”
“You have made that abundantly clear. My question is, do the grand lords know? They journeyed across the great mountains to purchase us, and now you simply wish to kill me without cause?”
“Without cause? You struck me.” Mistress Sinai invaded his personal space. “How dare you, a human, strike ME!? As the bloodhost to the king, I hold a great deal of power in this kingdom. You have meddled with the wrong person.”
“I did not meddle with you. You struck me twice, I merely returned the favor.”
“I will not kill you,” she seethed. “But by the time I am through with you, you will beg for death.” She called out, “Soldiers!”
Two Urekai soldiers quickly appeared, seemingly having abandoned their posts. “Yes, mistress?”
“Take him and follow me.” She marched away.
The soldiers seized Emeriel by the arms and obediently trailed behind the mistress.
Aekeira arrived at the fourth wing, slightly out of breath.
She cautiously looked around, ensuring no soldiers were in sight. Sneaking a book out of the library had taken longer than expected. As she turned a corner, her feet abruptly halted.
Two soldiers held Em, leading him away under the guidance of a mysterious mistress. Who was this woman? What did she want with her brother?
Aekeira’s instinct compelled her to move forward, but she forced herself to stop. How could she help Em? What if her interference only caused more trouble? She was a slave, and the woman was a mistress. There was no way for her to save her brother.
Tears welled up in her eyes, and she blinked forcefully to keep them at bay. She needed to think. To come up with a plan. Dammit, she needed to save her brother.
Suddenly, an idea struck her.
Aekeira broke into a run, making her way to Blackstone. At first, it was easy, none of the soldiers stopped her. They must have thought she was one of the workers.
However, when she reached the main area of Blackstone, where Grand Lord Vladya resided, the soldiers blocked her path.
“Please, I must go in. I need to see Lord Vladya,” Aekeira pleaded, panting and out of breath.
“You are not permitted in this area, Slave,” one of the soldiers sneered. “Leave immediately.”
“No, you don’t understand. I need to see Lord Vladya. He… umm,” she thought quickly, “He is expecting me.” The soldiers gave her a disgusted look. One of them advanced toward her, getting in her face. “How dare you lie to us? Leave before I teach you a lesson,” he threatened, shoving her forcefully.
His strength was immense, and Aekeira was thrown backward, crashing onto the floor with a cry of pain. Her backside stung from the impact.
Gingerly, she forced herself to her feet and tried again. “No, you don’t understand…”
The soldier drew his sword. “If you dare come here again, I swear I will-“
“What is the meaning of this?”
A familiar, deep voice resonated from behind Aekeira. She spun around, a sob of relief escaping her as she laid eyes on Grand Lord Vladya.
EMERIEL
“Secure the bindings,” Mistress Sinai commanded one of her soldiers.
Emeriel was suspended, his arms spread wide and tightly bound. The ropes dug into his skin as the soldier ensured they were secure.
His gaze shifted to a large basin of boiling water in the corner of the small underground basement. Steam rose aggressively from it, showing its scorching temperature. Whips made of cowhide and leather, as well as spiked ones, were scattered about. There was a crown filled with thorns, a branding iron, and many other tools Emeriel had never seen before.
Emeriel swallowed nervously. Fear of the impending pain settled deep in his gut, though he refused to show it. A branding iron?
His eyes followed the movements of a maid, who appeared to be preparing a fire pit. Did Mistress Sinai intend to brand him? Force him to wear that crown with its piercing thorns digging into his skull?
“So, you must be enjoying these little niceties, aren’t you?” Mistress Sinai smirked, moving closer to Emeriel. “By the time I’m finished with you, you’ll beg for death. I will make sure your blood stains every corner of the forbidden chambers, so everyone will think that my Daemon devoured you for breakfast.”
Emeriel couldn’t believe the extent to which this mistress would go to inflict pain upon him. “Why are you doing this? What have I ever done to you?”
“I have countless reasons, really. But mainly? It’s because you are a nuisance. You got yourself noticed by the beast. You should have stayed away from him.”
Emeriel couldn’t believe this female. “I never sought his attention. You think I wanted this? I was on my own when he came for me. He pursued me. He captured me. He claimed me!”
“That’s a lie!” she hissed, drawing closer to Emeriel. Rage burned in her eyes, her fists clenched. “You may have fooled everyone else, but not me. You did something to him. Whatever it was, you better undo it, or I will kill you myself.” She paused, a chilling smile forming. “Actually, it doesn’t matter if you undo it. Because when I kill you, whatever spell you cast will be neutralized.”
Angry tears flooded Emeriel’s eyes as he regarded Mistress Sinai. This Urekai female was insane. What kind of crazy woman was King Daemonikai’s bloodhost?
“What? Not going to say anything?” Mistress Sinai crossed her arms, a taunting smirk playing on her lips. “Beg for your life.”
Emeriel sniffled, resignation sinking in. “Would it make any difference?”
“Oh… but you wouldn’t know unless you tried, would you?” She gave another one of those annoying smirks. “Come on, beg for it.”
Emeriel did not. Begging wouldn’t change anything, and he wouldn’t indulge this demented woman’s dark fantasies.
“Alright then.” Mistress Sinai turned her head. “Nora, prepare the spiked whips and fire them up. Let us begin.”
AEKEIRA
Aekeira hurriedly approached Lord Vladya, desperation clear in her voice. “Your Highness, I needed to see you, please…”
“You cannot be here, Aekeira. Not without summon.” He began walking ahead toward his chambers. “Leave before I have you punished.”
“Please, help me! Please,” she pleaded, her voice trembling.
He whirled around, irritation etched on his face. “Why is it that every time I see you, you’re always in a situation that requires help? And worst of all, for some reason, you assume that I would want to help you?”
If Aekeira had her way, she would never be in the same space as Lord Vladya. She would avoid him like the plague. But she also knew that if anyone had the power to help her situation, it would be him.
“My brother… the mistress took him,” Aekeira forced out, sniffling as she wiped her eyes clean.
“No. The beast took your brother, and he is not dead, as far as I know,” he retorted as he turned away dismissively.
“No, no, no. Please, hear me out.” Aekeira reached out and grabbed his garment.
He stopped abruptly, glaring at her hand.
She released her grip and stepped back. “Please, hear me out, Your Highness.”
He studied her for a moment, his face inscrutable. He didn’t command her to speak, and his expression suggested that she was one mistake away from being thrown out.
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