Dragon Blood [Alonia's Queenslayer #2]

22

"Eli, the Queen doesn't know that you can use magic," Blaed said, grinning in the damp cell that they had ended up in.

"I can summon a tiny little flame," Eli said. "I don't think it will do us much good."

"No, you don't get it!" he said. "Tomorrow we will be executed publicly. That's when you'll use your magic."

"That might-" Eli was interrupted by the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps. She jerked her head towards the sound, and nearly passed out again from the pain the action caused.

And there, illuminated by the torches, stood The Head Priestess, grinning wickedly.

"Ah! What a wonderful group you all are." She turned to look at Eli. "Oh, poor soul! Appears that you've lost your eye. How unfortunate."

The Head Priestess opened the door to their cell. If Eli wasn't in so much pain, she would've at least yanked at her chains to show defiance, but she couldn't.

The Head Priestess moved her hands around in weird motions, and the chains fell away from Helios.

"Now, I'm going to take this young man to a cell next to yours, and torture him until he reveals the location of the Princess."

"No!" Blaed yelled out, yanking at his chains to no avail. "We already told you, we don't know where she is!"

The Priestess smirked. Helios appeared to be unable to move. "I don't believe you. I tried to peer into your mind with magic, but your walls are far too strong. So I'll have to do it the old-fashioned way. Guards!"

At her command, two guards stormed in, taking Helios by the arms.

"No, stop it!" Blaed yelled out. "Take me instead! Please!"

Eli wasn't sure where the sudden sacrificial selflessness was coming from, but it was heart-wrenching. They were completely defeated.

The Priestess laughed in Blaed's face as the guards took Helios away. The cell door locked again, leaving them in silence.

"I need to go, now!" Blaed said, and Eli noticed that tears were staining his face. Was it possible? Did he actually love Helios? Blaed loved someone?

"Blaed," Eli said, each word a struggle. She was sure that if she didn't get executed tomorrow, she would die of an infection. "They won't kill him. I know it sucks. But we can only wait."

"Fuck you!" he said, raising his voice. "If this was Rileigh, you'd be the first out of this cell!"

That hit Eli right in the heart. Blaed was right... She wouldn't let Ril suffer for a single second.

"You're right. I'll do it now."

"No!" Lyari protested. "We'll all die, idiot!"

Eli shook her head. "We can fight. I'll buy time for you to escape with Helios."

Blaed snickered through his tears. "We won't leave you behind. We can defeat the Priestess, the guards, and escape, together. You just need to get Lyari's collar off."

Lyari shook her head. "That's the point, Blaed. The collar is magic-resistant. It can't be destroyed with magic."

Blaed swore, clenching his fist. "Damn it!" He opened his mouth to say more, but a shrill scream cut him off. Helios.

Blaed was struggling, gritting his teeth, tears streaming down his face. Eli had to do something. She had to help him, help Helios. She couldn't listen to her friend scream in agony.

But whenever she tried to focus on her magic, to do something, anything, the pain in her eye became so great it threatened to take her consciousness. She had been pressing her wound this entire time, too anxious to take her hands off, knowing that they were the only thing stopping the blood and eye-goo from flowing out. It was horrendous, painful, and terrifying. The fact that she'd remain blind on one eye, even if they manage to survive this, was hard to accept.