The Shadows That Burn (Daughter of Fire #2)

Ch.12: The Tale of the Silver Peony

"Adria and Morrison too," I agreed. I wonder what Ayana and Redmond would think of this. We need to tell them as soon as possible. And Lucius...he was an active ranked wizard then, but I do not believe he knew.

"It's most likely what you said. Agatha has the authority. Well, at least she did," said Elsie. "Before and during Uzier's rebellion, the Congress was under its own jurisdiction. It wasn't until the end of the war that it was put under the monarch's authority."

I remembered what Redmond told me about what his guardian was forced to do under Agatha's orders. The fairies and their empress, Nura, had been under the dominion of the Congress. So whatever Agatha Alastair ordained had to be followed.

"Maybe Dorian was right when he said whatever was in here made the royals ashamed. It could explain why they issued the ban after the war with Uzier." Elsie reflected.

"Wow, you're agreeing with Dorian?"

She glared at me, and I shrunk away from her.

"Anyway, let's take this back to the rest." She held the book with both hands. "I bet they would want to hear this. Besides, I'm tired of being naked."

For a moment, I had entirely forgotten that Elsie was standing there utterly stripped of any clothing.

"Alright, we'll just have to make our way ba-"

Something had struck me, but I didn't hear or see anything. Still, an unbearable weight was amplifying within me, expanding second after second until I felt as if I was entrapped between dense walls.

What...

A loud thud crashed, and I looked to my left to see Elsie on her knees. The ledger was flipped open on the ground, and Elsie was struggling to pull herself up, but it looked as though something was pinning her down. She cursed, and that's when I saw them; lines of dark red appeared on her body, forming around her shoulders, arms, and legs.

"Elsie! What-" My own voice croaked, and before I knew it, my body twisted back to flesh and bones.

I was looking at my skin instead of my flames, and those lines burned a bright red as they encircled my wrists and spiraled up my arms. I was thrown to the ground, a force sinking my back as if heaves of rocks were trampling me.

"What the fuck are those!?" raged Elsie, her fingernails clawing at her forearms. But every time she resisted the lines sunk deeper. And I realized they were protection spells.

No...

A trap!

"Shit!" I cried as the shackles gripped tighter, enclosing my skin like a cage. And they burned-every movement like glass scrapped against flesh.

And when the stinging finally subsided, Elsie and I had already succumbed to the darkness.

***

Something nudged me. No...not something; someone. I could hear voices, but they were indistinguishable. But slowly, they grew louder. I was nudged again, this time a little rougher. But when my body refused to move, I felt the firm grip of hands shaking my shoulders until my eyes peeled open.

"Get up, Slifer!" A guard snarled at me, and I blinked at him in return.

"Hey, fuckface! She has a name." Elsie's harsh voice sounded beside me, and when I saw her, she was sprawled on the ground, tucked into a corner with a thin brown blanket wrapped around her. Those lines were a bright scarlet against her dark skin.

The guard spat at the ground near her, and Elsie's grey-white eyes shot wide with fury.

"Now, Davis, be gentle with our guests," Agatha spoke calmly, but the lethality behind her tone made the hairs on the back of my neck quiver. I adjusted my eyes to the damp darkness and saw her looming figure behind the cell bars.