//Song: Love and War - Fleurie — seriously play it. It's worth it.
I turned away unable to take the sight, ready to empty the contents of my stomach on a nearby seat. I froze midway to the nearest chair when my eyes fell on a girl.
She couldn't be more than twenty. She was deathly small almost like she hadn't eaten in months. Her collarbone protruded from her skin, her wrists were small and bony. Her thin lips were wane and pale, her skin just as equally pale as if she hadn't seen the sun in years. Her long black hair was loose down her back, the ends of which grazing her elbows.
It was her sunken, heavily shadowed eyes that stopped me in my step.
They were blue. And I'd only seen that color before on one other person before.
I swallowed my fear and looked at the girl with new eyes.
She may be the daughter of my enemy.
But she was in danger. She couldn't stay with whatever happened in the Throne room.
"Hi," I said quietly. Quietly since she looked like a deer in headlights, ready to run away. Maybe that was what kept her alive--that she had been hidden or ran away at the first sign of trouble.
I reached a hand out to her. "I'm Emmy, take my hand. We're getting out of here."
Her blue eyes looked at my hand then back at me. "Emmy."
Her accent was strange, heavy.
I nodded, trying to smile. "Please. We need to leave. We need to find my friend Damien."
She suddenly smiled, her eyes lighting up in recognition. "Damien." She tilted her head as she looked at me. "You're the queen."
"Please," I repeated, ignoring her as I neared. If she wouldn't come to me, I'd specter her to safety against her will. "We need to go."
She shook her head. "No. I need you here." She nodded towards the mess of bodies behind me. "Did you like your present?"
I blinked. Breathless, I asked, "Present?"
She nodded with a smile, placing her hands behind her back. "I wanted to be in your good graces when you returned." Her accent again was strong. She walked up the steps to the throne, keeping a careful distance of the carnage in front of her but not disturbed by it as she passed it. "Are you not pleased?"
I took a hesitant step back.
"Tenebrous is evil, after all," she said plainly as she turned back towards me on the pedestal. "They have to be stopped. I have culled your enemy, it is only fair that you do as I request."
"Which is?"
She stood in front of the large Throne. My throne. "Give me back what's rightfully mine by birth. I am Mal, daughter of Robyn, rightful queen of the Underworld."
I dug my heel into the tiled floor, feeling dark magic steel my core in peace with my resolution. "No."
She sat on the throne in front of her. "You did not want to be queen. I am here to grant you that request, why are you fighting it?"
"Damien is the rightful king of the Underworld. Not you."
She frowned as if confused. "His father was illegitimate. He stole it from my father." She tilted her head and looked somewhere behind me. "Is that not right, Asmodeus?"
Asmo appeared from behind me, looking at me down his nose as he approached Mal on the throne. "That is correct, Alteaza."
I watched Asmo in astonishment. What was he doing? Why was he lying to the girl? Why was he standing next to her as she sat on my throne?
He smiled slowly when he saw me and I could have sworn I saw a gleam of satisfaction. "Don't look so surprised, Emylin. It was finally time that we had a queen that deserved the title."
I growled though his words hurt deeply.
She smiled. "I only want us to become the best of friends, Emmy. But first, you must kneel to me, place your fist over your heart and hand me my throne."
I narrowed my eyes, feeling dark magic seething in anger beneath my skin. "I said no."
She sighed. "What must I do to convince you?"
Asmo smiled. "I know." As soon as he snapped his fingers, Damien appeared between us. He was strapped to the wooden chair, iron shackled over his wrists and ankles.
I knew that chair all too well. Whoever controlled the chair could place iron on their victim and slowly torture them or relieve them of their magic.
Damien wasn't frantic. He didn't even seem scared.
He was pissed. And his angry gaze settled on Asmo. A string of curses moved from his lips to which Asmo only waved his hand as if annoyed. "Cousin, your words bore me."
Damien didn't stop his angry words. "You really want to be king so bad you don't care how it happens, do you?"
Asmo looked at his hands as if bored. "I really don't care what you have to say to me, Damien."
Mal looked between the two of them, confused. "Asmodeus, what are you doing? Don't harm Damien."
Asmo placed his fingers under her chin to make her look at him. "But I must, Alteaza. That is the only way to have her do as you wish." He frowned. "You want your rightful throne, don't you?"
A thousand thoughts ran through my head as I watched them. How did this happen? How had the entire Guard disappeared? Panic gripped me. We couldn't stay, we had to leave.
Now.
I ran to Damien, trying to will the shackles off of him. I tried to specter him away with chair and all but it didn't work. I placed my fingers around the shackles trying to pull them apart.
I screamed in pain as it burned through my flesh.
"Stop, Em! Stop!"
I let go so forcefully I stumbled pack panting in pain.
I looked back at them my hands still burning.
Mal only had an expression of quiet awe while Asmodeus looked pleased.
"Please do try again, that spectacle was quite enjoyable."
I fought the tears of frustration. I was powerless to help Damien. "What are you doing, Asmo? This isn't you."
He tilted his head. "Darling, you talk about me as if you know me. Everyone must have told you by now I am not to be trusted."
"I know you, Asmo," I whispered. "You wouldn't betray me like this."
"I follow power, Emylin," he almost barked. "I follow what is most convenient for me."
Mal frowned her pencil thin eyebrows. "Please, Emylin. I don't want to hurt Damien."
Asmo smiled. "But I do."
At once, the shackles came down on Damien's wrists. He didn't move, he didn't scream. He clenched his fists as he stared Asmo down. I could see him strain to keep his composure. I could feel Dark magic crying out and Light trying to comfort me.
"Come on now, Damien," He cooed. "Not even a little scream?"
Mal stood from her seat and stepped forward, dear clearly written on her features. "Stop it, Asmodeus!"
I could smell his singed flesh when the ground began to shake beneath my feet. The dark magic in me called to him, trying to reassure him.
I sprung into action, unleashing everything I could in Asmo's direction. I threw all my energy at him and before I realized what happened, three Guards appeared before Asmo and Mal.
They blocked all of my attacks.
I directed the final one in Damien's direction, hoping that I could at least break the chair. Luckily, it did just that, buckling under Damien in pieces.
Damien spectered next to me, a little worse for wear but otherwise unharmed. He threw his head back to clear his hair from his eyes. "This stops now, Asmo. I will have you banished to the pits of Hell after all of this."
Mal took a small step towards Damien but shrank under the deadly gaze he gave her. "I'm so sorry, Damien. Please, I never wanted to hurt you."
"That's enough of that." Asmo lifted his hands in front of his chest and black lightning danced across the room. It lit up the air above us then cracked down harshly towards Damien and me.
Damien deflected it, sending sparks of magic across the room.
Asmo didn't stop.
As soon as one was deflected, another came barrelling towards us.
The royal family had the most powerful magic in all of the Underworld. It was why they were destined to rule and lead armies, form alliances and go against the Dark Ones.
Everyone knew it.
I'd never fought Asmo; he'd never shown me what he was truly capable of. We had our disagreements and he had shown me once a measure of his power. He had never lifted a finger against me.
I had a small idea of his power when I first met him. He was cocky, confident and I assumed that he had reason to be.
Asmo was powerful. Not just with dark magic but with something else. Something I hadn't felt from him in a long time.
Dark magic didn't intimidate me. It embraced me. It was comforting.
Whatever Asmo drew his power from was not dark magic. It was something else entirely. It was darker, ancient and felt heavy in my lungs.
It was the same familiar presence I felt from him before he had been locked in the dungeons by Robyn.
The magic that Asmo used didn't faze Damien. He didn't even flinch.
He shot back— pushed Asmo back.
My heart swelled. He wouldn't have been able to do it before. Not since Robyn.
Mal clapped her hands in giddy pleasure as she watched the exchange of power.
I grew disgusted at her response and without thinking, wrapped tendril if power around her wrists, pulling her to the ground on her knees.
Her eyes grew wide with shock then, slowly her fists began to shake in anger.
A flash of brown crowded before my vision, and with a sunken heart, I knew what it was. Mehnit charged towards me in her lion form, teeth bared, a mighty roar shaking every cell in my body.
I couldn't move as I watched her charge towards me ready to tear me apart.
Mal exploded with power I wasn't familiar with and before I knew what was happening I was pushed back, hurtling through the air towards the doors of the Throne Room.
I spectered, landing with my feet apart to keep my balance. As soon as I appeared again, the doors behind me burst open and I felt my heart jump with joy.
Julian entered, his bloody sword in his hand. Sweat tainted his brow and blood ran clear across his chest.
I ran to him, placing my hand where the blood had been. "Are you hurt?"
He shook his head, his black hair falling across his forehead. "We need to go."
I shook my head vehemently. "Not until they are off my throne."
He looked up and immediately grabbed me by the waist, spectering out of the way just as something exploded around us.
We appeared next to Damien, and Mal laughed. "Another Light fae!"
How she managed to figure out that Julian was half-Light I had no idea but at the moment that was not what I was focused on.
Asmo watched us with more hate than I ever saw from anyone before. His eyes lingered on us- on Julian's hand on my waist as he held me close, on my own hands on Julian's chest with a more than familiar touch.
Mal laughed as she placed a hand on Mehnit as she stood in front of her protectively. My heart ached at her response to me. The small cat that curled at my feet was defending Mal and treated me as an enemy. "They're lovers, Asmodeus!" Mal clapped her hands again. "Kill him! Not Damien!"
Asmo didn't hesitate.
Neither did Julian.
Julian pushed me out of the way just as the floor we stood on exploded. Debris rained around us and when I looked to where Julian and I stood all that was left was the scorched ground.
I gripped the ground beneath me, panicking. "Julian!"
The ground shook beneath me and before I knew what was happening, I felt a bolt of lightning pass over me. It exploded inside me, it felt as if I was being ripped in two and it made me scream out in pain.
Through the haze, I heard Mal. Her tone was sincere, sweet.
And it made me sick.
"Please, Emmy. Give me what's mine. I don't want to hurt you again."
Something burned inside me. I wasn't sure which magic it was.
Light magic with my fury.
Or dark magic with her ridiculous claim to the throne.
Whichever one it was, it attacked. It unleashed everything it could on her and Mehnit who tried to pounce towards me.
I wasn't sure what I fought against deep inside her—but it wasn't dark magic. That much was clear.
I concentrated on my attacks, trying to weaken her to no avail.
Damien fought with Julian against Asmo and the Guard, that at one point appeared. They weren't defending their king and rightful queen. They were against us.
The numbers were overwhelming. Soon it was two on one. Then three...
Mal diverted her attention from me, panting. Instead of reaching out a hand towards me, she pointed it towards Julian and then another at Damien.
Knowing they wouldn't see the attack, I raised a barrier on each of them just in time to see a smirk on Mal's face.
Everything moved in slow motion.
Mal stepped in my direction but stopped dead as soon as I felt a heavy pressure in the middle of my chest.
Agonizing pain and pressure began to build in the middle of my chest. I couldn't see anything else. I couldn't hear anything around me.
Someone was shouting. A distant sound that might as well have been from underwater.
My hands dropped to my sides and my legs began to give. I coughed air into my lungs, needing to feel a reassuring breath go into them.
It was barely a wheeze.
Instead, liquid began to spill out of my mouth. I covered my mouth, clutching my chest. Something obstructed my chest and when I looked down I realized what it was.
The hilt of a knife stuck out from the middle of my chest. When I pulled back my hand from my mouth, the liquid that I had coughed was blood.
Tears sprung to my eyes immediately. I wasn't going to survive. There was no way. It was too deep. I could feel the knife graze the inside of my chest. I felt my body reacting on pure adrenaline at my discovery.
I looked at my attacker.
Mal was a vision of pristine beauty, a patient, knowing smile on her face. Asmo stood in front of her, a hand aimed at my direction as if he had thrown something in my direction.
It was Asmo that had thrown it. It was Asmo that stabbed me.
My knees buckled, caving in and making me fall to the floor just as the ground began to shake.
Deafening rumbling echoed through the Throne Room. The ceiling above me cracked and groaned as it began to break apart.
Julian was at my side instantly. His hands reached for me, holding me, touching my face and arms.
I'd never seen him so afraid.
"Emylin! Gods!" His voice was frantic, desperate. Hysteria crept into his voice. "Don't do this."
I was so tired. So, so tired...
He shook me in his arms. "Don't die on me, Emylin!"
My eyes widened as he shook me again, taking me onto his lap where he sat on the floor. He raised my head as it lolled back.
He pressed his forehead against mine, pressing his lips against mine over and over. "Come on!" He growled a moment later. "Come on, work! Godsdammit! Emylin, tell me what to do. Emylin, what do I do?"
Stone and granite cracked above us and around us. Shattering glass pierced through the room and the shaking began to intensify.
I lifted my hand towards his face and he pressed his hand against mine on his cheek. "Please, Emmy, please! We finally have each other. Please don't do this."
"We need to go!" Damien was shouting over the sound of falling and cracking stone. "She's destroying the place!"
Julian shook his head. "Fucking where? They'll hunt us down in the Underworld and Human world if they find us! Winter?"
"We'll risk putting Aira in danger. They'll go to the other queendoms too. Asmo isn't stupid."
I knew where we could go. I knew the last place they would look. They wouldn't think I would be with my own worst enemy.
Mustering everything I could, I reached for Damien. As soon as my hand met his shoulder, I spectered before blacking out.