The slight did not go unnoticed by the queen. She raised her brow a fraction. “What will I do now? Why, my dear sister, I will do whatever I want. Go with Hamilcar and make sure the huntress and the mage’s heads are separated from their shoulders. Elysia, my darling, you are to go to my quarters and wait for me.”
The slave girl tore her beautiful blue eyes away from the princess to fearfully glance at the queen. Elysia muttered that she will wait, then quickly got up and scurried out of a side door off the throne room.
Seraphis held the queen’s gaze for a second, the tension between them palpable. Then she nodded once and turned on her heel. The princess strode out of the doors with purpose, her shoulders squared, her head held high. The branded markings on her wrist, identical to those chaining Loren, burned like coals under her skin, trailing sparks of ember as she walked, her fists clenched tight.
After her sister left, Haedria waved the rest of the attendants and guards away. The echoes of footsteps slowly faded until only the queen and Loren were left in the throne room. The fires of the braziers cracked and flickered, and the firestone columns glowed slowly with their inner light. The queen stood and approached the Daughter of Dragons.
“So, Loren. My old friend.” Haedria smiled. “It’s only the two of us now.”
Loren stood rooted to the spot, her hands twitching. Her jaw clenched as she drew in ragged breaths through her teeth, watching the reddened and burned skin of her wrists spread outwards from the markings. She swallowed dryly and felt a heat in her throat and a tightness to her skin, as if a vice was crushing her. She glared at Haedria when the queen approached. “We were never friends, Haedria.”
The queen of Sagna only smiled back. “We could have been, little dragon. But no, you are right. We were never friends.”
“What do you want from me? Take it, but spare Kae, Cassendir, and the wolf. They did nothing to you.”
“They did nothing, true. Although the wolf offends me with his presence. I could spot a Beastman on all fours, my dear dragon, there is an otherness to them. Still, the Houndsmaster may be able to make something out of him.” Haedria chuckled. “If not, he would make a fine rug, wouldn’t you say?”
Loren tried to lunge at her, but the markings flared to life. She gasped from the pain and fell to her knees. “What about Kae? Cassendir?” her voice faltered.
“Oh, they will be taken care of.” Haedria drew closer to Loren. “Seraphis will see to that. My lovely, loyal, executioner.”
“No.” Loren breathed. The closer Haedria got to her, the fuzzier her mind became. The burning heat became warm, almost pleasant and comforting. The sudden shift caught Loren off guard and she wanted to embrace it, to not have to feel the pain anymore. But this was Haedria’s doing, and Loren clung to suspicion. “Please, no. Spare them.”
“You have nothing to bargain with, my dear dragon. I already have what I want.”
“What is it?”
“You, of course. You, and your dragon.” Haedria smiled. She trailed her finger lightly, down Loren’s throat. She braced herself for more magic, for fire to force its way into her, invading her, but it didn’t come. Instead, as Haedria touched the line of branded markings that ran around Loren’s throat like a collar, the princess felt as if a void had opened up beneath her. There was the sensation of warmth, of comfort, and of falling down into an endless, welcoming embrace. Her eyes, once shining gold with Lind’s magic, now glittered the color of fire.
Loren stared at Haedria blankly, as if in a trance. She was fully in the queen’s control. Haedria smiled, almost lovingly, and took Loren by the hand.
Seraphis found Hamilcar and his band past the city gate. They had bound Kae completely, wrapping the huntress in rope and gagging her with a rag. It didn’t stop Kae from struggling and kicking out with all her might. Tears fell down her face, and she was more a wild thing than a companion to a princess. Cassendir was lying in the dirt, staring at the ground. His face was swollen from a black eye, and one of the bandits pressed his foot into his hand. Every time the bandit saw the blue glow spilling from the sleeve of Cassendir’s silk robe, he would push down harder, digging his heels in till the scholar gave up trying to cast a spell.
“Hamilcar, my friend.” Seraphis said as she approached them. “What do you plan to do with them?”
The bandit king sighed heavily, more at ease now that he and his men were beyond the castle gates. “I need a drink, girl. The queen, you know how she gets. She does a number on the nerves, no matter who it is. I was looking forward to beer back at the camp, but the queen gave her orders. These have to be put to death.” He shrugged his huge shoulders. “It’s a waste, but its what the queen wants. She always gets what she wants.”
Seraphis nodded. “That she does. Leave them to me and go home. You’ve earned your beer and then some.”
Hamilcar raised a thick eyebrow. “Are you sure, princess? The queen’s orders…”
“They will be fulfilled, Hamilcar. Don’t worry.” Seraphis’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. “I am her executioner, as well as the Warmaster.”
The bandit king shrugged and left it at that. Barking orders to his men, Hamilcar rounded them up and had the men on their horses within a minute. He looked back at
