Josselyn opened her mouth to respond, but it was another voice that rang out across the room with resounding vehemence.
“No, she most certainly does not.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Josselyn's eyes widened, her open mouth silent as everyone turned once more to the doorway. A sliver of hope crept into her heart upon hearing the familiar voice, and she whirled around to find Luxeos striding into the room, with Lily at her side. The poor girl didn't seem to share Luxeos' cool confidence, as her legs were visibly trembling, but she kept her head up anyway, a determined tilt to her chin.
“What now?” The prince growled, glaring at the women. “And why are my guards just standing there, useless? Seize them, already!”
That seemed to startle the confused guards in motion, as several lunged forward. Luxeos didn't even blink as the guards charged toward them. She merely raised her staff, her eyes on Josselyn, and whispered, “Sieto.”
Instantly, a blinding light filled the room, making it impossible to see anyone or anything. As Josselyn squinted against the glare, Luxeos' voice filled her mind.
“To me, Shendri. Lend me your power.”
A break in the light revealed the goddess, and Josselyn stumbled forward as she hurried to the woman's side. Lily took hold of one of her hands, the other reaching forward to clamp down onto Luxeos' shoulder. She nodded for Josselyn to do the same, and the moment Josselyn's fingers touched the goddess' shoulder, a burst of energy shot through her, starting in her belly and shooting out through her fingertips.
Shadows poured out of her, as Kella came roaring out onto the floor. The energy increased, tearing through her like a hurricane, and she watched in awe as Kella seemed to grow in size before her very eyes. There was a burst of flames on her left, and she turned in time to see a ball of fire hovering in the air beside Lily. The flames stretched out, taking the form of a bird and a great, red phoenix flew across the room, its sharp cry piercing the air.
Screams rang thoughout the room as the beasts ran loose, obscured within Luxeos' light. There was one last surge as the energy flew out of her, and then the light dimmed, revealing the chaos that lay in its wake.
The guards who'd been holding Edmund and Lady Merridale captive now cowered on the floor, clutching their faces as blood poured out of empty eye sockets. The others lay either dead or incapacitated on the floor. Her aunt lay unconscious on the floor as well, with Edmund kneeling beside her, but as she appeared unharmed, Josselyn suspected a fainting spell.
Alex! Where is Alex?
Panic gripped her throat as she searched the room, but then she saw him, slumped against the wall for support, watching her. He gave her a crooked smile. “Well, that was certainly effective.”
A laugh bubbled up, spilling out of her mouth before she could stop it, the sound coming out more manic than happy. A low growl drew her attention back to the dais, where Kella stood over the prince's body, her huge paw pinning him against the floor.
Lily and Luxeos stepped to the side, granting her a clear path to the man who had wreaked so much havoc upon her life. She made her way to the front, savoring the terror that rolled off of the prince in delicious waves as Kella lowered her face toward his, teeth bared in anticipation.
It was no less than he deserved, after all.
Pausing only to retrieve a sword from one of the fallen guards, Josselyn stepped up beside him, one hand automatically reaching out to Kella whose hulking form now reached all the way up to her chin. She looked down her nose at him, tilting her head to the side as she thought of all the different ways she'd like to see him killed.
“Any parting words, princeling?”
He whimpered as Kella's claws curled, ever so slightly, into his chest. “Please, Princess, have mercy.”
Josselyn's gaze hardened. “As you gave my father? Where was your mercy then?”
Tears streaked down his face, and his body started to convulse in terrified sobs. “I'm sorry... please...don't... don't kill me...”
“Give me one good reason why I shouldn't.”
He sucked in a ragged breath. “If... if you kill me, my father... he'll seek revenge... he'll bring the full force of Antos' army down on your kingdom... surely, you don't want a war on your hands...”
Josselyn shrugged. “If he does, we'll be ready for him. Although...” She squatted down beside him, leaning in close as she whispered, “From what I've seen so far, I can't believe he'd care all that much either way.” She stood back up, tracing the tip of her sword over the soft flesh of his neck. “Try again, princeling.”
“I don't know... tell me what you want. Anything, anything at all...”
She tapped her chin in thought. “Well, I would be interested to know just how you discovered we'd be coming tonight.”
Desperate hope lit his eyes as he stared up at her. “If I tell you, will you spare me? Call off your beast?”
“Perhaps.”
He looked as if he wanted to argue, but Kella let out a vicious snarl that released a fresh batch of tears, among other things, as the prince's breeches dampened significantly.
“It was the general, General Weston. He sent a message informing me of your movements, as well as your... gifts.”
“The general?” Josselyn's brow furrowed in confusion. “But he was one of my father's most trusted friends. If you're lying to me...”
“No, it's true! I swear, it was him. He was in on it from the beginning. He even arranged for the false message that arrived from Devon.”
Josselyn glanced over at Lord Burgundy, who was hovering off to the side of the room. “And what of Lord Burgundy? Was he involved, as well?”
The prince hesitated for a moment, then sighed. “He was unaware of our plans until after the castle was taken, although he certainly had no problem changing sides in order to save himself.” He sounded almost regretful that he couldn't add the adviser to the list of traitors, as if the more names he could give her would increase the likeliness of her
