Page 57 of Lady of Starfire
“This is it, Scarlett. The last place he controls you,” Cethin said, urgency creeping into his tone. “You take this from him, and he has nothing left.Nothing.”
“She came to me,” Mikale taunted, moving cautiously into her field of vision. There was a cut along his cheek, a small bit of blood.
“Take back the control, Scarlett,” Cethin said, completely ignoring Mikale. His hands shook on her shoulders.
“What is wrong?” Scarlett asked, brow furrowing.
“It is taking a lot of my power to stay here.”
“That was never a problem before.”
“My power is already greatly depleted. I am using the last of it to come for you.”
“Why would you do that?” she demanded in horror.
“Because you are not a means to an end, Starfire. I wish…” He swallowed thickly. “I wish I could do this for you. I wish I could take on so many of your burdens. I failed as your brother before I even knew I was one, but you? Gods, Scarlett. You are stronger than this. Stronger than me. Stronger than him. And I do not mean your magic. I meanyouare stronger. Take it back from him.”
She held his stare for a long moment. In the back of her mind she knew it was odd that Mikale was not interfering more. It seemed he could not come any closer to them. He prowled around them, back and forth, agitated and muttering.
“You are doing that,” Cethin said softly. “You are keeping him back so we can speak. This is your dream. Your mind. You control it.”
Her gaze slid to Mikale, and his dark eyes snapped to hers. “No,” he snarled, his features twisting with fury. “No! You are mine.”
A breath of relief left Cethin as his trembling hands slid from her shoulders.
“Go,” Scarlett whispered.
He gave her a weary smile. “We will be waiting for you.”
She blinked, and he was gone.
She was left alone with Mikale.
He straightened, adjusting his tunic. “Brother, was it? We have wondered who the Avonleyan King was. Just another card you have revealed in this game.”
Scarlett cocked her head as she watched him. Felt his words try to claw their way into her being, but they didn’t settle.
“You revealed a card of your own,” she answered. “Tell Alaric I am coming for Cyrus and Neve at sundown. I expect him to uphold his end of the deal.”
“And what of your deals?” Mikale asked, his lip curling back in a sneer. “Does your word mean nothing?”
Scarlett winced dramatically. “Do you mean the one where I promised death the next time I saw you but killed Veda instead?”
“The one,” he gritted out, “made nearly two years ago. All of this could have been avoided if you had simply honored your word.”
“All of this could have been avoided if you and Alaric were not trying to rule this realm.”
“This realm is the prize,” Mikale spat. “Not our objective.” He paused, inhaling deeply and seeming to collect himself. He smoothed his hands down his tunic again. When his attention settled on Scarlett once more, he gave her a pointed smile. “So clever, yet you cannot see that he only wishes to save you. Without him, you will die with the rest.”
“I will take my chances,” Scarlett retorted.
“And risk millions of other lives in the process? Risk innocents? Risk those you think you love?” He took a step towards her, and Scarlett lifted her hand, shadows spilling from her fingertips. “You cannot kill me in a dream. Even you are not that powerful.”
“No,” she agreed. “But for every time you have come to them, I will drag out your death a little longer. Come to my dreams again, and I will find out exactly what Icando to you in my dreams.”
Her shadows crept forward, a ring of starfire springing up around him, and Mikale flinched back.
“So be it. You could save the realm, instead you damn them all. Howbenevolentof you,” he sneered.