Shattered Heart (Red Queen)

Chapter Thirty-Three

•Carac POV•
I lean back in the chair in my father's personal study and watch him shuffle papers on his desk. He sighs and pounds his fist on the desk, making me clench me jaw.
     "Maven is an idiot," he says finally.
      "And why is that," I ask, not entirely concerned.
"He forgets hat he is a young king with little power. He wants the lightning girl back and is threatening to overthrow the Lakelands if I do not agree," my father tells me.
I furrow my brows and ask, "But why would he want her back? Maven bargained her away to stop the war. There must be something bigger going on that involves Mare."
"It's possible she is working with him from inside the palace. I need you to find out what is going on," he commands and rests his elbows on the desk. "She trusts you, correct?"
"I have her completely wrapped around my finger," I tell him. "She has no idea that we are using her. Mare is naïve and will fight for us when the time comes."
      "Good. I suspect we will need to eliminate Maven soon before he can start another war. Then, we can rule Norta and the Lakelands with no one to stop us."
     I smile along with him and stand quickly to go find Mare.

•Mare POV•
     A swift knock at my door interrupts Cal and I. I groan as I jump out of bed to answer it. Carac is leaning against the door frame, grinning.
     "Can I help you?" I ask.
     "Looks like I interrupted something," he says with a smirk.
     I smooth my ruffled hair and hear Cal come up behind me. He wraps an arm around my waist and asks, "Why are you here?"
     "For starters, this is my home so I can do what I want. Second, I need your help, Mare."
     Cal tenses up behind me an I know he feels threatened by him. "It's not really a good time," I tell him and start to shut the door.
     Carac pushes the door back open. "I wasn't asking. Let's go. Now."
      He takes my wrist and pulls me out the door, not even giving me time to object. "What the hell?!" I ask and pry his fingers off my arm.
    He narrows his eyes and clenches his fist but suddenly relaxes in a matter of seconds. "I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me."
    "It's alright," I reply, not completely trusting him anymore.
     There's something off about him, I just can't put my finger on it. Maybe he's not the man I thought he was. Perhaps Cal is right.
     He leads me down a corridor with and checks behind him every few seconds. "Afraid someone is following us?" I ask. 
     "Of course not," he says in a rushed tone. "In here."
      He shoves open a heavy metal door and I get an uneasy feeling. I hear him feeling around on the wall for the light switch. He finds it and I feel the room buzz with electricity.
      "Why are we here?" I question.
     He shuts and locks the door behind us. "Carac, what's going on? Open the door right now."
     "Not so fast, Mare. I just have a few questions," he says and places his hands on my shoulders.
      I shrug him off and back away. "This isn't right. Why are you acting like this?"
      "Quit asking questions and shut up!" he explodes.
      "I should have listened to Cal," I mumble. "You aren't really my friend, are you? You just want to use me."
       He nods. "I guess you aren't as dumb as I thought. Now tell me, why does Maven want you back so badly? Are you working with him?"
      "What?" I ask, shocked. "Are you crazy? I've been trying to get away from him. I'm not working with Maven. He's a monster."
      Maven wants me back? This is all so confusing.
      "He's threatening to start a damn war over you, so something is clearly going on with the two of you," Carac states.
      "I swear, nothing is happening. Just open the door and let me go."
      "Sorry, sweetheart, I can't let that happen. You see, I need your to help me kill Maven so I can rule Norta. Letting you go would get me nowhere."
      Lighting dances at my fingertips. "Just like this conversation is getting nowhere," I comment and throw my hand out. He is struck by my lighting and falls to the ground. I bolt to the door and pull it open with a grunt. I run away to find Cal before Carac wakes up. We've got to get out of here, fast.