Kingdoms Rise

Nineteen

Someone had taken Sicilia—and Sicily with it. Any hope of Mae regaining
her magic was gone. She surveyed vacant area. Roses surrounded the empty pond, but where they should be vibrant with color, they were drained of any of it, wilted or being wilted. It wasn't natural; someone was doing this. She whirled around trying to spot anyone, but there was no one. She knew it had to be Brennan.

She carefully unsheathed the knife from her boot, about to shout out to Fallon. There was a purposeful crunch of a branch from across the pond. She whirled toward it, and saw Brennan standing there—and not alone. He was flanked by two guards, each bore armor and weapons at their sides—likely had them stashed where she couldn't detect them.

"You can get your magic back if you come with me."

"Why would I do that?" She wouldn't go with him, she'd go mad.

"You want to save your friend don't you?" he smiled menacingly.

"How do I know you have killed her already?" she spat, and she was tempted to walk over to him just to do so.

"You'll have to take my word for it," she snarled at him—she snarled, like an animal. She enjoyed it, but she didn't show it. "I can promise that she is unharmed, well taken care of, but what I can't promise is that I won't march into Braelia and slaughter everyone in my path."

That made her stop. Her whole body went cold. He'd kill everyone she'd met—her friends. "No." She growled. It wouldn't stop him, but she didn't know what else to do.

He laughed and began to make his way to her, walking around the pond, stepping over wilted flowers. "I think you'll find that there isn't anything you can do to stop it—"

She cut him off and said through gritted teeth., "If I go with you, you must promise not to march into Braelia, to not attack them."

He pondered her proposition for a moment. "We'll see, I don't make bargains," he sneered at the place her tattoo was hidden beneath her leathers.

Brennan snapped his fingers to the guards—no, not the guards. Someone emerged from behind the guards—it was Madoc. He approached her. He was quick on feet, taking hold of her as tightly as he could. She fought against his gripped, but it was useless, he was stronger than he looked.

"Madoc, please. Please let me go," she cries, still thrashing against him.

He didn't answer her, but Brennan did, "I've missed my little brother."

"Brother?" Mae looked between them frantically. She was only told that Brennan had older brothers. It made sense that Fallon would keep that from her, it would have freaked her out to know that Brennan's brother was living under the same roof as her. But he was loyal to Fallon, or she thought he was, it clear where his loyalties lay. Madoc—someone she thought never had the capacity to betray, but anything was possible and so was betrayal.

She tried desperately to catch Madoc's eye, to plea with her own: to help her, to let her go. He avoided her gaze. She screamed to the others: a plea and a warning. It was scream filled with sorrow and anger. The forest around her flinched, whatever fairies had stayed to wait had likely fled after hearing her scream. Good, she thought, maybe they could save her friends, or at the least this forest.

"Your friends won't be coming," Brennan said simply.

"What did you do?" she seethed.

"What I had to; you're a valuable asset, I couldn't let you go."

"An asset! I'm not some trophy for you to steal and claim to show you won!" she fought against Madoc again in any hope to bash her fists against Brennan's face. "Let me go."

"No."

"You won't keep me forever; you won't win whatever pointless war you're starting," she promised him. "I'll kill you myself if I have to, not today, not any time soon. I'll let you have your fun. But just know I'll be there when you take your finally breath. I will make you suffer for what you did to my family."

She promised him a death that he would not be able to, and maybe she wouldn't see it either—not until it happened. By the look in his eyes, she knew that he knew that she wasn't bluffing, she would be there when he took his final breath, either by her hands or someone else's.

The look was gone as fast as it had come. "Very well princess. Take her away," he said to Madoc and the guards.

She steeled herself, not wanting to show any weakness. She'd find her way back to her friends, to Brealia. She'd fulfill the plans already churning in her head. She'd get the answers she needed. She'd get her magic. She'd free Tegan. She'd kill Brennan.

But for now, she let Madoc lead her to her enemies' home.