Page 26 of Daughter of the Serpent

He released her, turning back to resuming his seat, and Sylvie let loose a breath of relief for the distance.

“You may be vile and wicked, but you fail to twist your words convincingly.” He sat back down, his eyes lazily surveying the many plentiful options before him before deciding on more ale and roasted meat.

Sylvie felt her defiance blooming in the pit of her gut.

How many had starved and were denied such food, delicacies, and finery - when he feasted alone at his dinner table?

“I speak the truth, my lord.”

“Is that so?” His voice curled around her spine, her stomach gripped with tension.

She shifted on her feet, her fingers fisting into the fabric of her robes, sweat beginning to bead on her forehead. She could feelRederick’s grip on her, the sense of magic permeating her being, its cold fingers winding into her flesh.

“You believe you are so clever - but I will carve the truth from those pretty little lips with or without your consent.”

Sylvie suppressed her emotions, knowing that if he used his magic on her, she would be unable to lie. Despite his age, Rederick's magic remained formidable. It was how he maintained his grip of power, his face unmarked by time, and unnatural long life. He was cunning, just as much as he was gifted - a combination often deadly. One of his specialties was extracting the truth from unwilling lips, a practice strictly forbidden without the unanimous approval of the elders. Yet here, alone, she feared she might become his next victim.

“Come closer, dear one.” A smile skirted along the thin lines of his lips as he crooked his finger at her, his green eyes penetrating even at a distance. “There is still much we have to discuss.”

Sylvie felt invisible arms pull her foreword, her eyes widening in surprise as she was forcibly dragged closer, her body no longer her own to command.

“Why were you at the ceremony?”

She felt claws at her throat, invisible but energetically evident. They dug into her skin, tightening their grip. One wrong word and they would squeeze tighter, splitting her open.

“I was curious, my lord - ” She gasped, looking for the right words to say. “I…I…”

“You what?” He sneered, his eyes a blazing inferno as he stood from his chair. “Speak up!”

“I needed to know what it felt like…” Her eyes closed, the truth pulling out of her unwilling heart. “To be free, just for a night…”

“And was it satisfactory for you?” He huffed, taking a swing of his ale. “Did you find what you were looking for?”

“Yes, my lord…it was more than I could have imagined.”

“I am happy for you, young child - that you find such drunken revelry to your liking, despite all the gifts of light I had given you.”His words were laced in malice. “You are ungrateful. You are full of sin - you must repent.”

“Yes my lord,” Sylvie managed, the claws inching closer to her skin, tightening. “I will repent.”

“Do you believe you are worthy of punishment?”

She resisted, her throat closing, her breath caught. She couldn’t hold back the words from coming, couldn’t stop them from spilling forward. “Yes, but not for breaking the rules.”

“Then for what?”

“For…for…Tara… for what pain I may have caused my friend, and for the events afterwards.”

“Ah, so you were not alone!” He sneered, his eyes flashing with sinister delight. “So you care not for your brazen display, nor the lives of those men whose blood you took - but for only your friend.”

He released her, lifting his chin in satisfaction. Her body slumped to the floor, the magic dispersing around her like tendrils of energy weaving back to their source.

He sneered. “I think I have heard enough to cast judgment already.”

Sylvie gathered herself from the ground, her heart slamming against her ribs.

“Blood I took, my lord?” Sylvie shook her head, taken back by his words.

“Oh yes,” His eyes burrowed into hers. “Did you think we would not have to discuss your little temper? You killed five innocent men in that forest last night with your wrath and lack of control.”