Page 174 of Quicksilver

“A cunt of a move,” Malcolm said, pouting coquettishly. He'd come down from the dais and was in the process of helping Madra descend the stone steps. The fine hairs on my arms bristled as the two of them approached. “I love bending the rules in my favor. I don't love it so much when they're bent against me. So, I decided to torment poor little Kingfisher some more. I have to admit, it was a little cruel, but...”

“You've always had such an affinity for turning cruelty into an art form, Brother,” Madra simpered. She let go of Malcolm's hand and slowly walked a circle around Fisher, her eyes lit up with intrigue. “He isunbearablyhandsome, isn't he? I can see why you wanted to keep him as a pet. I can't wait to hear what happened next.”

“Well, I created the most diabolically lethal labyrinth I could conjure in my mind, dear sister,” Malcolm said, as if this should have been obvious. “I hid Belikon's coin at its center, and thenI created this colosseum around it and filled the stands with the perpetually burning bodies of all the creatures our poor little bleeding heart here had wanted to save. All he had to do to end their suffering was find the coin and make it fall to the ground. Obviously, it would be too late to save the Fae from death, but at least it would end their suffering. Andthen,” he added with a dramatic flourish, “he would be free to seek his vengeance by calling me out onto the battlefield.”

Madra ran her fingers along Fisher's jaw, wetting her bottom lip.

“Don't fuckingtouchhim!” I thrashed, trying to tear myself free of the guards, but the hold they had on me tightened. The queen smirked, moving even closer to Fisher so that her peaked nipples, poking through the sheer material of her dress, brushed his arm as she circled him.

Fisher growled, low and menacing. He turned hate-filled eyes on the queen of Zilvaren. “Remove yourself from me, or you won’t like what happens next.”

“Oh, please.” Madra waved away his threat. “I hate to tell you this, but I can do anything to you that I want. Malcolm has always let me play with his toys.”

“I play back,” Fisher spat. “It might not be today, but oh, I am coming to findyou, Madra. Fear the shadows, bitch. I'm made of them. One night soon, I'll climb out of one and slit your fucking throat.

“What a lucky girl I am.” Madra feigned nonchalance, but I could see it, even from here, plain as day. Fisher’s venom had shaken her a little. “And what, pray tell, haveIdone to deserve such special attention from the likes of you?”

“You spayed my mate when she was a fuckingchild,”he seethed. “For that alone, I’ll make your undying existence an unending agony. An eternity of suffering the likes of which even your evil mind cannot comprehend. You’ll know no peace at myhands. I will destroy your empire and erase your name from the annals of time. When I am done with your legacy, Madra the Undying will never have existed. And you’ll live on at my behest, suffering for all of eternity. And no one will know. And no one will care.”

His words rocked me. The pure, unadulterated hatred in them. I—I had no idea that it had affected him this badly. When I’d told him about what had been done to me, he’d reacted strangely, yes, but…to provoke a response from him likethis?

Kingfisher of the Ajun Gate was on his knees in the dirt. He was broken and bleeding, but his promise of retribution was still terrifying enough to make a queen tremble. Madra staggered back, her smile sliding from her face.

“I see what you mean, Brother,” she said shakily, looking to Belikon. “He is quite foul-tempered, isn’t he?”

“Do you mind? You’re ruining my story,” Malcolm huffed.

Madra attempted to marshal herself, but she couldn’t quite look at Fisher now. “You’re right, darling. I apologize. And what did our wayward hero do then?”

“He entered my labyrinth and entertained us all for such a very long time.” Malcolm clapped Fisher on the back. “I sent some of my other friends to play with him sometimes. From time to time, I would visit him myself. We always had suchscintillatingconversations. And then, one day, he made it to the center of the labyrinth. I have to say, I was shocked. I thought it would take him a lot longer than it did. What was it, Fisher? Fifty years?”

“Fifty-five.” His eyes were back on me now, locked fast, as if I were an anchor in a storm, the only thing capable of grounding him.

“That's right. Fifty-five. He spent the next eight years trying to find the coin once he reached the center, didn't you, my love?”

For the first time since the three regents had started toying with him, Fisher flinched.

I did, too.

My love. Of all the things Malcolm could have called him…

Fisher...

He gave me the smallest shake of his head.Don't. Don't give them anything. It’ll only make them worse.

Malcolm chuckled. “Then, one day, Taladaius was checking in on our Kingfisher, and he said that the ground shook so violently that the stone cracked beneath his feet, and a hole appeared. And lo and behold: a secret.”

“Let me guess,” Madra said. “There was a quicksilver pool below your lovely labyrinth. And it had been awakened.”

“Exactly! Very astute.”

Belikon narrowed rheumy eyes at me accusingly. “The very same vibrations rocked my palace.”

Malcolm tutted. “Such mayhem. Such chaos! Our Kingfisher took one look at the quicksilver pool, and Taladaius said he dropped down into the hole and waded into it without a second thought. Disappeared and didn't come back. I was surprised, Fisher. I gave you the opportunity to leave my labyrinth so many times, but you never accepted. And then you just upped and left out of the blue? With all of these poor creatures waiting on you to end their suffering? It seemedhighlyout of character. Tell me,” Malcolm said, spinning on the balls of his feet. “I've been dying to know. After a hundred and ten years in that labyrinth, what made you finally leave?”

“You bored him to fucking tears and he couldn't take it anymore,” Carrion sniped. Up until now, he'd held his tongue, but it was a miracle that he'd lasted this long. Carrion wasn't the type to let an opportunity to offend someone pass him by, regardless of how dire the situation was. Malcolm stalked forward and closed his hand around Carrion's throat. TheVampire king bared his fangs as he leaned in close to Carrion's neck.

“I don't like you, human. Something about you smells...off.”