Page 81 of The Queen’s Shadow

“I’m glad you brought her up.” He said smoothly, tugging at his suit jacket and looking up at Sofia.

“Permission to ask Nytara to assist with a small demonstration.”

I wanted to protest, but I had absolutely zero grounds. I had been the one to bring her up, giving Trenton the opportunity to claim relevancy. I mentally kicked myself for the blunder.

Sofia pursed her lips but nodded.

“Granted.” She said curtly, and the sneer on Trenton’s face grew wider.

“Nytara, come here.” He ordered. His tone was pure authority and demand. It was the way someone may speak to a well-trained dog. She stood and walked towards Trenton, though she threw a glance in my direction first.

I couldn’t read her expression, but the coldness that rolled off of her gave me the impression she was angry with me for involving her.

I tried not to care, but something about the way she was clearly being forced to walk toward him against her will, made me shudder. I realized then that The Siren was not just here as a guest.

Trenton held her chain.

Ash Nevra had given him some sort of permission, or authority over her bond. I glanced at Dossidian and knew immediately that the conclusion I had come to was correct. Ash Nevra could give others control over the bonds if she so chose. Trenton had been granted that power over The Siren, so that he might make whatever sick demonstration we were about to witness.

As The Siren came to stand next to Trenton, he turned to face the congregation, before continuing.

“What you see before me, is a daemon under Ash Nevra’s control. The bond that Honorable Conrad Brown has been referring to as a ‘slavery bond’ is not nearly as sinister as it may appear.

“Nytara, tell these lovely people how you spent your days before you came under Ash Nevra’s protection.”

Nytara stayed silent. She did not speak, only looked at Trenton, as if she could incinerate him with her gaze alone.

Dossidian murmured to me quietly to explain. “He cannot order speech, thoughts, or feelings. Only actions.” I nodded, understanding.

When it was clear that Nytara was not going to answer, he shrugged.

“You see?” He said to the congregation. “A perfect example of how the bond is not nearly as powerful as had been implied. She has agency to refuse me.

“However, if you do not wish to tell them, I will.” He smirked. “The daemon’s who live beyond The Veil call Nytara ‘The Siren.’ It’s a title she earned through her ruthless piracy of the Obsidian Sea. This sea borders the main continent of The Dominion, and The Court of Envy, which is an island court in the south. The Siren is responsible for countless shipwrecks and the lost lives of hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of her own kind. She did all this with no bond, and no consequence. Until Ash Nevra rose to power.

“I needn’t remind you, Honorable Members of The Board, how tumultuous our relations with daemons have been over the centuries. The few small altercations that arose over the past three hundred years under Ash Nevra’s reign have been nothing in comparison to the millenia of strife that we have suffered at the hand of daemon kind. The entire reason The Board was even built in the first place was in response to the constant misuse of their power.”

A rustle of agreement rose from the crowd as another crash of lightning lit up the black skies. Rain continued to pummel the windows, competing with the rustle of unease that filled the boardroom. “Many of you have never seen what a daemon is truly capable of. It is only through stories, and hearsay. Well, allow me to show you what types of creatures they truly are.” He turned to Nytara, and my heart stopped in my chest.

Wha’ him doing?

“Nytara.”

She shook her head and took a reluctant step away from him. She glanced at me, and I found my hands gripping the banister of the bench so hard my knuckles cracked.

“Mi protest!” I snarled. “Sofia! Stop dis!” I shouted as another crack of lightning struck the mountains beyond. Sofia looked at me, her face tight, and her lips pursed.

“It is within bounds, I cannot.” She whispered. Trenton was looking at Nytara like he wanted to watch her bleed, and my skin crawled with the intensity of his hatred.

“Nytara, build your power and show us what you’re capable of. Build your power and do not stop until I give you express permission to do so.” He hissed, the flash of lightning across his face stripped him of any humanity and he looked monstrous as he uttered the command.

Unable to resist the order, Nytara’s energy began to grow and expand from her at an alarming rate. The rain that pelted against the windows around us turned to snow, and then ice. A frigid wind began to grow within the boardroom, and the skies outside grew darker and darker.

Nytara’s already dark pupils expanded as her energy grew and the storm around us howled so loudly that the very stone that made up the walls began to shake and groan.

Her long dreadlocked hair whipped around her as ice sheets shot out from beneath her booted feet, turning the floor so slick I could have skated on it. Her energy crawled the walls; coating them in a thick frost that stiffened the banners displaying our sacred symbols of justice, before overtaking them completely.

She opened her mouth to scream but all that came out was a horrifying beam of snow and ice that smashed into the far wall. Magick folk threw up shields and dove out of the way in terror.