Page 153 of Traitor Witch

How is it that all my life I've been taught such a thing is impossible, yet in the last month I've met two witches who can?

Sophie and Petra have a lot to answer for.

The mage notices I'm awake and leans forward, just enough that it draws my attention back to him. He's so tall that I have to lift my face to look at him properly, and when I do, I can see his mop of startling red hair and blue eyes that spark some semblance of recognition.

I'll eat my new broom if this man isn't related to Elsie's friend Cooper somehow.

There's an indifference to both of their expressions that puts my guard up.

"How did you get into my palace?" A familiar, feminine voice demands from behind me.

A loud, unmistakable crack follows the Queen's question. The lingering aftereffects of whatever spells were used to knock me out and shock colluding to delay the agony until a few seconds later.

Then it hits me all at once.

I let out a grunt, but keep my lips sealed. I'm not giving these assholes anything.

"I asked you a question, Shadow."

More lashes. Five in quick succession. Five licks of agony racing down my spine.

"Fuck you," I spit the words directly at Lily.

In answer, she steps toward me and backhands me solidly across my face, gold rings cutting into my face.

I taste blood but force out a laugh. "Is that all you've got, bitch?"

"Enough," the Queen snaps, finally striding into view. "Weknow who you are. I want to know why you're here when Glenna promised me you were being kept busy in Coveton and not a threat to me."

She doesn't know that Glenna's dead.

That's interesting, but I'm not about to correct her.

She retreats behind me once more and it's no surprise when more lashes follow. Then there's a pause, and the Alchemist steps behind me, leaving only the mage in my field of view.

Something sharp, painful, and burning is rubbed into the cuts.

Goddess, whatever they're doing hurts more than the lashes did.

Tears fall from my eyes. The physical reaction is as involuntary as it is unwelcome, and for the first time, the mage starts to smile.

The asshole is enjoying my tears.

The rubbing stops, but the burning doesn't.

"If you answer my questions, I'll make all this go away," the Eagle promises. "You can join your Goddess in the stars."

I bite my lip but don't feel it. All I can feel is the agony clawing at my spine.

"You can even choose to live." Her promises are seductive, but I know it's a lie. "I can keep you comfortable for the rest of your days. I'll even let you return to the backwater city you came from, if that's what you really want."

There's a pause, a brief silence in which all I can do is hang there, swaying.

"Just tell me how you got inside my walls."

"My name is Nilsa," I whisper. "I am the Shadow of the Moon, and I will not betray my Goddess by telling you anything."

The lashes start up again. This time hitting the backs of my legs in fiery strokes.