All That Falls

37 A Vow Above A Bond

My heart cleaved in two at the sound. Tears streamed down my cheeks, an unending river of sorrow, as I listened to my soul bonded Fae cry out in pain.

Cass was crying as well, her head lowered so that we could not see her tears but her body shaking with them. The twins alternating between trying to break free of their restraints and muttering curses toward my mother. Gemini just watched, eyes hard and jaw clenched in rage. How was this happening? How had it all gone so wrong?

"You can stop this," Ariadne told me, shouting to be heard over Lark's screams as another crunch of bone filled my ears. "Agree to take the Elixir and I will stop."

"Ren," Lark muttered, weaker this time, as he slumped forward. "Don't."

Ariadne whirled on him, landing a savage blow with her fist to his stomach. He doubled over, coughing blood onto that polished russet marble. I looked at my father. He shook his head so slightly that I almost missed it. Panic gripped me as Ariadne squeezed her fist again and Lark cried out in pain, though there had been no audible bone breaking this time. It was almost worse, not knowing what she was doing to him, but knowing how bad it must be.

Still, amidst all that pain, he sent a feeling my way. A bit of encouragement, a bit of strength he needed far more than I did at the moment but he gave it to me anyway. My lips quivered at the gift, at the depth of his feeling for me.

Another crack of bone, this time louder. The sound reverberated through the cavernous throne room, vibrating in my ribs, clenching around my heart. Silent tears trickled freely down my cheeks. I pulled against my manacles and then collapsed back into my makeshift chair. She was going to kill him. She was going to kill him right here and now, in front of me, in front of his friends and family. I almost caved when she snapped her fingers again and he writhed wretchedly, this time too tortured to even cry out, but then Ariadne released him, snatching her fingers away and letting him fall to the floor.

"Lark!" I cried.

But I could feel him, like a caress against my soul. He was alive. He was breathing. And he even turned his face slowly so that I could see him. I hated the hurt in his expression, the pain there that was all my fault.

"Fine then," my mother snapped, turning and strolling down the line of my friends. "She will do."

She gripped Cass by the shoulder and dragged her forward.

"No!" Pollux screamed.

Rook snarled, pulling feverishly against his bonds. Lark's eyes widened then, for the first time, in terror as my mother raised her fist, intent clear in her eyes.

"Can't finish the job?" Lark wheezed, coughing another spot of blood onto the polished marble as he raised his head with some effort, blood streaming down over his eyes. "You mean all of this wasn't to get your revenge on me? For what I did to you? For what I took from you?"

My mother's lip curled into a snarl as she dropped Cass right in front of where I sat shackled on the dais. My eyes flicked from Cass to Lark. I knew what he was doing. I wished he would stop.

"This is between us, Ariadne," Lark told her, rising somewhat, spitting blood at her feet. "It always has been. Let the others go. I'm the one you want."

"Oh, yes," my mother snarled, spinning around and glaring at Lark. "I will kill you. I will tear you limb from limb and flay you until you beg for the sweet mercy of death. But first, you're going to watch me take the ones that you love. First, you're going to know what it means to lose someone precious to you."

Ariadne curved her fingers and a gleaming blade appeared in her hand. She lowered it slowly to Cass, lifting it against her perfect, porcelain cheek, until a drip of blood fell from the prick onto the shining dagger. Ariadne smiled, baring all of her teeth, as she turned to the thrashing twins, toward Lark who was making every effort to rise despite his legs and one arm which were splayed at unnatural angles, obviously broken.