Her Cinder Throne (Completed)

Chapter 74

The creature folded her into a boney and sharp embrace, facing Tanwyn and her mother, but squeezed within an inch of her life between its two arms.

"Let her go!" Tanwyn roared, his arms swirling in a magic pattern as the Sparkstone's orange glow burst into life.

Bastian flicked his fingers and a burst of concentrated wind knocked Tanwyn off his feet.

You can baaaarely stand. You think that your maaaagic will matccccchh mine?

The cave creature's hands pulled Cole's chin up, exposing her neck. She grimaced in its grip, struggling to no avail.

As Tanwyn scrambled to get his footing back, her mother lurched forward and grabbed the stone from his hand. As it touched her palm, it flared as bright as a lantern, casting dark shadows in the hollows of her face. Her hair, now loose from all their running, whipped in the wind that Bastian kept sending in their direction. She looked anything but a prisoner with a broken mind as she swept her arm and dispelled Bastian's enchantment.

"You may be pure magic, but I am Queen Aderyn. Even though you are free dominion creatures you bare allegiances to my people," she said, her voice deep and bold and as loud as the trumpets of war. "Release my daughter now, or be held in contempt of our ancient treaties."

The cave creatures cowered back, like shadows meeting the light of the rising sun. They hissed and writhed, shaking their heads and daring not to meet her mother's eyes. The one holding Cole started to loosen its grip, almost returning her to her feet. But Bastian's laugh seemed to make time stand still as everyone looked to him.

"Do you think you're the only one who can command their respect?" he asked. He waved his hand over his chest and the dagger materialized again, a dull spike through his chest. "Your Eldritch magic runs through my veins now, too."

Cole's mother breathed in slowly. "Then they are at a draw. Which master to serve?" she replied.

Bastian grinned, and for the first time since she had met him, Cole saw his father in the soft features that she had once begun to think of with a yearning heart. "I'm not merely a master. I am their master." His smile slipped and he yanked on the air as if he was pulling on the leashes of hunting hounds. The cave creatures lurched forward, their milky eyes staring blankly into the sky as they followed his commands as faithfully as puppets in a show. "You think an ancient treaty is as strong as their own blood? I bare both."

Her mother's face froze and she shook her head. "Not even your father would dare to--"

Bastian snarled. "I'm tired of this talk. I only have to bring the stone back to my king. Your bodies are only getting in my way." He looked down at his creatures. "Kill them and bring me our Sparkstone."

The cave creatures wasted no time. They dug into the dirt, launching themselves at her mother and Tanwyn. Cole barely had time to see her mother cast a spell to protect Tanwyn as a creature knocked him to the ground and almost slashed his throat open, but then she was preoccupied with her own predicament.

The creature holding her tightened its grip and its claws dug into the skin around her collarbone. She cried out in pain as a warm rivulet of blood dripped down her breastbone and her vision began to shutter and fade. Then, as if stung, the creature suddenly sprung back from her. It shook its head, and if such an expression could be made on its twisted features, it looked confused for a second.

Cole dropped to her knees, choking and gagging as she fought for breath and held her hand against the puncture wounds that marked where the claws had dug in. Blood slicked her hands and she flung her head up to see what had stopped the creature from slitting her throat wide open.

Bastian hung in the air, his face distorted in pain, and surrounded in a golden ring of light. The light wound around him like a snake, and where its head would be, it was wrapped around the hilt of the dagger. This seemed to be the source of Bastian's pain. The black shadows around his shuddered and writhed, blinking in and out of view against the starry sky.

"Caspia!" Tanwyn shouted, and Cole looked to see him running to her side. He snatched her hand and pulled her close, briefly stroking her hair as she pressed into his shoulder. Then he pulled her with him away from the creatures and Bastian, who was now gasping desperately for air, like a drowning man.

"What..." Cole began, but then she saw her mother, fallen on her hands and knees but with her eyes locked on Bastian and her mouth set in a hard line. Blood dripped from her mother's nose in a steady flow and she shook violently, yet her expression was as dauntless as time itself.

"I've got her, Aderyn!" Tanwyn shouted, placing a hand on her mother's shoulder. "Let's go!"

Her mother didn't reply, and Cole followed her gaze to Bastian. The hilt shook in its place, each jostle causing Bastian to shout out in pain and for the cave creatures to roll on the ground in their own seeming pain.

Our brooooother! the creatures shrieked. Theeeeeeey're killing ourrrrr brother!

"Aderyn! Forget him! We need to leave!" Tanwyn roared. Cole could barely hear him over the cacophony of sound in her mind coming from Bastian and the creatures.

As if waking from a dream, her mother tore her gaze from Bastian and to Cole. The golden stream of light burst into sparks that quickly faded, leaving the night sky to swallow them whole again. Bastian dropped to the ground, barely keeping his stance, and Cole only had a moment to see that the dagger was still firmly in his chest. Then her mother's hand clamped down on her wrist, and in a flash of nauseating movement, they shifted away from one world and into another.