Elgaboth the Kidnapping: Chapter 7

Lianna stared at the bodies. She had killed them without thinking, without even trying. She did not know or care why they had come to take her from the cage but as soon as he opened the bars and grabbed her wrists she had killed him. She could do it again. They had only to touch her and she could descend into the maze again. She knew the way now and she could not forget the tantalizing gleam of her power. The darkness inside her had stirred at the sight of blood and had come fully awake at the taste and smell of death, and the part of her that usually fought the darkness was so numbed that before she knew it the darkness had her. She let out a high pitched laugh and kicked his body from her contemptuously. By then two other guards where there, but they did not come to close. If they had she would have killed both of them. Elwin was crying and babbling questions. The prince in the other cage stared at her like she was some monster of legend. It was then that he came. He stood alone in the grass taking in the dead bodies, and the convulsively sobbing Elwin.

"Lianna. Come here."

His voice held much more intense power than the other commands she had resisted before and she found herself shuffling toward him and she fought the command desperately.

"I will not hurt you."

When she reached him he took firm hold of her wrists. She tried to kill him but this time it did nothing. He tied her wrists with a silver cord and suddenly she was out of the maze, or at least the maze disappeared.

He turned to the men. “You are witnesses that he was told not to approach until I arrived. His blood is on his own head. Get someone to bury him.”

The two men bowed and backed away.

"Follow me," He motioned to Lianna.

She found she could no longer even begin to resist so in a few moments she was in what appeared to be his personal tent.  He turned to regard her with his mismatched eyes.

"Has anyone told you what you are child?"

She just looked at him with her broken blue eyes.

"Do you know why you can do what you just did?"

She continued to stare but this time slowly shook her head.

"Do you know anything about demonspawn?"

Her head came up and she finally spoke "I am not..."

"Yes you are. So am I thanks to my dear mother. You're not first generation. I would say second or third. Do you know any of your grandparents?"

She gave no response, anger making her fierce.

"Well as most of your half siblings are not twins I would venture a guess that it was your father. He died before you were born right?"

She continued in sullen silence.

"And I would venture to guess he was not exactly a kind man."

"What is your point sir?" Her voice was sharp.

"Only that one of your grandparents or perhaps great Grandparents was a demon. You're from Pinkland I suppose. Their demons are quite notorious for interbreeding even if they're bound to the mountains. I take it you're fey. Your sister seems almost normal."

"Leave her out of it."

"As you wish, do you know what fey means?"

"No."

"Well demonspawn are always twins, right up to the fourth generation and one of the twins is always fey. The fey twin is much more affected by the demon heritage. Both the twins will usually have powers but the fey will be much the stronger. Sometimes the fey goes mad, sometimes he or she is born an imbecile. Both twins are usually morally lacking, particularly the fey. It is rare to meet a first generation with any kind of moral conscience. Would you like to hear more?"

"I think you have told me quite enough."

"Very well, I will take you back to the cages and see that you have no other chances of using your new talents on any one, especially your sister."

She whirled to face him, eyes blazing. "You think I would kill my sister?"

"As I said demon spawn are lacking something morally. I know of more cases than I like to think where the fey killed the other."

She turned icy. "Sir, I have no intention of injuring Elwin in anyway. That is the one thing I could never do."

He looked at her quizzically. "Tell me you were never jealous of your parent's preference for her. Tell me you never looked at her and hated her because she had what you didn't."

She was angry again. "You, sir, cannot know anything..."

He cut her off "I can know everything. You are fey she is not your parents, being human will naturally prefer the other just as mine, being demons, will prefer my sister." His eyes soften just a bit and his voice was almost a whisper. "I would not trust myself alone with her had I just discovered I had the power to kill. So I will not trust you alone with your sister. I do not mean this as an insult my lady." He bowed to her and offered her his arm.

Lianna stared at him. "You play the gentleman now?"

He looked her in the eyes with infuriating coolness. "I am attempting to run this operation with as little discomfort to all concerned."

Lianna stared incredulous.

"My lady, consider that no one, excepting the fighting men, has been killed. None of the ladies have been menaced, injuries or defiled. Yes I have burned your school and essentially kidnapped all of you but I ask you: Would you prefer I had refused this command of my mother's? She would have sent someone else. And trust me if she had not of your little friends would have been returned with their lives. And their deaths would not have been easy.” His eyes again softened. "I am well aware my lady that I am no paragon of virtue but I have been so placed that there are few roads left open to me. I have not the benefit of your moral philosophers or your holy orders. I have only my conscience, a sorry thing but one that most first generation demonspawn cannot be said to own.”

She ignored him and he led her back to the cage. This time he placed her not with Elwin but with Jon, the Blueland prince. Neither spoke.