Shades of Darkness (Guardians of Eternity #16) - Alexandra Ivy Page 0,77

capable of reading his mind, Greta smiled. “I did warn you.”

Basq charged. He had to do something or Chaaya was going to leap into the battle. And he didn’t doubt for a second that Greta would destroy her niece to get her hands on that spear.

Expecting her to do the whole ground opening thing again, Basq leaped toward her in a zigzag pattern. This time, however, she gave a peculiar twist with her hand and the air tightened around his throat.

Basq frowned. He wasn’t human. He didn’t need air to breathe. And a broken neck would do nothing but piss him off.

Then the invisible noose began to tighten and Basq was lifted off his feet. For several seconds he simply dangled off the ground, and Basq wondered if she intended to leave him hanging. Literally. He heard movement behind him and assumed that Chaaya was rushing to his rescue.

Before she could reach him, however, he floated through the air until he was swinging precariously over the dancing flames.

Shit. Basq struggled against the unseen rope. A broken neck wouldn’t kill him. But the fire most certainly would.

“You will take me home, Chaaya,” he heard Greta drawl. “Or I’ll drop the vampire.”

Chapter 22

Inga sat on her throne, her stupid crown digging into her scalp and the Tryshu tightly clutched in her fingers.

Beside her, Troy was standing with negligent ease, his red hair shimmering down his back and his lean body covered in a green velvet jumpsuit with sequins at the hem. In contrast, Inga wore a tie-dye muumuu in brilliant shades of purple and pink. The shocking contrast in colors had caused Rimm to wince, but his grim expression never changed as he led in the two heavily shackled guards.

Jord and Riza looked different from the last time she’d seen them. Both had their long hair hanging loose around their pale faces. Their tight braids had been yanked free to check for hidden weapons. And while they had on their armor, they’d both been stripped of their tridents.

They’d also been stripped of their arrogance, although Inga suspected it lurked just beneath their pretense of confused innocence.

“Your Majesty.” Jord took the lead. No surprise. Troy had already warned her that he was the leader of the disloyal duo. “I don’t understand what is happening.”

“You kneel when you speak to your queen.” Rimm whipped his trident through the air, hitting the two males on the backs of their legs to send them to their knees.

“Very tidy,” Troy drawled. “I might need one of those.”

“Tridents are the weapon of the mer-folk, not the common fey,” Jord snapped.

“Watch your tongue, Jord, before I cut it out.”

With a careless grace, Troy produced a dagger with a long, wicked blade. Inga arched a brow. Where had that come from? The jumpsuit the imp was wearing was so tight she would have sworn he couldn’t have so much as a toothpick under it.

Deciding it was best not to ask, Inga regretfully shook her head. “Not yet, Troy.” She turned her gaze back to the kneeling mermen. “Not until I have the truth from these traitors.”

“Traitors? Never,” Jord protested in an overly loud voice, glaring at Troy. “Whatever the imp has told you is lies.”

Troy used the tip of his dagger to clean beneath his nails. The silver blade flashed with a lethal glint in the light from the overhead chandelier.

“So you weren’t in the dungeons together discussing your plot to release Brigette and gain control of the Tryshu?” Troy asked.

Jord forced a humorless laugh. “How could we possibly gain control of the Tryshu? Its magic is too strong to be broken.”

“Riven proved that there are ways to manipulate the magic if you’re without morals,” Inga reminded the fool.

Anger darkened Jord’s blue eyes. He obviously didn’t like being reminded Riven had never been the true king, but he was smart enough to keep his prejudiced opinion to himself. Instead he lifted his hand and pressed it against his chest.

“I swear I have no means to manipulate the Tryshu,” he said, grimacing at the loud rattle from the chains that were attached to his wrists. “Besides, you saw me in this throne room when the prisoner burst in. How could I possibly have been involved? The imp is trying to turn you against your own people with his impossible stories of betrayal.”

The doors to the throne room opened and a mermaid entered. She was wearing the armor of the royal guards with her golden hair pulled into a tight braid. Her